Courtney Martin

Synthesis Essay

The most repeated and striking concept that I have noticed during my time in
London has been the effects of the visual representations of life that proliferate this city.
This city is full of life and that life is represented visually through many mediums from
the sometimes outrageous dress of the inhabitants to the sets for play productions. It is
through the myriad visual representations that I feel I have gained insight into the city
and to myself.
Each of the plays I have attended has had interesting visual appeal. In An Ideal
Husband, the production on this small stage used a subtle furniture movement to
represent the changing of a setting. Truly, the small theater itself located above a pub
made me understand this city more (Daybook 127-8). Before attending this play [and
Flowers of the Field (Daybook 133-4)] I could not picture an actual theater as part of a
pub. The visual just was not there for me. I pictured something like a comedy club with
tables and maybe a small stage. But this was different. It was this different visual of a
pub theater that helped me to see London. Obviously, this city must have a strong love
for the theater if such small ones pop up in different neighborhoods.
Visuals must be an important part of London and theater. Both Curious Incident
(Daybook 131-2) and Medea (Daybook 129-30) used striking visuals to attempt to see
the mind of a character. The interesting way that Curious Incident represented
Christopher's mind with the perfectly symmetrical boxes seemed perfect for his mindset.
Though I found the modern dance in Medea distracting from the emotion of the play, I
do think that the way the dance was used to show her turmoil was interesting. These
made me wonder how I might visually represent my own mind. Would it be in painting,
dance, or light? Or would it be a mesh of lines all going in different directions?
In addition to the plays, the art works have helped me to have a visual of London
as a global city. Having the opportunity to see great works of art by Monet, Klimet, Van
Gogh, and many others allows me to see other concepts of reality, which I think is the
real goal of any multicultural program. Through paintings, as well as writing, one can
'see' through the eyes of someone else. I suppose that is why I tend to enjoy the
moderns and post-moderns, that which is more abstract. Abstract art requires a bit
more of my participation. The effect of visual representation is actually the subject of an
installation at Tate Modern. It consists of four screens where videos are played. On
one side, the viewer sees the two people speaking as part of an interview. On the other
side, the viewer hears the speakers but is shown many images connected to the
concepts in the interview. The side with the images other than the speakers' was much
more emotionally evocative. This helped me to understand that I can get to know a
place through how it visually represents itself, but that these images can be misleading.
In truth, the visuals I believe helped me to understand London more are those of
the street artists (Daybook 91-93). So much of what these artists do is ephemeral and

renewed over and over. It is often political or addresses social issues. These get down
to what is important to the city. Since these are ephemeral, the topics are current and
truly address the city I am in, not the one I wish it to be in [ok, so learning to make my
own graffiti was fun]. This can help form a real rather than misleading visual
representation of a place.
While visual representation by no means encapsulates the experience that is
London, its effects will linger in my mind as I leave this program, this city, and this
country. As I travel to other countries, I will look for the image that country or city tries to
project to the world and the one its citizens project for themselves. More importantly, I
will look with fresh eyes upon my own country's visual representation once I again reach
home.