Ray Drainville: Research and Education

Education

PhD Visual Studies 2019: Manchester School of Art / Manchester Metropolitan University (UK) Thesis title: “Algorithmic Iconography: Intersections between Iconography and Social Media Image Research” (see below).

MA Information Studies 1996: University of Sheffield, Department of Information Studies (UK). Thesis title: “The Use of Internet Technologies as Alternative Resources for Teaching the History of Art”. The thesis argued for the adoption of new paedogical techniques arising from networked media and other contemporary technologies, including virtual reality recreations of artworks.

MA History of Art 1995: Department of Art & Archaeology, Princeton University (USA).

BA History of Art 1992: Department of Art History, New College of Florida (USA). Thesis title: “Imago Meditationis: the Role of Devotional Practice in Fifteenth-Century Flemish art”. The thesis argued for an expansion of affective intepretations beyond standard iconographic readings based in part upon parallels between the emotive responses demanded by contemporary devotional texts and the immediacy derived from the so-called “realism” of contemporary image-making practices.

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PhD Thesis: “Algorithmic Iconography: Intersections between Iconography and Social Media Image Research”

Awarded 2019. The thesis develops a methodology to use iconography in conjunction with social media data. It centres upon a bespoke dataset analysing visual and textual themes in the top 1,000 most shared Twitter posts of Alan Kurdi (the Syrian refugee child found drowned on a Turkish beach) and other refugees in the period 2–14 September 2015, after Alan was found. It links the pictures people shared, along with their textual commentary, with the history of image-making, demonstrating that many themes in the data stretch back millennia. Methodologically, it provides a new paradigm for researching imagery on social media, arguing that pictures and text need to be seen in context with one another—investigating one without the other misses a lot of intercontextual richness.
Supervisors: Dr Simon Faulkner (History of Art, Manchester School of Art/MMU), Prof Jim Aulich (Head of Postgraduate Arts and Humanities Research Centre, MMU/Manchester School of Art), Prof Farida Vis (Digital Media, Manchester School of Art/MMU).

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Publications

(forthcoming) [with Jennifer Saul] “How Distinctive are Online Dogwhistles and Figleaves?” In Popa, M. (ed.), Mis/Disinformation and Other Epistemic Pathologies. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.
Abstract: In previous work, one of us has argued for the importance of dogwhistles and figleaves, manipulative linguistic devices, in the spread of hatred and misinformation. Here we take a close look at the role and functioning of these devices online. At first blush, it may seem that there are distinctively online versions of these devices, which work in ways that are not possible in the offline environment. However, most candidates for distinctively online figleaves and dogwhistles turn out to have very significant offline precursors. Nonetheless, we identify two sorts of dogwhistles that make use of distinctively online affordances in a way that is not possible offline. In addition, we argue that the online environment does create distinctive dynamics for the functioning of dogwhistles and figleaves, largely due to the speed with which they both spread and are discovered. Further, we turn to what we have argued is an exaggerated sense of difference between online and offline devices for manipulative communication, exploring reasons that the differences may seem larger than they are.

(in press) [with Jennifer Saul] “Visual and Linguistic Dogwhistles”. In Anderson, L. and Lepore, E. (eds.), Oxford Handbook of Applied Philosophy of Language. Oxford: Oxford University Press. Preview available
Abstract: Dogwhistles are typically understood as a linguistic communicative phenomenon, even though paradigmatic examples have crucial visual components. This talk examines visual dogwhistles and develops a framework to describe forms of sub rosa communication instantiated in broad swathes of images from the history of art, popular culture, and memetic imagery. We argue that dogwhistles can be transmitted overtly, that is, by carefully using developed codes, or covertly, that is, by the unconscious transmission of codes. In addition, visual stories intended for specific audiences can be conveyed both intentionally and unintentionally.

(2023) “Memetic Superposition: Evaluating the Parallels between Memes and Renaissance Emblems”. In 21: Inquiries Into Art, History, and the Visual 4(4). doi:10.11588/xxi.2023.4.100739.
Abstract: This paper argues that our understanding of Internet memes can be enhanced by a comparison with Renaissance emblems as an historical precursor. By incorporating an analysis of visual themes and production contexts, it notes striking parallels around form, conceptions of invention, in-group/out-group dynamics, uneven reception, and exploitation of maturing new media environments. In both cases, a combination of conventionalised stylistic formats and borrowed referential content free the maker to focus on invention based upon incongruous multimodal juxtaposition.

(2023). “Digitally-Assisted Iconology: A Method for the Analysis of Digital Media”. In Studies in Communication Sciences (SComS). doi:10.24434/j.scoms.2024.01.3888.
Abstract: Exploring medium-to-large datasets of social media imagery can be challenging. This paper describes a digitally-assisted iconology, a hybrid methodology that includes machine learning and data analytics for sorting through medium-sized datasets of images that lack metadata to describe their pictorial content. The method plays to the strengths of current digital technologies. Using machine learning, pictures are first clustered in a preliminary stage based upon basic formal presentational characteristics. Thematic analysis follows this preliminary stage, based upon an expansion of Aby Warburg’s “pre-coined expressive values”, which are frequently found in pictures displaying high levels of user reception. Once clustered via these two separate stages, the researcher can then drill down using familiar forms of visual analysis to explore how similar concepts have been rendered in different ways. The analysis may be augmented by exploring the commentary appended to these pictures, which adds a further level of detail providing insight into end-user interpretations. The approach – including its drawbacks – is demonstrated via a consequential dataset of pictures shared on Twitter in 2015, after a Syrian child was found drowned off the Turkish shore. Derivative imagery based upon the original photographs referenced longstanding iconographic themes.

(2022). [with Farida Vis]. “ Elephant Motorbikes and Too many Neckties: Epistemic Spatialization as a Framework for Investigating Patterns of Bias in Convolutional Neural Networks”. In AI & Society. doi:10.1007/s00146-022-01542-8.
Abstract: This article presents Epistemic Spatialization as a new framework for investigating the interconnected patterns of biases when identifying objects with convolutional neural networks (convnets). It draws upon Foucault’s notion of spatialized knowledge to guide its method of enquiry. We argue that decisions involved in the creation of algorithms, alongside the labeling, ordering, presentation, and commercial prioritization of objects, together create a distorted “nomination of the visible”: they harden the visibility of some objects, make other objects excessively visible, and consign yet others to permanent or haphazard invisibility. Our approach differs from those who focus on high-stakes misidentifications, such as errors tied to structural racism. Examining the far more dominant series of low-stakes mistakes shows the scope of errors, destabilizing the goal of image content identification with considerable societal impact. We explore these issues by closely examining the demonstration video of a popular convnet. This examination reveals an interlocking series of biases undermining the content identification process. The picture we paint is crucial for a better understanding of the errors that result as these convnets become further embedded in everyday products. The framework is valuable for critical work on computer vision, AI studies, and large-scale visual analysis.

(2018). [with An Xiao Mina]. “Trump has Twitter. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez is Winning Instagram”. On FastCompany.com.
Abstract: With her adept use of Instagram’s affordances (such as disappearing stories, anecdotes, and fan art), the political newcomer from the Bronx is trailblazing a new path in political communication.

(2018). “Outraged by Kavanaugh Confirmation, Social Media Users Cite the Vengeful Women of Art History”. On Hyperallergic.com
Abstract: After Bret Kavanaugh was confirmed to the U.S. Supreme Court, women on social media started sharing very specific pictures from art history. Echoing the Renaissance canon of “virtuous women”, social media users presented their own canon: women who fought back and sought their revenge.

(2018). [with An Xiao Mina]. “Images of Truth from Christine Blasey Ford’s Testimony and What They Mean”. On Hyperallergic.com.
Abstract: A series of images emerged from Dr. Christine Blasey Ford’s testimony in the Kavanaugh hearing. This is an exploration of the themes in those images.

(2018). [with An Xiao Mina]. “Dictator Selfies and a Superhero Trailer: Glimpses of the New Propaganda from Trump’s Recent Summits”. On Hyperallergic.com.
Abstract: An Xiao Mina and Ray Drainville in a joint discussion about the “Petulant Trump” photo from the 2018 G7 summit in Canada and the propaganda video from the Trump administration for the 2018 North Korean-US summit in Singapore

(2018). “Iconography for the Age of Social Media”. In Humanities 7(12). doi:10.3390/h7010012
Abstract: An iconic photograph of Ieshia Evans’ arrest at a Black Lives Matter protest went viral on Twitter. Twitter users’ textual and visual responses to it appear to show recurring patterns in the ways users interpret photographs. Aby Warburg recognized a similar process in the history of art, referring to the “afterlife of images”. Evaluating these responses with an updated form of iconography sheds light upon this tangled afterlife across multiple media. Users’ response patterns suggest new ways to develop iconological interpretations, offering clues to a systematic use of iconography as a methodology for social media research.

(2016). [with An Xiao Mina]. “An Art-Historical Perspective on the Baton Rouge Protest Photo that Went Viral”. On
Abstract: This is an outreach article for an online arts website. Jonathan Bachman’s photo of Ieshia Evans standing up to armoured riot police was hailed as instantly iconic. How so? Images go viral for a reason, and the authors look at the chain of confrontational imagery stretching from cinema back to the iconography of the arrest of Christ.

(2016). “The Visual Propaganda of the Brexit Leave Campaign”. On Hyperallergic.com
Abstract: This is an outreach article for an online arts website. How could a vote on the UK’s membership in the European Union spark a 500% increase in racist abuse throughout the country? A brief analysis of the iconology of the Leave campaign’s graphics.

(2015). “On the Iconology of Aylan Kurdi, Alone”. In: Vis, F. and Goriunova, O. (eds.) The Iconic Image on Social Media: A Rapid Research Response to the Death of Aylan Kurdi. pp. 47–49. Sheffield: Visual Social Media Lab.
Abstract: Iconography and iconology have traditionally been restricted to interpreting works of “high” art. Here I use them to explore the impact of the Alan Kurdi images [at the time, the child was identified as “Aylan Kurdi”]. By examining iconographically their conceptual and formal antecedents, as well as the pictures that social media users have made in response to those images, we might come to understand their interpretations of this event in a broader visual context. A joint iconographic and iconological exploration might provide an insight into why they resonated within a broader European context to such an extent that they shifted the debate about the status of refugees.

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Talks

(2023). “Navigating a Sea of Images”. Invited talk. Santa Cruz, USA: University of California, Santa Cruz, 9 October 2023.

(2023). “’Just Asking Questions’: Figleaves as Artifices of Authenticity in Racist and Conspiracist Discourse Online”. [with Lori Young]. Pre-Conference: Mis/disinformation and the Artifices of Authenticity and Authentication. ICA 2023. Toronto, Canada: York University, 24May 2023.

(2022). “Visual and Linguistic Dogwhistles” [with Jennifer Saul]. Invited talk. Sheffield, UK: University of Sheffield, 4 July 2022

(2022). “Visual and Linguistic Dogwhistles” [with Jennifer Saul]. Invited talk. Norms of Public Argument: A Speech Act Perspective. Lisbon, Portugal: Universidade Nova de Lisboa, 29 June 2022.

(2022). “Visual and Linguistic Dogwhistles” [with Jennifer Saul]. Invited talk. Fayetteville, USA: University of Arkansas, 29 April 2022

(2021). “Ex Nugis Seria: The Internet Meme as Contemporary Emblem”. Philadelphia, USA: Association of Internet Researchers, 15 October 2021.

(2021). “Visual and Linguistic Dogwhistles” [with Jennifer Saul]. HaLO|5: Disinformation, Epistemic Vices & Online Harm. Berlin, Germany: Leibniz-Zentrum für Allgemeine Sprachwissenschaft (ZAS), 7 May 2021.

(2021). “Visual and Linguistic Dogwhistles” [with Jennifer Saul]. Invited talk. Pittsburgh, USA: University of Pittsburgh, 8 April 2021.

(2021). “Visual and Linguistic Dogwhistles” [with Jennifer Saul]. Regina, Saskatchewan: University of Regina, 26 March 2021.

(2020). “Patterns of Bias in Machine Learning” WIPS talk. Stratford, Ontario: Stratford School of Interaction Design and Business, University of Waterloo, Canada, 19 November 2020.

(2020). “Visual and Linguistic Dogwhistles” [with Jennifer Saul]. Invited talk. Pittsburgh, USA: University of Pittsburgh, 8 April 2021.

(2021). “Visual and Linguistic Dogwhistles” [with Jennifer Saul]. Invited talk. London, UK: King’s College London, 11 November 2020.

(2020). “Visual and Linguistic Dogwhistles” [with Jennifer Saul]. Invited talk. Montréal, Quebec: Université de Quebec à Montréal, 16 October 2020.

(2019). “Exploring the Lives of Images: Alan Kurdi on Social Media” Valencia Philosophy Lab, University of Valencia, Communitat Valenciana, Spain, 17 April 2019.

(2018). “Streets, Communities, Protests, and Seeing the City Anew” [with Jennifer Saul]. On the Streets Sheffield, UK: University of Sheffield, 1 December 2018.

(2018). “Algorithmic Iconography: Method and Practice”. Stratford, Ontario: the Stratford School of Information Design and Business, University of Waterloo, 22 August 2018. (Presentation available)

(2018). “Pathosformeln and Visual Habitus in Times of Conflict”. Pictures of War: The Still Image in Conflict since 1945. Manchester, UK: Manchester Metropolitan University, 24 May 2018. (Presentation available)

(2017). “The Iconography of Social Media Image Analysis: Exploring the Potential of Methodological Transversals in Practice”. Panel: New Theories and Methods for the Study of Social Media Images Within and Beyond Academia. San Diego, USA: 67th Annual International Communication Conference, 26 May 2017. (Presentation available)

(2017). “Iconography of Social Media Imagery: Introduction to Method” (plus practical workshop). Developing New Approaches for Analysing Social Media Images. Barcelona, Spain: Centre de Cultura Contemporània de Barcelona (CCCB), 18 February 2017. (Presentation available)

(2016). “Fig Leaves and Brexit Ads: The Coded Images of the UKIP and Vote Leave Campaigns”. Culture and the Politics of Data. Sheffield, UK: University of Sheffield, 10 October 2016. (Presentation available)

(2016). “On the Iconology of Alan Kurdi: The Emergence of Sympathy”. The Impact of an Image. Oslo, Norway: Forskerkollektivet, 2 September 2016. (Presentation unavailable due to sensitive material)

(2016). “Interdisciplinary Research and the History of Art: Reflections on an Origin of a Discipline”. Picturing the Social, Manchester, UK: Manchester Metropolitan University, 21 June 2016. (Presentation available)

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Interviews

(2017). “Ray Drainville on the Images We Use.” In The New Floridian. Available here.
A discussion with Jennifer Lawson of about the ethics of showing disturbing pictures, the ways in which photographs can distort the truth, the ambivalent position of social media for conveying truth and experience, the Fear Of Mising Out, Black Lives Matter, and the accretion of resonances in iconic photographs.

(2015). “Alan Kurdi—Iconography in Action.” University of Sheffield YouTube Channel.
An interview from the University of Sheffield about modern instantiations of iconography in the image of Alan Kurdi, the necessity of blurring distinctions between “high” art and “low” art, and the ephemerality of social media phenomena.

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Teaching: Competence

I have taught courses on digital culture, media theory, UX design in globalized contexts, courses on graphic design, and visual research methodologies. I am also able to teach mid- and upper-level courses on general digital research methodologies, and a lower-level courses covering broad spectrum of the history of art (with a concentration on art in the Western & Middle Eastern traditions).

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Languages

Fluency in English, French and Italian.
Varying levels of proficiency in German, Spanish, Latin, Catalan, Dutch, Greek, Arabic, & Mandarin.

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Grants

• 2022–2023: Co-investigator of Project Figleaf with the philosopher Jennifer Saul. An industry grant ($128,500CAD) from Logically.ai to explore the role of “figleaves” in online conspiracist and racist communication.
• 2019: Creative Economy Engagement Fellowship/Arts & Humanities Research Council North-West Consortium Doctoral Training Partnership. The project, “Viewed in Context: Can AI Recognise the Ways in Which Text and Image Reinforce Each Other?”, aimed to identify the conceptual models necessary for training Artificial Intelligence to perform contextual tasks that would otherwise require human intelligence. This was accompanied by a grant of £16,118.
• 2015–2018: Annual bursary of £12,000, for the period of my PhD research

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