The Practice of Practice-led Iconic Research

Abstract

The approach of practice-led iconic research originated in the tradition of design and visual communication. It is often put into opposition to any research on images with an academic background or generally linked to the rather vague label of 'theory'. In contrast, this contribution argues that the outdated opposition of theory and practice is not adequate to conceive of practice-led iconic research. Rather, it should be understood as a specific research practice based on the production of images and aimed at gaining knowledge about visual communication and its specific pictorial means. All factors of image formation and the practice of design can become a subject of investigation. In order to characterize this kind of practice-led research and its usage of pictures, I compare it with theory-driven approaches and their respective use of picture examples as well as to the particular ways the natural sciences and artistic research engage with pictures.