The UNESCO Chair

What is the mission of the Visual Literacy UNESCO Chair?

The UNESCO Chair of the Open University of Cyprus on “Visual Anticipation and Futures Literacy towards Visual Literacy” was officially established in July 2022 with Associate Professor Vicky Karaiskou as Director.

Main objectives of the Chair are to:

The Approach

curve the visuality approach into the Visual Literacy field

run Visual Literacy workshops

design Visual Literacy tools that support workshop participants and independent users to enhance emancipated thought and foster self-empowerment, inclusion and solidarity.

Visual Literacy, as visuality exploration of how we see and make sense, enhances emancipated thought and empowerment, and supports inclusion, solidarity, and prosperity.

What is Visual Literacy within this Chair project?

The Chair introduces Visual Literacy as a process of visuality which, according to Foster (1988, ix), is “how we see; how we are able, allowed, or made to see; and how we see this seeing or the unseen therein”.

Visuality is the regulator of our reality.

Visuality explores the origins of our perceptions and assumptions because they deeply influence how we perceive the present, how we engage with the past, and envision the future.

The practical aspect of the methodology, the Visual Literacy workshops and the Visual Literacy tools, supports participants in discovering how to make sense through different cognitive lenses.

Visual Literacy, as visuality process, aims to

  • Investigate how visuals shape our thought patterns, choices and identities, and inform our experiences
  • Support workshop participants to deconstruct stereotypes and biases
  • Indicate how our collective representations speak to our emotional domains and, therefore, dictate how we anticipate the future
  • Open to new possibilities and choices related to our personal or professional lives
  • Bring understanding within our communities and build bridges where divides and disruptions

How does Visual Literacy relate to broader current issues?

The Chair actively supports the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development by promoting innovation, futures oriented and critical thinking, and individual well-being. Through fostering empathy, communication, and social solidarity, the Chair supports individuals and communities to create their lives beyond conventional boundaries.

This holistic approach of the Visual Literacy methodology enhances and strengthens individual growth and the capacity to navigate challenges. It contributes to a sustainable and inclusive society and encourages action to build social and personal resilience for a peaceful and prosperous future.

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2022-2024: The Chair in numbers

9

Countries where Visual Literacy workshops were led

45

Visual Literacy workshops since 2022

735+

participants

5

participations in EU programmes

13

international teaching and VL workshop invitations

10

International institutional partners

1

Official Endorsement…

2

Partnerships with agencies

2

International projects

10

International collaborations, publications & conferences

7

international distinctions and awards for the Trojan Women re-imagined short film

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