During summer 2012, I served as research assistant in conceptual photomontage with professors Blake Belanger, MLA KSU, and Ellen Urton, visual literacy librarian at KSU. The preliminary stage of research assistance consisted of image review, extensive diagramming, and iconographic analysis. I participated in team research discussions which eventually led to my becoming a coauthor of an (as-yet unpublished) journal article on conceptual photomontage in landscape architecture.
Conceptual photomontage is an eidetic form of visual representation. Our work focused on analyzing created works from a variety of designers in order to understand the typical characteristics of conceptual photomontage in landscape architecture. Over 150 images were considered, resulting in classification of types of photomontage and identification of their identifying characteristics.