What can cognitive semiotics bring to visual semiotics, and vice-versa? Visual semiotics has, most of the time, been concerned with the interpretation and modelling of visual (and in particular pictorial) “texts” (artefacts). Cognitive semiotics is an endeavour to bring together the two great transdisciplinary approaches (re-)emerging at the middle of the last century, semiotics and cognitive science. According the formulation of one of the pioneers of cognitive semiotics, Thomas Daddesio, cognitive semiotics is not only concerned with structures, but also with the abilities in human being permitting the use of such structures. This means that, like cognitive science (which includes psychology) cognitive semiotics can realise its own experimental studies, in addition, and as complement to, studies of artefacts and semiotic systems. What could be more fitting then proposing a cognitive approach when the association of visual semiotics, IAVS-AISV, holds its first conference in Lund, one of the centres from which originated cognitive semiotics and the present association for cognitive semiotics. We invite participation from those already taking a cognitive approach to visual semiotics, as well as those versed in cognitive science and/or semiotics who are curious about visual implementation, and those within visual semiotics who are interested in a cognitive approach.

 

2019-09-04