1,000 Words The final piece in the show is more intimate and personal and addresses visual literacy in a realm other than the commercial. Instead of using consumer-based/advertising imagery, this centers around a photograph taken by Louis Favorite for The Atlanta Journal Constitution in 2007, during the Iraq war. I received Mr. Favorite’s permission to use this photograph. The piece is based on the common expression, “A picture is worth a thousand words.” I paired Mr. Favorite’s image with 1,000 unique words which are all connected to the image in some way—as descriptors, connotations, or free associations. Yet even that many words are not enough. They are only a reflection of my views and thoughts. They do not capture the individual experiences the viewers bring to the piece. It demonstrates that words and images are different, and it is difficult, if not impossible, to capture the depth of meaning or the full range of emotion expressed in this image. The piece consists of six wood frames. The first one, farthest to the left, has Mr. Favorite’s image centered within it. The other five frames each have 250 words arranged in a block. The words were typed, printed on watercolor paper, cut apart, and placed by hand into the block layout. Each element is raised off the page by foam dots and affixed with double-sided tape.
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The text on the plaque accompanying this piece at the show read: We teach children to read texts—to dissect and analyze them, to study their structure and form— but we don’t discuss the visual world in the same way, as a language, as communication. We don’t spend time critically analyzing what images are “saying” to us. This piece is an intimate look at how images communicate. It is exactly 1,000 words, each unique. And it still does not fully describe the image or account for the wide variety of possible interpretations and personal associations. Visual literacy is not just about advertising or manipulation. It is about awareness and going beyond the quick glance. This piece encourages the audience to slow down and spend time with images...and really “read” them. It is a quiet and moving piece, and it resonated deeply with the audience.