19 about whether taking this video was an ethically minded decision , as the artist appears to create
more harm than good , demonstrated by the clear anger about the film being taken on part of some of the Afghani people .
The issue of whether still and moving images make a difference to “ our ” understanding of conflicts has been highlighted as a problematic issue . Nonetheless , in their nuanced meanings , the selected image alters due to how they are interpreted by the individual gazer . Despite the still images of ‘ Leninfall ’ and Alan Kurdi being selected under the provision of the ‘ most different ’ design both demonstrated how an image can wield considerable power . In comparison , Neville ’ s ‘ Bolan Market ’ presented a persuasive message , but lacked the same powerful agency the two still images depicted , as there was a need for the written word to accompany the video link , which undermined the strength of the video ’ s message on its own merit . There can be no denying all three images were able to convey an emotional message to those who were granted ‘ authority ’ to look at them . It was in the revelling of hopelessness that demonstrated power , as on a personal level , people who looked at these images had potentially , in the moment , invoked within themselves the inclination to act , although the use of images in this way does not guarantee that traumatic incidents will never happen again , displayed in the exemplar of Alan Kurdi . This repetitive nature is frustrating because even with visual knowledge of how bad a given situation is , like the Syrian Crisis , or the Ukrainian unrest , or the devastation in Afghanistan , “ we '' become desensitised to what “ we ” see . Furthermore , as evidenced by the images of ‘ Leninfall ’, they show how overall conflict is an intangible subject . If these ambiguities are present , then “ our ” understanding of conflicts cannot be furthered because there is still a genuine puzzlement about what is going on . It matters in the realm of international relations that images are questioned as to how much they add to understanding conflicts , as individual reliance on the non-verbal can be considered a crucial method of conveying relevant information . However , this interpretive quality still leaves ambiguities present and there are seemingly more unanswered questions than not . In conclusion , although images alone may not always be relied upon to bring a greater understanding to different conflicts or address ambiguities , they at least make visible what conflict is , who is involved , and how the conflict is being fought . Even if images are not always catalysts for particular emotional responses or catalysts for activism and change , they provide a certain agency to challenge what is happening in a given conflict , which other forms of media and just text simply cannot provide .
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