Perception Image and Effect Image

In A Foray Into the Worlds of Animals and Humans, Jakob von Uexkull explores the subjective nature of perception by detailing the ways that various species and groups of people often perceive time and space differently.  The section entitled “Perception Image and Effect Image” not only speaks to the various ways that the environment may be interpreted but also suggests the conventional nature of how humans view and use various objects.  Detailing an experience with an African man who apparently had little experience with “European tools,” Uexkull shares with readers the confusion this African man faced when confronted with a ladder.  Unaware that it was a tool used for climbing, the African merely viewed the object as “bars and holes” (94).  Once this man saw how the device is commonly used, he was able to follow his example.  According to Uexkull, “From then on, the sensorily given “bars and holes” took on a “climbing tone” for him and were recognized in all classes as a ladder.  The perception image of bars and holes has been complemented by the effect image.  Through this, it acquired a new meaning…” (94).  This anecdote not only demonstrates varying perceptions among different groups of people but also the ways in which objects garner meaning based on social conventions.

Uexkull describes how an image and its cultural function are often merged in such a way that a new meaning if formed and this explanation can be applied to various cultural phenomena.  Much as the series of bars and holes eventually came to denote a climbing tool, long white dresses signify the institution of marriage (and the accompanying patriarchal culture) to much of Western society.  While a white piece of fabric does not naturally suggest that it should be worn by a woman in during a ceremony in which she legally and often religiously unites with a man, social conventions dictate these connotations.  As the traditional wedding ceremony developed and became an ideal for many in Western culture, the white dress was a staple in this ceremony and has since virtually become a metonym for the actual institution.  When many people in Western culture see the “perception image” of the white dress they not only perceive a piece of formal wear, but the image actually conjures thoughts of heterosexual marriage.  Like the perception image of a series of holes and bars connected with the European tool known as ladder, the perception image of white dress has developed in such a way that it is accompanied by the effect image of a woman walking down an aisle to meet her future husband.  In both of these instances, the Western/European hierarchy of knowledge dictates that the Western notions of utility, or effect, ultimately attain the power to imbue cultural artifacts with meaning.  The fact that the perception and effect of this image are so often conflated suggests that many people do not consider the degree to which images and, further, all cultural objects, are actually conventions created through this process detailed by Uexkull. 

On the surface, white dresses signify marriage, however Uexkull’s explanation of perception and effect images allows us to uncover how this meaning was created and the ways in which these pairings come into existence.  Although Uexkull does not go as far as suggesting the problematic nature of the conventionally inherent in this collusion of perception and effect imagery, the very fact that he traces this union allows readers to understand the development of cultural signs.  This unearthing of conventionality permits an understanding that the meaning of signs varies because visual perception and effect must combine to create this significance.  While the visual perception of objects may be similar among most humans, the effect can vary greatly by culture and this discrepancy demonstrates that perception is ultimately subjective and often dictated by social conventions.