Abstract
Mapping Minds features a select group of essays presented at the 4th Global Conference on Visual Literacies. Celebrating an interdisciplinary approach, this volume features work ranging, among others, from photography and video production studies to graffiti and film analysis with a variety of theoretical approaches. [Book Synopsis]
This paper demonstrates how the visual research methodology, photovoice, was employed to elicit and share the values and concerns of three different groups about being "at the water's edge" in times of uncertainty due to climate change. It considers how participants utilized characteristics of visual literacy and visual communication to generate multi-layered messages, and investigates the impact of images in communicating both individual and shared perspectives. This multi-disciplinary research was undertaken within the bi-annual Floating Land environmental art event, at Boreen Point Australia in June 2009, which explored the theme of climate change and rising sea levels on coastal and island communities. Photovoice involves the use of participants' photos, which are contextualised through groupdiscussion and clarified with text, to communicate about specific issues to a wider audience. This research investigates a gap in the literature concerning the efficacy of the chosen images as communication vehicles. By comparing the perspectives of three different groups with potentially differing degrees of visual literacy - residents, festival visitors, and participating artists - and examining the impact of the selected photographs, this paper considers the effectiveness of images as a mode of communication in conveying concerns about issues of local and global relevance.