Flows and paths in visual culture

Abstract

Over recent years, image-making practices (e.g. photographing, filming, editing and drawing) have undergone multiple transformations – driven by the expanding dialogue between digital visual technologies, social network platforms, videos/websites and image-sharing apps. This dialogue has made it possible to develop new forms of visuality and thereby new practices within, and across, a variety of online and offline fields. In this issue we analyse the scope and dimensions of these changes, how they have been incorporated into society and everyday life, their social, political, cultural, aesthetic and poetic implications, and their impact on the continuous redefinition of the functioning of visual communication and its place in contemporary societies. We included the concept of “flow” to designate the theme of this issue, which is dedicated to visual culture, since flow is a key metaphor for life. Flow and life tend to develop in a constant tension between balance and imbalance, and between harmony and disharmony. Life experiences are stages over the course of a lifetime.