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“WHAT DO WE CALL AN ICON?”

Academic writing
on research

I recognise living as a form of constant ongoing research, involving constant work, observation, documentation, and collection, building experience on the foundation of personal memories that could be thought of as a sacred archive. Humans, each one of use, unconsciously work then with an archive of their own. This perhaps is why when colliding with the task, a natural, primal push for exploring our academy’s archive was present. Design, surpassing art, shapes the soul. The term itself, historically a departure from reality, now bears a spiritual aim, a recent phenomenon that has united the divine and earthly realms throughout history.
While delving into the archive, a poster of a traditional religious icon appeared, transporting me to a familiar setting reminiscent of my grandmother’s house. The headline read "Bulgarian Icons: exhibition in Amsterdam from 1985”. My research question was already present, as if it chose me, rather the other way around. Falling into the hands of a Bulgarian artist, my goal was its origins to be discovered.
Unfortunately, the available information in the archive of the gallery the poster was made for only extended to the 1990s. I then chose to dive deeper into the meaning and the phenomena surrounding icons. What is an icon exactly and how do we define it?
In its ancient meaning the religious icon is a materialized faith that makes the Kingdom of God present. “Every theology of images possesses a certain conceptual beauty, surpassed only by its claim to being a repository of faith.” (Hans Belting in ‘Likeness and Presence’). In this sense, an icon can be understood as a faith given "shape and body”.
My aim was to develop an understanding of the evolution of icons from its inception to the contemporary era, exploring the transformation of the semantic shifts, tied in the tendencies of our rapidly changing world. Forming the analysis between the religious symbol and the small selectable images we see on our displays. The search is for the insights from the reorientation of the term ‘icon’, whether it maintains a connection to its roots, and what defines the very modern-day icon. Swapping their places, the classic icon in churches represented in a digital form, and the contemporary icon in an analog form, aims to reveal the sought-after answers. Resulting in two artworks present in both media, the analog versus the digital media. Mediums, which are also a subject to additional research.

Historical perspective:
The word “icon”, from Greek, primarily means "image" or "depiction". However, it is used since the 1650s for a portrait of a sacred personages, an object intended to express, represent, or make an analogy to something or event, as they were considered by the faithful as windows to the divine.
In today's age, most people recognize the word icon as referring to a small selectable or nonselectable image representing an application, a capability with meaning for the user.
Both in its Christian and in the pop-cultural contexts the "icon" implies a specific relationship between the spectator, the visual medium, and the message that the image communicates. Еven if it seems at first glance that the transformation of the meaning of the word is made without a prominent reason, it becomes clear that one is actually present. The icon, in whatever form, is meant to express, to represent or to make an ANALOGY with something.

Cultural & societal influences show a shift towards dangerous, unconscious, identity stripping, imposed neutrality. We witness a phenomenon of reduction and absurdum in our cultural aesthetics: the death of detail. Perhaps minimalist design is so prevalent because we no longer have anything to say. We have run out of things to express to the point where even our churches, the place to express your spirituality, have become thirsty for simplicity.
This trend has extended since Adolph Loos’s observations in “Ornament & Crime” in 1913, potentially influencing the dual use and semantic evolution of the term. As time goes on further this tendency has been expressed even stronger. Time colliding with religion.
“People were always aware of time as moving between these two poles. Memory thus had a retrospective and, curious as it sounds, a prospective character. Its object was not only what had happened but what was promised. Outside of religion, this kind of consciousness of time has become remote to us.” (Hans Belting in “Likeness and Presence”).

Semantic evolution
The transformation of the religious traditional icon to the modern day reflects adaptation and innovation, where the ancient religious symbolism is reinterpreted and reimagined in the context of contemporary society and culture. Some artists use the contrast between the old and the new, the sacred and the secular, the material and the immaterial, to create a powerful visual impact and a profound spiritual message.

Technological impact. Language & communication:
In the ancient times our world has been driven by the religion or similar forms. Now the human embarked on the pathway of science. Science, which brings us the technology and its impact. As technology became more globalized, the need of comprehensive communication arises. As the religious ones, digital icons provide the perfect one for it- a universal language that transcends linguistic barriers. As everything else around, our language acquired new meanings due to technological advancements. The adaptation skill of the human language is the main contribution to the expansion of the term's meaning. The shift from analog to digital technologies, especially in computing, fundamentally transformed how people interact with information and each other. Digital platforms introduced new ways of representation, and "icons" evolved to signify those digital variations. The rise of social media platforms also created a new need for digital representations of individuals. Users adopted the term "icon" to describe their avatars, emphasizing the symbolic nature of these digital identities.
But this is our side, the human side. How does technology interpret the icons? How would it generate the Orthodox icon of Saint Contstantine and Helen I found?

User experience & interaction:
Both icons emphasize the ritual element in the consumers behaviour. They serve as a medium of interaction. While Orthodox icons facilitate spiritual contemplation, digital icons enhance user interaction with electronic devices. Both types of icons use visual symbolism to convey meaning, but the context and purpose of their use are different. Orthodox icons are used for religious devotion and spiritual connection. “People looked to such images with an expectation of beneficence, which was often more important to the believer than were abstract notions of God or an afterlife.”(Hans Belting in “Likeness and Presence”). While digital icons are used for navigation and functionality within digital interfaces.
One experience consists of touching the divine spiritually, while the other one is felt by simply clicking or tapping the display.

Comparative analysis by methods of creation:

THE ANALOG REALM
“The icon thus is not a particular technique of painting but a pictorial concept that lends itself to veneration.” (Hans Belting in “Likeness and Presence”)
The painting of the icon is considered an event that does not happen only by earthly laws. Apart from the purely technical means that icon painters must master, the holiness of the icon painter also influences the sanctity of the image painted. It is no coincidence that there are canons laid out for how one should approach painting an icon. It includes fasting and prayers that effectively discipline the icon painter’s passions and allow him or her to create the icon in a prayerful attitude.
Here, copying is not considered a bad manner. Exactly the opposite. “The making of many replicas of icons, in the Middle Ages reflects the belief that duplicating an original image extend its power.” (Hans Belting in “Likeness and Presence”). Those who are given the task of copying do not rely on being told "from heaven" what to write: they need only copy carefully what has already been written. But in doing so they must be vigilant and sober, not make mistakes, treat every word as valuable, and not be tempted to edit something on the basis of a proudly held opinion.

THE DIGITAL REALM
When making a digital icon the rules are open. Off-course there are some guidelines and tips to perfect it but everyone with an electronic device can refine the techniques. The most important part is the representation of the thing, for which one is making the icon. Metaphors are key. For instance, an icon of a house means homepage. When creating one, it’s good to keep the metaphor used to communicate the icon's message in mind. The other general elements of icons are: size, colour, pixel grid, perspective, metaphors, strokes, fills and the style choice. These depends on the particular icon. For instance, for icons used for products, it is common the usage of 1 color: black. Anything more than that is too complex and difficult. Type is also usually avoided in the making of an icon.

When the two media collide:
In the modern world, we navigate a middle ground between the two media, searching for our medium. The key distinction, to me, lies in the presence or absence of time. Time, an elemental force of nature, serves as the great equalizer, surpassing the limits of human manipulation. The only magnitude, in which we can make a proper comparison. All the things we unpacked in Minerva’s archive were just time in all kind of different structures.
Unveiling items in Minerva’s archive, I realized this venture wasn't just about historical facts but a journey into an era, which entrenched in analog modes of making, embodying a commitment to craftsmanship. That was just what they had, so they had to be good at it.
Analog works encapsulate time’s essence, whether during the creation or its preservation over the years, marked by dust, as the sign of sealed time. Conversely, digital media, ideally suited for the instantaneous world- the ”now”, is the newer option. But is a visible development noticeable, or is it just a progressive transformation from analog to digital?
Maybe you think “Why is it important for us to preserve time?”. We are strongly dependent on it. The importance of preserving time is evident in its integral role in human existence, with our past knowledge drawn from enduring objects. This necessity extends to benefit future generations.
As we transition into the digital age, the challenge lies in preserving time digitally. While a screenshot captures a moment, it pales in comparison to the endurance of fifty years of analog artifacts. Analog, however, reaches an endpoint, being mortal in its physical form. Then does the powerful side of digital lie in its intangible nature? Are digital media immortal?
These answers remain undiscovered. Time, as the backdrop of this research, stands as a force that will eventually reveal those secrets. Throughout this course, I will be present, analysing what only the absolute magnitude can make possible.

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