Mathematical Theory of Communication on Art

Shannon and Weaver’s Mathematical Theory of Communication is probably the most influential of all communication models; and has been used as a guide from which many contemporary communication theories have emerged. The theory’s large influence on communication studies has also led some to claim that the theory is widely applicable to human communication. In this essay, I will be analyzing how artworks are used to communicate messages and ideas to the general audience with the use of this theory. For the first part, I will briefly introduce the theory as a general entity. I will follow with my analysis.

The Mathematical Theory of Communication The Mathematical Theory of Communication, hereinafter be referred to as the Mathematical Model, consists of several elements. The first five elements namely, Information Source, Transmitter, Channel, Receiver and Destination are all connected in a linear fashion. The sixth element, Noise Source, is connected to the Channel. The model is illustrated below (Figure 1). Figure 1: Mathematical Theory of Communication The Information Source is what produces the message. A Transmitter encodes the message into a signal and is passed through a Channel.

The Receiver then decodes a message from the signal and is passed to the Destination. Noise Source is anything added to the signal that is not intended by the Information Source and distorts the message. Using this model, there are many ways an artwork can communicate a message. The first instance is when an artwork is both the Information Source and Transmitter and the audience the Destination and Receiver. In the second instance the artist is the Information Source, the artwork the Channel and the audience, again, the Destination.

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The third instance is when an arts manager is placed into the equation. The Artwork and Audience The first instance is probably the ‘cleanest’ of the three ways proposed, involving two parties, the artwork and the audience. A painting hung on the wall at a gallery catches the eye of an audience member. The audience member proceeds to stand in front of the painting and attempts to analyze the painting’s message or perhaps just marvel at its brilliance. In this case, the simplistic Mathematical Model can then be further simplified to just include just the Information Source, Noise and Destination.

Noise in this scenario may include the inappropriate lighting in the gallery, noisy children running around in the gallery or even the way the painting is presented. All of the above would diminish the audience’s ability to interpret the artwork’s message. The underlying assumption here is that the artist has completely divorced himself from the artwork and does not care how the audience interprets his art. However some artist do care about the message being send across. The Artist The second instance brings in the ‘third’ party, the artist.

Here the artist is the Information Source and Transmitter who uses his artwork to communicate ideas. This artwork becomes the Channel of communication. Now Noise has the potential to disturb the message at two points, one between the Transmitter to the Channel, and the other from Channel to Receiver. The shape of Mathematical Model thus becomes slightly irrelevant, although the linearity of the model stays in contact. Noise can happens in the first point when the artist is unable to materialize fully his concepts. This could be due to the lack of funds or the inability to acquire certain materials the artist hopes to use.

The message is then compromised. The second point occurs when the audience is unable to interpret correctly what the artist is trying to convey. There are many communication theories that elaborate on this, however for the purposes of this essay I will elaborate on ‘preconceived notion’ and ‘ideological differences’. Preconceived notions could come in many forms, for instance when one first views Damien Hirst’s The Physical Impossibility of Death in the Mind of Someone Living, one might assume the glass tank was an thoughtless choice when in actuality there was a certain artistic element to it.

Yet such a misunderstanding does not affect the overall message of Hirst’s work. However an ideological difference, could affect greatly the message intended. The list of ideological differences is endless, but one of the most prominent ideological different that still persists in this century is religion. To one the Balinese Dances may have religious significance however to another who is a non-believer, such dances might just be a work of art with culture as the theme. In addition, the masks used in such dances might become a sacred object but to another it might be nothing more than a work of art.

The time and purpose of an artwork might also create disparity in the understanding of the message. During the 16th century, the art was used to propaganda the Christian faith, which was competing for the spiritual allegiance of masses with the other religious fractions in Europe. Now however, an art lover would just be inspired at the sheer brilliance of the artwork, eliminating the evangelical purpose. Arts Manager The third instance introduces a ‘fourth’ party to the equation, the arts manager. Communicating art, as illustrated above, is no easy task.

One might need to transcend boundaries and ideologies in order to fully understand the message of the artwork. The arts manager can be placed in numerous positions in the Mathematical Model. In one instance the arts manager might elongate the communication chain. The artist (Information Source) might communicate to the Arts Manager (Receiver). The Arts Manager, now the Information Source, will then communicate to the Audience who becomes the second Receiver. This elongated chain would then create more opportunities for Noise to develop. The arts manager may also assume the role of the Channel.

Here the artist or artwork will be the information source. In this model, if related back to the original Mathematical Model implies that the arts manager (Channel) is the sole producer of Noise, if any. Conclusion Ultimately when communicating, the ideal circumstance would arise if the message to be conveyed is transmitted and understood in its entirety. Thus is it the job of an arts manager to reduce Noise so that the artist is able to convey his message? Or is it the artist job to better his craft if he wants to convey the message? With that said, is Noise necessarily always negative?

What if the Noise was intended? In the experimental exhibitions entitled Not Against Interpretation, the Singapore Art Museum decided to challenge the concept of interpretation by allowing several curators to interpret the same artworks to the audience. The audience can then decide which interpretation to accept. The philosophy behind this is to exploit the ‘openness’ of contemporary art and also provide an opportunity to engage with people from varied backgrounds. Bibliography Agata, T. & Okada, T. “How does information about creative process affect audience appreciation of artwork? Proceedings of the Twenty-eighth Annual Meeting of the Cognitive Science Society (2006): 949-954. Print Berger, John. Ways of Seeing. London: Penguin, 2008. Print. Dannatt, Adrian. " Life’s Like This Then It Stops” Flash Art. Web. 24 Apr. 2012. <http://www. flashartonline. com/interno. php? pagina=articolo_det>. Elsen, Albert E. Purpose of Art An Introduction to the History and Appreciation of Art Fourth Edition. USA; Holt, Rinehart and Winston, Inc. , 1981. Fiske, John. Introduction to Communication Studies. London: Routledge, 1990. Print. Introduction to Bali: Art Ritual Performance. Dir.

Deborah Clearwaters. Asian Art Museum’s Education and Public Programs, 2011. Film. Newton, Eric. "Art as Communication. " British Journal of Aesthetics 1. 2 (1961): 71-85. Print. Pang, Ruben. Personal interview. 5 April. 2012. Roszak, Theodore. The Cult of Information: The Folklore of Computers and the True Art of Thinking. New York: Pantheon, 1986. Print. Shannon, Claude E. and Warren Weaver. “The Mathematical Theory of Communication. ” Urbana, Illinois: University of Illinois Press, 1949. Tinggal, Zainal Abiddin. The Dances of ASEAN. Brunei Darussalam: ASEAN Committee on Culture and Information, 1998. Print. ------------------------------------------- [ 1 ]. John Fiske, “Introduction to Communication Studies” (1990) Pg 6. [ 2 ]. Ibid. [ 3 ]. The essay revolves around the assumption that artists use art as a communicative device to express emotions and ideas. Eric Newton further elaborates this idea in his paper ”Art as Communication”. [ 4 ]. To better illustrate the Mathematical Model assume a telephone conversation. In such a case the Channel is the wire and the signal is the electrical wire in it. The telephone handsets are the Transmitter and Receiver, and the people using those handsets are the Information Source and Destination.

Noise Source in this instance could be distortion of sound in the telephone wire due to various reasons. [ 5 ]. Many critics have condemned Shannon and Weaver’s theory to be overly simplicity. One such critic, Theodore Roszak, agues in his book “The Cult of Information” that the model has no mechanism for distinguishing important ideas from pure non-sense. [ 6 ]. Although the article “How does Information about Creative Process Affect Audience Appreciation of Artwork? ” does not provide conclusive findings, the study conducted does however provide relevant insight with regards to forming curatorial concepts. 7 ]. In the interview conducted on 5th April 2012, Ruben Pang, a local painter, reveals that he prefers that his artworks connect with the audience on their own accord. And in his analogy “Much to the same degree as a love song with generic lyrics. The audience likes the song because they are deluded that it relates to them when in actual fact the love song might be about a particular girl. However when the audience finds out that the love song is indeed about a particular girl, the lost interest in the song. ” [ 8 ]. The Propeller Group, a team made of three video artists, made a video entitled ‘Uh! to communicate the ideas of freedom of expression in present day Vietnam. For an online interview with the Propeller Group please refer to http://is. asia-city. com/events/article/60-seconds-propeller-group. [ 9 ]. After publishing the original theory in the The Bell System Technical Journal, Shannon and Weaver became that Noise could happen at other points besides the Channel. Another theory, the Information Theory was thus conceived. [ 10 ]. In an interview with Adrian Dannatt, Hirst mentions his infatuation with glass and thus the continuous use of glass in many of his other works. 11 ]. The Balinese dances were usually performed in temples for scared rituals to local deities associated with nature and ancestry. However in recent years, due to globalization and ASEAN’s push for cultural development and education, such dances have travelled around the world. (Introduction to Bali: Art Ritual Performances, 2011)(Tinggal, 1998) [ 12 ]. The Balinese believe the masks, when carved properly and are consecrated, becomes a vessel for a deity. In turn, the mask becomes a protective guardian and powerful sacred force when worn during a dance. Introduction to Bali: Art Ritual Performances, 2011)(Tinggal, 1998) [ 13 ]. Albert E. Elsen “Purpose of Art: An Introduction to the History and Appreciation of Art” (1981). [ 14 ]. Not Against Interpretation is an experimental platform to nurture an appreciation for contemporary art. The first artwork to be presented under this series is A Flog of Birdies by Singaporean artists Jason Lim and Vincent Leow. The work was an artistic collaboration between them as part of UTOPIA (United Together to Organise and Produce Interesting Art).

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