Mediating landscapes

Abstract

Using the example of the Scottish Tourist Board ([STB] now VisitScotland), this article outlines three spaces of mediation involved in the discursive transformation of material landscapes into brochure images. STB marketing personnel occupy the first space of mediation. Market research provides specialist knowledge of consumer expectations and key icons of Scotland that form the dominant ideological foundations upon which positive discourses of place are constructed. Photography occupies the second space of mediation. Directly influenced by marketing discourse, photography becomes a highly selective process as photographers directly mediate landscapes using photographic techniques, knowledge and artistic expertise to convey atmospheres, moods and feelings of place, capturing consumers’ attention and encouraging imaginative interpretation. Design and the final presentation of images in brochures occupy the third space of mediation. Bound by design briefs outlining mediated discourse, design mediation occurs as designers apply knowledge, skills and artistic expertise of design practices and create new ways of presenting images in brochures.