Last March, at the International Summit for Democracy in The Hague, they called for the need for such an institution and highlighted the danger of institutional visual illiteracy for cultural democracies. Matjaž Štuk contacted BK Information with a request to highlight their appeal to the Minister of OCW - to move quickly to form an Institute for Visual Literacy.
In the appeal, Štuk argues, "(...) we are taught and tested on reading comprehension, but not on looking comprehension, despite the fact that we are bombarded daily, through all kinds of media, by millions of images. These images successfully attempt to influence, mislead and manipulate us on social, economic, political and cultural levels. Institutional image illiteracy, is hereby cause and effect. This can lead to social indifference, polarization, disruption and disintegration. In the process, techniques such as framing, priming, cookies and memes are applied via digital media, capillary and person-specific. And now Artificial Intelligence (Ai) is coming on top."
Štuk describes visual literacy as "the ability to understand what one perceives visually and communicates visually to each other. One is able to distinguish visible actions, objects and symbols, interpret them and communicate them visually. This requires knowledge in seeing, reading and understanding visual associations and their interrelationships, resulting in reducing fears of the new and different. With the right learning method, one can calibrate his perceiving "self," to arrive at a calibration tool for his perception. This creates the opportunities to perceive and understand the new autonomously, beyond one's own cultural horizon."
Matjaž Štuk:
"It is worrying that no European country has an Institute for Visual Literacy and makes an urgent appeal to the Minister of Education, Culture and Science to establish such an institute."
Štuk sees five tasks for the Institute for Visual Literacy:
1. Promote scientific research on image literacy education for various educational and social groups.
2. Implement and monitor image literacy curricula.
3. Foster historical research on the development, use and misuse of visual literacy through the ages.
4. Collaborate on awareness with the Language Union, the Media Literacy Network and the Film Education Network, with the Institute for Sound and Vision, and others.
5. Be advisory and facilitative service in training opportunities, workshops and seminars for professionals in various sectors.
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