Learning to See: The Visual Autobiography of Otto Neurath

Abstract

The central point of this study questions the modalities of seeing presented by Otto Neurath in his posthumous text Autobiografía visual. The analysis concentrates on three matters set forth in the Autobiografía: the experiences of seeing, visual education and the democratization of knowledge. The conceptual distinctions between "the visible" and "the visual," "position-taking" and "taking sides", proposed by Didi-Huberman, are important references to approach such themes, since they enable us to reveal the tensions in the act of seeing that the Autobiografía presents. The article concludes with an introductory reflection on the ways in which architecture continues to activate some of Neurath’s most problematic theses, namely, the relationship he establishes between its graphic language and the strengthening of democratic societies, and last considers Farocki’s video-installation Deep Play as a counter-position to reconsider the difference between "taking position" and "taking sides".