The Inner Eye and the Outer Space: Planetaria as Schools for Visual Literacy
Goesl B (2020)
Publication Type: Authored book
Publication year: 2020
Publisher: Brill
ISBN: 9781848880078
DOI: 10.1163/9781848880078_009
Abstract
This chapter traces the pivotal role of planetaria in training elementary visual literacy. Planetaria address a quite different visual system than all other visual media: as one never can see all stars at a planetarium’s dome prima vista but inevitably has to wait until dark adaptation is completed, a culture of ‘deferred visual gratification’ is established there. The artificial stars – minimal visual units; ‘pixel avant la lettre’ – challenge visual literacy regarding ‘just noticeable differences’ in brightness. ‘Re/-productive imagination’ is practised in planetaria as the constellations are explained according to ancient mnemonic attributions of shapes to the poor visual cues of the orderless stellar distribution. Before the conventionalized constellations become visible by superimposed illustrating slides they have to be ‘seen-in’ certain clusters with the ‘inner eye’. To this end the spectators cooperatively have to apply the ‘gestalt laws’. Beyond this instructed mental imagery of traditional constellations the inner vision of individual alternative asterisms is also stimulated. Equally the ability to express oneself in terms of images can be exercised when guiding lines which can be sketched on interactive touchscreens are projected onto the dome, permitting a hands-on ‘gradual production of visual thinking while drawing’.
Involved external institutions
Germany (DE)How to cite
APA:
Goesl, B. (2020). The Inner Eye and the Outer Space: Planetaria as Schools for Visual Literacy. Brill.
MLA:
Goesl, Boris. The Inner Eye and the Outer Space: Planetaria as Schools for Visual Literacy. Brill, 2020.
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