In Defense of the Poor Image by Hito Steyerl

In Defense of the Poor Image by Hito Steyerl

This discusses the nature of poor image. According to author Hito Steyerl, poor image arises because of mass reproduction and distribution of work. These poor images are distributed with less quality and more emphasize on quantity. And if this happens, the artists usually get litter or no credit with the piece that is being distributed.

The author made an example of a poor image using video as an example medium. In video, it loses its value as it is distributed to public such as in the illegal means of piracy. And this is very rampant now with the use of social media sites were there is excessive use of poor image. This is quite true with images and videos taken from smart phones with low resolution and lack of meaningful content. 

Some of these videos and images only exists to get a good laugh but not to create a long-lasting impression. There are also some images that were distorted with the use of computer software to make it look funny. And for those who sees it may remember these images as something that they saw in the video without giving importance to the original source of work.

The concept of imperfect cinema and visual bonds and relationship to poor image were also discussed. Taken into account the work of “For an Imperfect Cinema” by Juan Garcia Espinosa, where he claims that perfect cinema is a piece of cinema that is designed to stoke aw and wonder in its viewers but suspends the connection between viewers and creators. And this aim to bridge that gap.

And for the author, he draws the similarities between this imperfect cinema and the breakdown of class divisions in society. In this way, the poor images are presented with positive qualities as a means for mass or public transfer media. However, there is a problem doing it because this may sometimes lead to lack of value of the images. But he also introduces the visual bond which are attributes of images that manage poor images which allow people to appreciate these poor images despite the lack of quality.