LIGHT AND MATTER, VISION AND IMAGING

The course is one of the three courses included in the Minor "Senses, science and cultural expression". General educational objective of the Minor is to provide the fundaments and to demonstrate how the development of scientific knowledge on human perception, based on sight, hearing, smell and taste, has influenced art and other forms of cultural expression in the last two centuries. In particular, it will be presented how recent knowledge in the field of physics and chemistry allows reproducing and manipulating sounds, images, smells and tastes for creative /aesthetic purposes, as well as to improve the quality of everyday life and to overcome sensory and perceptive disabilities. This course is specifically dedicated to visual perception and image reproduction. The specific objective is to present the scientific bases that explain the human perception of images and colors and how this knowledge has ruled the development of modern techniques of acquisition and reproduction of images through the photographic process. To this aim, the course will provide the basic principles of both analog and digital photographic techniques for creative and artistic purposes.

1. Knowledge and understanding
i) Acquire the knowledge concerning the relationships between the perceptive mechanisms of human vision and the modern methods of image reproduction.
ii) Become familiar with the principles of image acquisition based both on film and on digital sensors.
iii) Understand the working mechanisms of a (photo)camera and learn how to use it consciously.

2. Ability to apply knowledge and understanding
i) Understand how the mechanisms of human vision influence the ability to reproduce images.
ii) Know how to use the photographic medium in a conscious and appropriate manner, both for documentary or creative purposes.

3. Ability to judge
i) Learn to evaluate the effectiveness of different image reproduction strategies.
ii) Develop critical skills in the conscious use of modern image acquisition and reproduction technologies.

4. Communication skills
i) Learn to use correctly the terminology adopted in photography.
ii) Improve visual communication skills through images, taking some photographic images.
iii) Improve the oral communication skills by presenting and discussing with the other students and with the teacher the portfolio of images cited above.

5. Learning skills
i) Ability to acquire the basic elements on the topics covered by the teacher in class, completing the learning process through the consultation of texts, magazines and electronic sources.

Basic knowledge at the high school level is required in the fields of chemistry, physics and art history. The student must be motivated by a keen interest in the visual arts (photography, graphics, painting) combined with curiosity in understanding the perception phenomena as well as the operating principles of modern technologies for the production and reproduction of images.

- What is light? Lighting sources and color temperature.
- Light-matter interactions
- Mechanism of human vision. Perception of color.
- Tristimulus. Color spaces.
- Capture images and colors: cameras and lenses.
- Brief history of photography.
- The chemistry of film and photographic prints in black and white and color
- Photography and digital images: sensors and digital cameras.
- Basic principles of digital image processing.

Lecture notes
Suggested books:
Andrea Frova: Luce colore visione. BUR Rizzoli, 2000 (also e-book).
Sergio Marcelli: Trattato fondamentale di fotografia. Hoepli, 2016 (also e-book)

Oral exam based on a discussion on the contents and prospects of the topics.
The property of language and the acquired ability to use the photographic medium in a conscious and creative manner will be also evaluated.
The oral exam generally lasts 30 minutes.

Lectures integrated with practical applicative examples.

STRUCTURE AND CONTENT OF THE COURSE COULD CHANGE AS A RESULT OF THE COVID-19 EPIDEMIC.

Accessibility, Disability and Inclusion

Accommodation and support services for students with disabilities and students with specific learning impairments:
Ca’ Foscari abides by Italian Law (Law 17/1999; Law 170/2010) regarding supportservices and accommodation available to students with disabilities. This includes students with mobility, visual, hearing and other disabilities (Law 17/1999), and specific learning impairments (Law 170/2010). In the case of disability or impairment that requires accommodations (i.e., alternate testing, readers, note takers or interpreters) please contact the Disability and Accessibility Offices in Student Services: disabilita@unive.it.

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