whats the matter?

senior thesis, may 2009

what’s the matter?

zohar avgar

the thesis paper


This thesis project examines how objects can become symbols through the meaning that has been attached to them. The pro-cess of extracting meaning out of these symbols becomes more of a reflex than a conscious cogni-tive process since we are so well trained to decode the embedded meaning from the visual symbols we see.

My intention is to remove the visu-al stimulations that trigger these automatic responses and thus allow the viewer to investigate highly symbolized items through exploring its structure and mate-rial. I utilized X-ray imaging tech-nology, which uses high voltage light beams to penetrate and generate a radiographic image of objects. The resulting images allow the viewer to inspect the

material and structure of objects, free from the instinctive decoding of its underlying meaning. To com-pliment the images’ abstraction, I built opaque boxes that allow the visitor to experience the different objects using their tactile sense. This gives yet another way for the visitors to experience the essence of the matter without its layers of embedded meanings.

1.4-1.2m-year-old bone, incised with man-made markings

Symbolism is among the earliest means of communication between humans, and can be traced back 1.4 million years to carved lines on ancient bones1. The lines on the bones, which are the earliest known example of symbolism, were not created from butch-ering because the lines do not match up with a place one would naturally cut. Although symbolism

can be traced far back into our prehistory, the study of signs and symbols known as Semiotics was instigated during the seventeenth century AD.

Semiotics deals with the mean-ing of signs. “Signs take the form of words, images, sounds, odors, flavors, acts or objects, but such things have no intrinsic mean-ing and become signs only when we invest them with meaning.”2 According to semiotic theories, abduction is the cognitive process

of decoding the meaning from a sign or symbol. For a symbolic sign that is encountered and interpreted very frequently, the abduction process is over-learned and therefore performed auto-matically3. I investigated “signs” and the pro-cess of abducting meaning from

them, in an attempt to replace the automatic reflex-like decoding of meaning from the objects with a conscious cognitive process of awareness of the signs.

hand mit ringen (hand with rings). first x-ray image, 1896

X-rays were discovered in the end of the 19th century by Dr. William Konrad Roentgen. X-ray technolo-gy uses electromagnetic radiation to penetrate objects and produce a gray-scale image of the different components of the object. As the density and thickness of the mate-rials increases, the shades of gray

lighten. Completely white areas represent materials that the X-rays cannot penetrate. Due to its extraordinary ability to “see” what the naked eye cannot see, X-rays are utilized in a variety of fields, but their predominate use is for medical and security purposes.

Among the more uncommon ap-plications of x-rays is their use in art. Dr. Dain Tasker, who as a den-tist had access to the technology, is considered pioneer in the use of x-rays for art. By the beginning of the 1930’s he created a body of work based on X-ray images of flowers. Another artist who used x-rays is Steven Meyers, Meyers began exploring X-ray photogra-phy in the mid 1970’s as a hobby, while he was working with radiolo-

gy-based images in the diagnostic medical setting. In his works, like Dr. Tasker, Meyers uses flowers, leaves, and other floral settings. One very successful artist who uses X-ray in his working process is Nick Veassey. Veassey’s works are often of large objects such as airplanes and buses, but among his most recognizable images are the “feather” and other objects used for the Adobe CS2 Packag-ing and Branding. Although the

above artists have been using X-ray technology to create their images, their works concentrate almost purely on the aesthetics of the image with less emphasis on delivering a concept or a mes-sage.

bearded iris. tasker, 1931

siamese twins daniel kaye and donald ray hartley, 1954

When selecting the items to x-ray, I picked pairs of objects that are similar in purpose but carry contrasting symbolic mean-ing. The objects are intended to correspond to various aspects in our daily life, so that viewers can identify with my work on multiple levels.

The first set of items deals with religion. In many societies religious texts are considered to be sacred. In Judaism, a believer’s bible that falls on the floor is immediately picked up and kissed. Judaism is not alone in the value it places on its symbolism. As illustrated by the controversy surrounding the Jyllands-Posten Muhammad politi-cal cartoons4 , it is almost impos-sible to publicly critique the Koran without causing an international scandal.

In my opinion, people often over-look the fact that those books are merely man-made objects; small dots of ink on sheets of paper. In order to engage people with these ideas, I compared X-rayed images of the Bible, the Koran, and a fic-tion book that is not considered a religious text. This will expose the books’ materialistic similarities, reminding the viewer that holiness of items is a matter of personal perception.

cartoons of muhammad. jyllands-posten, sept 2005

Religion takes over various as-pects of the believer’s life, and one of them is food. Some religions forbid certain foods and/or allow only those that were inspected by religious food-inspectors. In Islam, the Koran sets the dietary laws, and only food labeled “Halal” is al-lowed. In Judaism, “Kosher” is the Jewish standard for certain foods and drinks as prescribed in the Old Testament5 . People observing these rules thus limit themselves

to purchasing only products stamped with “halal” or “kosher” logos, however, these products are more expensive. In addition, some experts suggest that the Kosher and Halal meat production causes greater suffering to the animals6 . By viewing an X-ray im-age of pricey kosher chicken next to a cheaper, non-Kosher one, the viewer can see that whatever differences exist between the two chickens, it isn’t physical.

In addition to exploring religion, my thesis deals with consumerism and brands. In his book Ways of Seeing, John Berger writes about advertising: “It proposes to each of us that we transform ourselves, or our lives, by buying something more. This more, it proposes, will make us in some way richer –

even though we will be poorer by having spent our money.”7 When considering objects that could demonstrate this issue, I com-pared a designer’s shoes worth $500 with generic elegant shoes that are conveniently priced at 8% of the designer’s price tag.

Given that a main purpose of designer’s apparel consumption is to display wealth, I explored that issue further by X-raying currency. Money is a token that is widely ac-cepted as a medium of exchange. The physical piece of paper itself, on which a bank note is printed,

is worth less than the monetary value of that note. A brief peek into an episode of Fear Factor can clearly demonstrate what people are willing to do for money. For this matter, I placed bank notes side to side with “worthless” pieces of paper at a similar size.

In the USA flag desecration is legal, but in countries like Germa-ny, China and Saudi Arabia such acts are illegal and can result in the desecrator’s arrest. To deal with nationality related symbols, I chose to compare two national flags of two diverse countries; I

thus placed a United States flag together with the national flag of North Korea in an opaque box. Both flags (made in Taiwan), are made of polyester, hence the person who touches them with-out seeing can not differentiate between the two.

3/19/09 11:13 PMList of Items

Page 1 of 1http://www.polldaddy.com/App/Reports/pageReportPrint.aspx?f=81535&p=1

Survey Title: List of Items

Page 1

Q.1 Name:

People who answered question: 7(100%)

People who skipped question: 0(0%)

Q.2 Email Address:



Q.3 Please rate the following items, according to the strength of its contribution to

my thesis project.

LAME WEAK DONT KNOW STRONG VERY STRONG Count

Religion: Bible VS Koran VSScience Fiction Book (Harry Potter,

Jules Verne, Etc.)0 (0%) 0 (0%) 1 (14.3%) 2 (28.6%) 4 (57.1%) 7

Currency: $50 bill VS "Worthless"piece of paper at same dimentions

0 (0%) 2 (28.6%) 0 (0%) 2 (28.6%) 3 (42.9%) 7

Food: Organic VS Not Organic 1 (14.3%) 0 (0%) 1 (14.3%) 4 (57.1%) 1 (14.3%) 7

Food: Kosher Chicken VS Non-Kosher Chicken

1 (14.3%) 2 (28.6%) 3 (42.9%) 1 (14.3%) 0 (0%) 7

Apparel: Designer's VS Generic 2 (28.6%) 2 (28.6%) 0 (0%) 1 (14.3%) 2 (28.6%) 7

Nationality: Flag VS Same SizeFabric

0 (0%) 1 (14.3%) 1 (14.3%) 3 (42.9%) 2 (28.6%) 7



Q.4 Please comment here...

People who answered question: 4(57.1%)

People who skipped question: 3(42.9%)

survey results

In order to gauge the impact of the items I considered, I ran a short survey requesting class-mates to rank the items accord-ing to their symbolic meaning and contribution to the visual aspect of my thesis. The results showed that the holy books, the flag and the currency seem to be the strongest ideas since majority of the participants marked them as strong or very strong. Another key factor for the suc-cess of the project is the method of presentation.

I considered two solutions for the presentation of the images while taking into account cost, and vi-sual effectiveness. The first option was to use digital c-prints, mount-ed on boards or frames. Since my objective is to have the visitor examine the images and analyze them, similarly to a doctor in a medical environment, I decided to choose the second option: light-boxes. To do so, I built light-boxes that backlight the prints. The im-ages were printed on Duratrans, which are high-resolution trans-parent sheets of films.

The process of exploring people’s perceptions of symbols led me to evaluate my personal views. I still think that the Bible and Jules Verne should be sitting on the same shelf under the “Fiction” cat-egory. At the same time, I under-stood that since so many people feel so strongly regarding these texts, it is necessary to respect their way of thinking. Walking with the Koran exposed in the NYC subway system, I felt constantly inspected by the commuters and that by holding this book I “tagged” myself as a member of a group that usually I would look at twice in a public place. This project helped me define my views in the language of semiotics, and refine my tolerance to those who think differently.

works cited

1 Rincon, Paul. Early human marks are ‘symbols’. March 16, 2004. http://news.bbc. co.uk/1/hi/sci/tech/3512470.stm

2 Daniel, Chandler. Semiotics for Beginners. December 2002. http://www.aber.ac.uk/ media/Documents/S4B/semiotic.html.

3 DeRosia, Eric D. The Effectiveness Of Nonverbal Symbolic Signs And Methaphors In Ad vertisements: An Experimental Inquery. Psychology and Marketing (Wiley Inter Sci-ence) 25, no. 3 (March 2008).

4 Cartoon Violence Spreads, 04 02, 2006, http://www.spiegel.de/internation al/0,1518,399177,00.html (accessed 05 2009).

5 Q&A: Animal slaughter, June 10, 2003, http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/uk_ news/2977836.stm (accessed March 2009).

6 Halal and Kosher slaughter ‘must end’, June 10, 2003, http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/ uk_news/2977086.stm.

7 John Berger, Ways of Seeing: Based on the BBC Television Series (London: British Broad casting Corporation and Penguin Books, 1972).

the process


winning models. chiropractor beauty contest, 1956

After considering several op-tions for displaying my thesis, I decided that light boxes are the way to go. In addition to the aesthetics of such display method, it supports my con-cept as it allows the viewer to interact with the images al-most as the doctor does with a medical X-Ray, and hopefully analyze and think about the conveyed message.

My first step was to research pricing and types of light boxes. I found that many photography and art suppliers sell them, and that it can get very pricey, especially since I need several pieces. I then read DIY tutorials and was convinced that building them is the affordable option.Next I designed the boxes. I wanted them to have a clean and simple look, and to be reasonably affordable at the same time.

going for the light-boxes

1. DESIGN

I designed the boxes to have a clean and simple look. Maintaining a reasonable budget was a crucial factor in the design and construction process.

2. BUYING THE PRODUCTS

The next step was to do my share to support the economy; buy the products:

2X 2’X4’X1/8” Plywood = $8

1X Fluorescent light = $9

1X 15”X15”X1/8” white Plexi-glas = $30

Total Cost : $47

building a prototype

3.PRODUCTION

With the help of a good friend with some good tools, I built the light-box prototype. The prototype will soon be set as a production model for the boxes used in the thesis show.

Thank you Paul!

building the boxes

Having a prototype was a great start, but without pro-fessional advice and tools, building the boxes would have been impossible. I found this help in the CCNY Woodshop, where Bob Cope was willing to share his time, experience, tools and pa-tience to make this project come to life.It took more time and money than I originally expected, but at the same time, the result were better than anything I thought can be hand-built.

THANK YOU BOB!

In order to construct my own light boxes, I had to pur-chase several pieces of white 15”x15”x1/8” translucent Plexiglas.Since I needed the first sheet urgently, to build a prototype, I did not look online and went directly to Canal Plastic, one of the only places in Manhat-tan that cut customs sizes of acrylicon the spot. There I found very nice people who helped and directed me, and the custom cut was made within minutes. The only prob-lem with doing that was their price. After tax, the 15”x15” sheet cost me $33.After building the prototype decided to search online for a better deal on the plastic since I needed 5 more piec-es.The best offer I found online was $7.34—77% cheaper. Adding $13 for delivery for the 5 pieces raised the price to $10 for each piece. Still a great find.

www.delviesplastics.com

buying plexiglass

display strategy

For my presentation, I decid-ed to look for a corner space, where there’s less light. This gave the lightboxes a better setting to show the artworks.I sketched this rough idea of how I saw my project present-ed using Google Sketch-up. By doing so, I could clearly demonstrate my strategy and argue or the position I was looking for inside the gallery space.The preliminary idea was to have false walls to cover the wires. But reality took its bite, and due to the cost and logistics involved in setting up a false-wall in the dimensions I needed I had to drop this Idea.

about printing

When considering the pro-duction phase of this thesis, my initial fear was that the X-ray machines were not intended to produce printed output. I managed, after discussing with technicians, to capture screen-shots in bmp format, and have a resolution of 72 DPI. Using Photoshop’s up-sampling algorithms I in-creased the resolution, and then sent them to a printing lab to examine the quality and crispiness of the images. The images returned from the lab with satisfying results, and my biggest technical fear was solved, giving space for a new problem to emerge.Printing on a translucent

material is an expensive pro-cess. Duratrans, the media used for backlit applications, is printed in very high-resolu-tion for crisp, clear and illumi-nated images. The print shop used a photo-laser with up to 68 billion colors.The quotes I received for printing in Manhattan were all around $85 per 15”x15” image. After a long research and many emails, I found an upstate NY print-shop that is willing to assist.

x-ray artists

Dr. Dain Tasker

Considered to be a pioneer in X-Ray art. As a dentist he had access to the technology, and by the beginning of the 1930’s he created a body of work, based on X-Ray images of flowers.Due to the events of WWII, Dr. Tasker’s art was over-shadowed, and so their use as art was neglected. When his images were found again, they were hailed as a histori-cal milestone and auctioned off in New York for over $25,000 each.

Steven Meyers www.xray-art.com

Began exploring X-Ray pho-tography in the mid 1970’s as a hobby, while he was working in a medical clinic. In his works, Meyers uses flowers, plants and leaves. Meyers rearranges the com-position of the flowers and uses pictures with different exposures. He usually prints positive images, or dark im-ages on a light background. I had contacted Mr. Meyers in order to discuss some tech-nicalities of his art and am waiting for his reply.

Nick Veaseywww.nickveasey.com

Among the relatively small community of X-Ray artists, Nick Veasey is one of the most famous and commer-cially successful.Veassey’s works are often of large objects such as air-planes and buses, but among of his most recognizable images are the “feather” and other objects used for the Adobe CS2 Packaging and Branding.

Lisa Wood www.artinutero.com

Wood is using ultrasound im-ages in her art, making “por-traits of babies while they are in the womb. Her workflow “begins with a black and white sonogram or a still shot from a videotape. Lisa then transforms that miracle of technology into a colorful, textured artwork on canvas and watercolor pa-per. She... creates a portrait of this unique child, before the baby even draws a first breath.”

Satre Stuelke www.radiologyart.com

Going through the The New York Times’ Science section of March 24th, I found out about another X-ray Artist. Satre Stuelke lives in NYC, has an MFA from the School of the Art Institute of Chicag, and was teaching in the SVA.According to his website, his works are “dedicated to the deeper visualization of various objects that hold unique cul-tural importance in modern society, this project intends to plant a seed of scientific

creativity in the minds of all those inclined to participate.”Since his body of work is contemporary and New York based, I wanted to discuss my project with him, and discuss about our ideas and techniques. I had contacted Mr. Stuelke via email, and did not get any response yet.

the images


what’s the matter?the holy bible, livraria figueirinhas, 1975the koran, phoenix, 200120,000 leagues under the sea, jules verne, 1997


5 x stacks of one dollar bills5 x stacks of 2.61” x 6.14” cut newspapers


whole kosher chicken, empirewhole chicken, purdue


leather shoes, armanileather shoes, castro man

zohar avgar, may 2009