T h e M e d i u m is t h e M e s s a g e

T h e M e d i u m is t h e M e s s a g e

The medium is the message is a phrase coined by Marshall McLuhan meaning that the form of a medium embeds itself in the message, creating a symbiotic relationship by which the medium influences how the message is perceived. The phrase was introduced in his most widely known book, Understanding Media: The Extensions of Man, published in 1964.[1] McLuhan proposes that media itself, not the content it carries, should be the focus of study. He said that a medium affects the society in which it plays a role not only by the content delivered over the medium, but also by the characteristics of the medium itself.

For example, McLuhan claimed in Understanding Media that all media have characteristics that engage the viewer in different ways; for instance, a passage in a book could be reread at will, but a movie had to be screened again in its entirety to study any individual part of it. So the medium through which a person encounters a particular piece of content would have an effect on the individual's understanding of it.

SOURCE: WIKIPEDIA

Consider these ideas in relation to your artwork:

Why do you choose to create work in a particular medium?

How does that choice affect the "message" and content of your work?

Or the ways in which a viewer might engage your work?

Link to NY Times Article on:

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