The paper introduces the trans-visual project, developed in the past decade as a response to the focus on discourse critique in visual culture studies. The project addresses the visual as a dynamic and transformative sensibleness: what is defined as an ordered doing of matter; a mattering – something that, it contends, is still not really understood.
One interesting inroad to the visual as mattering can be found in the development of visual art in the 20 century; it’s attempt to surmount representation, its involvement in direct meaning per the visual in the terms of e.g. Marcel Duchamp’s ‘manifestations’ and ideas of ‘infrathin separation’, and its attitude of a profusive and direct social relevance; all of which become signatories of art after WW2 and the astounding success of what is now termed contemporary art. The paper argues – on this background – that it is high time art history and visual culture leave the age old ide of the representational image behind including its problematic relationship to the notion of the imagination, and establishes a new notion of the imaginary, here suggested to be found in Gilbert Simondon’s work.
The paper exemplifies this in analysis of the role of visual art of the agit prop movement, “a new way for culture propaganda” (Iakov Okunev), which seemed to amass the visual for revolutionary ends. It concludes with a remark on Dziga Vertov’s conception of “the Kino-Eye”