matthewhawkinsblog

Ways of Seeing was a TV series originally broadcast in 1972 based on the writing of John Berger. It later developed into the Penguin publication that has become synonymous with art education.

The series and book questions traditional aesthetics by raising questions about hidden ideologies in visual images, quite simply it makes the viewer think about meaning and ultimately leads them to question the visible. It is as relevant today as it has ever been, and perhaps even more so. We have come to exist within a world of images and media and it is more important than ever that we question our existence in relation to contemporary aesthetics.

If you look beyond the awkward delivery of early television production and dismiss distant school memories of educational VHS recordings (certain generations only) it is easy to accept that the thought-provoking analysis excedes the majority of content delivered on the multitude of channels that we have available today. In this case it is fair to say they don't make them like they used to.

A more insightful critique alongside all four episodes can be viewed on the following link http://ubu.com/film/berger_seeing.html.

One member of the team that put the book together was Richard Hollis, a hugely influential Graphic Designer who has gone on to design the visual identity for the Whitechapel Art Gallery and more recently Swiss Graphic Design: The Origins and Growth of an International Style, 1920-1965.