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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Another nifty craft using old slide technology
We’ve periodically added links to fun things one can make with old slides, e.g. lampshades or curtains. Here’s something else in the crafty home decor department: mirror frames using painted slide carousels. The Red Dot gang can’t wait to get out the spray paint! Read more
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Farewell to the Red Doors
Well we knew this day would come, but it still doesn’t make it easy. Today, June 12, is the IRC’s last day behind the lovely red doors. The retrofit of the Arts building is complete so we must gather up our belongings and move back. Our stay at Ellison Hall has been wonderful and we’re… Read more
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Kettle mistaken for Hitler
Well, not “mistaken for,” exactly. But a Michael Graves-designed kettle on a JC Penney billboard in Los Angeles bore enough of a resemblance to Hitler (if you squinted) that it suddenly became a hot item and sold out. People are so weird…. And just like that, the listing on JC Penney’s website is gone, as… Read more
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Jackson Pollock and The Case of the Fly in the Paint
No, not a new young adult book, but real life tales from the world of conservation! Conservators at the Museum of Modern Art in NY have been conducting a 10-month examination and restoration of Jackson Pollock’s One: Number 31, 1950 and have made some interesting discoveries. It appears that not all of the paint was… Read more
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Arcimboldo’s paintings as giant sculptures
Giuseppe Arcimboldo’s 16th century paintings of actual people, or of representations of seasons or elements, are entirely unique. He constructed compositions of fruits, vegetables, trees, and other “ingredients” that somehow look like people – see Summer (1563) at left. His creations have been sampled by many, many artists. The latest case of Arcimboldo inspiration is… Read more
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Photography and privacy violations
There is something of a Rear Window quality to it all… New York photographer Arne Svenson has his neighbors outraged. His new show, at the Julie Saul Gallery in NYC, features photos of residents in the highrise across the street, but the photos were taken without their knowledge with a birdwatching telephoto lens. Some of… Read more