ABSTRACT
This chapter turns attention to images as information, or at least as a means to communicate information and ideas. At the close of Chapter 3, on images and text, reference was made to a theory of notation. The philosopher Nelson Goodman distinguishes notation as a nonlinguistic symbol system able to possess certain functional and systematic qualities. A primary example he gives is the music score, which is the transcription of music we can hear into a visual script using an established, sharable system of notation. Notation is not a picture, nor is it text — it is something in between. Figure 8.1 illustrates the principle. On the left we see a circular swirl of ink which we might recognize as a Japanese calligraphic circle, or ensõ, which for Zen Buddhists carries a variety of meanings such as the universe, void, the moon and so forth. In the middle is the numerical figure for zero, and on the right the letter ‘o’. At a glance we see three circular figures, which we might even argue to be interchangeable. All three figures could be used as a number zero or a letter ‘o’ — yet, if we were to frame the illustration and place it upon the wall it would immediately be seen as a picture. We also see the differences, accustomed as we are by both distinctive features and different contexts of use.
