Analysis of "Three Weeks in May" Visual Representation - Essay Sample

Introduction

Visual representation refers to the art of using a photo or film to convey information to the audience. Images project ideas or claims. Normally, photos are accompanied by text to emphasize the message. The choice of color, hierarchy, line, background and font color, type and size create required contrasts and patterns to interpret and understand the coded message (Arnheim 16). The purpose, audience, and the issue at hand determine the architecture of a visual tool. The photo developed by Suzanne Lacy is a map that was posted in Los Angeles as a tool to launch campaigns against women assault and show the victims hotspots for rape incidences. Lacy was living in Los Angeles when the city was deemed as the "rape capital of the nation" making it an appropriate site to display the piece (Lacy 12). Lacy visited the Los Angeles Police Department daily for three weeks recording the number of rape cases and their incident locations (Lacy 34). Lacy plotted both committed and attempted incidences of rape using a red stamp on the map. "Three Weeks in May" photo has effectively utilized the tools of visual representation to create a campaign against and sensitize victims about rape.

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The photo is a map representing the regions affected by the assault of women. The map consists of distinct regions shed in yellow and white. Moreover, the map uses squares and rectangles which are simple shapes familiar to the ordinary people for easy understanding (Margolis et al. 109). The first region is placed centrally to outline where the incidences of rape are highest. The regions of low incidence are placed peripherally to avoid distraction. Strategic positioning of the region centrally and the places with many red stamps attract the viewers to the photo. The colors create selective attention in the photo (Van Leeuwen 72). Use of yellow and red colors creates the mood and tone of the photo. Size is important in putting the relative emphasis. The size of the yellow regions is disproportionately larger than the white regions to emphasize where the problem of rape is most pronounced.

Utilization of vivid colors was successful in creating various messages in the photo. The yellow color sharply outlines the land where the people committing the offense of rape reside. Within the yellow outline, are points plotted with a stencil to demarcate areas where the incidences of rape have been reported. The points are plotted in black to create a sharp contrast to make the points visually legible for the viewer. Moreover, there are lines within the photo to demarcate the roads and ways leading to the places of reported rape incidences. The roads are also mapped in black to distinctively map for the audience where the incidences are occurring.

Additionally, the placement and shape of lines impact the message of the photo. The photo uses jagged and irregular lines to create emotions and feelings. Such lines impact the mood of uneasiness, tension, and fear among the viewers of the photo (Knoblauch 421). The heavy use of these irregular lines creates a negative mood among the viewers which is the purpose of the image: to discourage the vice of rape and assault against women. Use of black color to plot also reveals the dark side of rape. Black has historically been utilized to symbolize darkness. This could imply the rape incidences are occurring in isolated dark regions, during the night or the act itself is evil. Lacy strategically chose these lines to cause agitation and disquiet in the face of violence against women.

Use of red stamps was both artful and symbolic. The red color has a clear contrast when used with yellow and black together. Moreover, the red color symbolizes danger. In the context of the photo, red color has been used to demonstrate untold negative impact women who have been assaulted have to go through. The women are predisposed to injuries and bleeding, psychological trauma and social stigmatization (Lacy 22). The "RAPE" fonts are in uppercase for legibility and emphasis on the seriousness of the rape offense. The combination of typeface and color works in synergy to strongly rally the inhumanity of rape and the repercussions that result from the ordeal. The end result is an exasperated mood and tone among the audience revealing the message has been received. Also, there is a clear red outline around the words rape to draw the attention from and emphasize to the audience the message of the photo. Holistically, the stamped regions represent where both reported, and unreported rape cases are occurring. In some regions on the map, the stamps have been stacked on one another to emphasize high incident rates of rape in those regions. Some stamps are not legible catching the attention of the reader to inspect closely the regions most affected. This could also imply the cases of rape are so many that they cannot be accounted for on the map.

Finally, the texture of a photo is important in catching the viewer's attention. The photo utilizes multiple patterns to create texture. There is a sharp outline between the white and yellow shapes. Also, within the yellow outline, there are several both regular and irregular shapes brought about by the lines to show the topography of the land. These patterns give the viewer selective interest in noting the details of the photo (Van Leeuwen 76). The pattern creates mood and, in this case, the mix of regular and irregular patterns creates dissonance in the audience since the message of rape is not pleasant.

Conclusion

In conclusion, Lacy successfully used the tools of visual arts to campaign against and sensitize people about the assault against women. The use of red typeface and yellow color to demarcate the regions most affected were the most successful features. Use of line was also well executed in creating the mood and tone of the photo. Rape is a vice that must be campaigned against and discouraged in our society.

Works Cited

Arnheim, Rudolf. Art and visual perception. Univ of California Press, 1974.

Knoblauch, Hubert, et al. "Visual analysis. New developments in the interpretative analysis of video and photography." Forum Qualitative Sozialforschung/Forum: Qualitative Social Research. Vol. 9. No. 3. 2008.

Lacy, S. (1977). "Three Weeks in May": Speaking Out on Rape, a Political Art Piece. Frontiers: A Journal of Women Studies, 66-70.

Margolis, Eric, and Luc Pauwels, Eds. The Sage handbook of visual research methods. Sage, 2011.

Van Leeuwen, Theo, and Carey Jewitt, Eds. The handbook of visual analysis. Sage, 2001.