Named after the small red sticker that once guided scholars through legacy 35mm slides, The Red Dot is here to help you navigate the ever-evolving landscape of visual and material research. While rooted in the University of California, Santa Barbara community, our posts are open to all.
At MIRL, we engage with art history, digital humanities, and material culture through hands-on research and archival projects. Guided by our core principles—critical engagement with visual and material culture, ethical stewardship of images and data, and innovative approaches to research and pedagogy—we work at the intersection of technology and the humanities. We are especially interested in how digital tools can expand the study of images, objects, and spaces.
Here, we’ll share insights on Digital Art History and Architectural History, highlight new image and data resources, discuss copyright and ethical considerations, and spotlight events that shape our field.
The Red Dot © 2025 is licensed under CC BY-NC 4.0
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Paintings displayed in Iraq mosque a first
Paintings depicting scenes from the life of Imam Hussein (grandson of the Prophet Muhammad) are on display at a mosque in a Shiite area of Sadr City, Iraq. Under Saddam Hussein such displays were forbidden, but a gradual increase in religious freedom has resulted in the approval and acceptance of these paintings. A total of… Read more
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Mark Ryden’s timelapse painting
This video on YouTube of Mark Ryden painting “Incarnation” in 4:27 minutes is really fascinating, and useful as an illustration of the process of painting. Read more about Mark Ryden and his work here. Read more
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Saturday event at the Fowler Museum
If you’re going to be in Los Angeles this Saturday, try to go to the Fowler Museum at UCLA between 8 and 11pm. The Fowler will is teaming up with KCRW to present “Soundsuits after Dark”, a live presentation of Nick Cave’s soundsuits to the accompaniment of music courtesy KCRW DJs Garth Trinidad and… Read more
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Save the date: MAK Center 2010 Architecture Tour
The MAK Center (The Schindler House) has posted the date for their 2010 architectural tour: October 10. This year’s tour will commemorate the 100th birthday of architectural photographer Julius Shulman, who died July 15, 2009 at age 98, by featuring homes from his images. Stay tuned for further information. Read more
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New use for old slides, Part III
If you have roughly 300 slides and a lot of time on your hands, here’s another nifty project. I bet the light would be beautiful coming through the slides. Think how nice this will look with your slide curtain. Optional: pink slides. Read more
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PowerPoint presentations: PC to Mac and Back
If you work between Macs and PCs when creating or viewing PowerPoint presentations, here is a useful link that explains the difference between PowerPoint versions and what you need to keep in mind when you move from one platform to another. This page contains other useful links that help you troubleshoot PowerPoint problems. Read more