The phenomenon of the multimodal or composite text is a challenge for
discourse analysts, particularly those working with linguistic tools fashioned
to account for verbal texts. Drawing on systemic functional semiotics, this
article focuses on the interactive meanings of two student artworks
presented in a Sydney exhibition called ArtExpress. It analyses the
complementary contribution of image (artwork) and verbiage (text panel) to
the meaning-making process. Drawing principally on APPRAISAL analysis
as practised within Sydney School linguistics, the article proposes a richer
account of evaluation in both image and verbiage than is currently available
in analyses of separate modes. The article aims to contribute to the
development of semiotic grammars adequate for an integrated account of
multimodal texts at different institutional ?moments? in their (re)production. |