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"Suddenly, Hope": Semio ic Analysis o a
News Magazine F on Co e , The Economis
Cláudia M. Bo elho Cen o de Engenha ia Biológica, Escola de Engenha ia,
Uni e sidade do Minho, B aga, Po ugal
h ps://o cid.o g/0000-0001-8221-419X
Moisés de Lemos Ma ins Cen o de Es udos de Comunicação e Sociedade, Ins i u o
de Ciências Sociais, Uni e sidade do Minho, B aga,
Po ugal h ps://o cid.o g/0000-0003-3072-2904
In his wo k, we p opose o analyse, om a semio ic poin o iew, he on co e o he news
magazine, The Economis , eleased in No embe 2020, en i led “Suddenly, Hope”. The basis
o ou analyses was he sign iadic concep ion inspi ed by Cha les Pei ce (1960), including
Saussu e’s (1916/2006) demons a ion, ha each sign is linked o he signi ie and signi ied
s uc u e and ha hese dimensions canno be conside ed on hei own. I is impo an o
men ion ha he a gumen ha was p i ileged was he no ion ha meaning is only p oduced
in speci ic condi ions o ime, space and in e locu ion. Taking in o conside a ion hese
concep ions, he colou po ayed in The Economis on co e was iden i ied as he p incipal
elemen o analysis. Goe he (1810/1840) p esen ed colou as he main elemen o human
pe cep ion, wi h he capaci y o induce a signi ica i e e ec in he message ecep o soul, o
he in e p e an , o use Pei ce's (1960) e minology in he concep ion o a sign. The image
ep esen ed on he on co e o The Economis akes us o he ac ual social con ex , he
pandemic caused by he SARS-CoV-2 i us. The on co e o The Economis also compa es
o he liminali y heo y o Vic o Tu ne (1969/1974). The c ossing o he unnel can be
compa ed o a i e o passage so ha socie y can become a be e one.
Keywo ds: on co e , image, colou semio ics, sign heo y, The Economis
“De Repen e, a Espe ança”: Análise Semió ica de uma Capa da Re is a No iciosa The
Economis
Nes e abalho, p opusemos-nos aze a análise semió ica da capa da e is a no iciosa The
Economis , de no emb o de 2020, in i ulada “Suddenly, Hope” (De Repen e, a Espe ança). Sendo
es e o nosso obje i o, pa imos da conceção iádica do signo, de inspi ação pei ceana (Pei ce,
1960), assim como da demons ação, ealizada po Saussu e (1916/2006), de que cada signo es á
inculado à es u u a que signi ican e e signi icado compõem, pelo que es as dimensões não podem
se conside adas isoladamen e. Mas o pon o de is a que p i ilegiámos é o de que a p odução de
sen ido oco e semp e em condições conc e as de empo, espaço e in e locução. Sendo es e o pon o
de pa ida pa a a análise, iden i icámos a co da imagem e a ada na capa do The Economis como
o p incipal elemen o de análise. Foi Goe he (1810/1840) quem ap esen ou a co como o p incipal
elemen o da pe ceção humana, com capacidade pa a induzi um e ei o signi ica i o na alma do
ece o da mensagem, ou seja, no in e p e an e, u ilizando a e minologia da conceção iádica do
signo, p opos a po Pei ce (1960). A análise da imagem p esen e na capa do The Economis eme e
pa a o con ex o social a ual de pandemia, causada pelo í us SARS-CoV-2. A imagem da capa do
The Economis conduz-nos, ainda, à eo ia da limina idade, de Vic o Tu ne (1969/1974). Es a
suges ão deco e da ideia o mulada, no sen ido de a sociedade a a essa o únel, como quem
emp eende um i o de passagem pa a uma sociedade melho .
Pala as-cha e: capa de e is a, imagem, semió ica da co , eo ia do signo, The Economis
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No. 8 (2021): July - Decembe 2021 | h ps://doi.o g/10.21814/ is a.3522
Recei ed: 30/07/2021 | Re iewed: 12/08/2021 | Accep ed: 12/08/2021 | Published: 29/11/2021
In oduc ion
“Suddenly, Hope” (Figu e 1) was he i le o he on co e o he news magazine The
Economis , published on No embe 12, 2020. This magazine was ounded in Sep embe 1843 by
he banke James Wilson, in a pa icula ly con o e sial ime, due o he discussion o he Co n
Laws e oca ion (F om he Co n Laws o You Mailbox, 2007). The magazine was ounded o
suppo he aboli ion o he B i ish Co n Laws, which we e in o ce in 1815. As a esul o his law,
he p ice o he ce eals was oo high, due o he a i s, among o he es ic ions, ha his law
imposed. The B i ish Co n Laws bene i , om he economic and poli ical poin o iew, he owne s
o la ge p ope ies, p e en ing he g ow h o o he economic sec o s. The socie y ha was mainly
loca ed in he u ban a eas we e he main opponen s o his law. F om 1845 o 1852, he e was a
signi ican sca ci y o ood in I eland, o cing he cabine in cha ge, led by Si Robe Peel, as he
B i ish p ime minis e , o ake a s and and call he e oca ion o he law. E en hough The
Economis was ounded wi h a pu pose, i has e ol ed and become an impo an and p es igious
in e na ional magazine, discussing se e al subjec s, like a wide ange o cu en a ai s, poli ics,
echnology, o eign a ai s, among o he s. The i s edi o -chie was James Wilson (1843–1857), he
ounde o he magazine. Zanny Min on Beddoes is he ac ual edi o -chie . She was appoin ed o he
job in 2015, being he i s woman o ake his posi ion since he ounda ion o he magazine (The
Economis , n.d.).
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Figu e 1. F on co e o he magazine The Economis , om No embe 12, 2020 Sou ce. F om “Suddenly, Hope”, The
Economis , 2020. Copy igh 2020 by The Economis . Rep in ed wi h pe mission.
Semio ic Analyses
The main goal o an image, eng a ing, pain ing, a , in gene al, is o con ey a message o make a
signi ican impac on he audience. Who can emain indi e en o Picasso´s pain ings, like he
Ma e ni y, 1901 o Gue nica, 1937? Independen ly, i one likes a ce ain image o pain ing, he
images can p oduce eelings o hose who see hem. I can be happiness, sadness o any o he kind
(Ge ge e al., 2014, p. 174; Huba d, 2015, p. 93). This communica ion p ocess implies he
exis ence o an issue ( he co e au ho ), he message ( he meaning) and he ecei e (who will see
he co e ), assuming ha his p ocess has a p ecise code in a speci ic con ex (Mou a, 2011, p. 48).
The colou s p esen on his co e we e no chosen andomly. The colou s we e chosen o con ey an
unmis akable message. Acco ding o Goe he (1810/1840), colou is so impo an ha in his book
he Zu Fa benleh e (Colou Theo y), Goe he p esen s i as he main elemen o human pe cep ion,
gi ing i a physiological dimension. His book was o iginally published in 1810. Al hough, his heo y
gained highe ecogni ion upon he publica ion o he English e sion by John Mu ay in 1840
(Goe he, 1810/1840).
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The eye owes i s exis ence o he ligh . F om animal o gans ha a e indi e en o he ligh ;
he ligh p oduces an o gan ha becomes simila o he ligh . The e o e, he eyes a e
o med in he ligh and o he ligh , in a way ha he in e nal ligh mee s he ex e nal ligh .
(Goe he, 1810/1993, p. 72)
Goe he goes e en u he , as he men ions ha colou can induce a de ini i e and signi ican e ec
on he soul o he message ecipien (Goe he, 1810/1993, p. 175). He desc ibes ha people, in
gene al, eel g ea pleasu e wi h colou , ei e a ing ha he eye needs he ligh as much as he
ligh needs he eye (p. 175). In his book, Goe he (1810/1993) uses a unique image o ein o ce his
idea by ecalling he eju ena ion sensa ion ha one eels on a gloomy day when he sun
illumina es an isola ed pa o he landscape, making he colou s isible. Goe he (1810/1933) e en
men ions an amusing episode wi h a wi y F enchman. The wi y F enchman said ha he
con e sa ional one wi h he lady had changed, upon she changed he colou o he bed oom close
om blue o ed1 (p. 176), showing his way, unequi ocally, he e ec ha colou has on a pe son's
s a e o mind.
Conside ing he impo ance o he colou and i s capaci y o cause di e en sensa ions, as so
eloquen ly w i en by Goe he, i is possible o analyze om a semio ic poin o iew, based on
Saussu e (1916/2006) and Cha les Pei ce (1960) concep s o image. Bu how? Th ough he
applica ion o Saussu e concep s ega ding language and he iadic concep ion o he sign by
Cha les Pei ce.
Saussu e (1916/2006) s a es ha “language cons i u es a sys em o pu e alues ha de e mines
no hing ou side he momen a y s a e o i s e ms ( … ) when he e is a ela ionship, which
de e mines he place (posi ion o space)” (p. 95). Saussu e clea ly demons a es ha each sign is
linked o all o he uni s. The e o e, i canno be conside ed isola ed.
I is possible, hen, o conside a ch oma ic language, being composed by a sys em o simple uni s
ela ed among hem. When hese uni s a e combined, hey o m mo e complex uni s, like colou s o
colou combina ions, meaning wha he sys em de e mines hey mean (Pe ei a, 2011, p. 82).
Applying he Saussu e concep o he ch oma ic language, i is possible o conside colou as he
combina ion o simple uni s cha ac e ized by he sys em o which i is linked (Saussu e, 1916/2006,
p. 95). The colou and hei combina ion in he image unde analysis ha e o be unde s ood
acco ding o he ole hey play (Pe ei a, 2011, p. 83). Ano he impo an conside a ion is he iadic
concep ion o he sign inspi ed by Pei ce. This concep ion allows se e al analyses, as desc ibed by
San aella (2005):
in i sel , in i s in e nal p ope ies, ha is, in i s powe o signi y; in i s e e ence o wha i
indica es, e e s o o ep esen s and in he se e al e ec s i is able o induce in i s
ecep o s, ha is, in he di e en in e p e a ions ha can induce in he po en ial use s2. (p.
5)
I is no possible o pe o m an analysis based on he semio ic iadic concep ion o Pei ce (1960)
wi hou e e ing o i s elemen s.
A sign, o ep esen amen, is some hing which s ands o somebody o some hing in some
espec o capaci y. I add esses somebody, ha is, c ea es in he mind o ha pe son an
equi alen sign, o pe haps a mo e de eloped sign. Tha sign which i c ea es is called he
in e p e an o he i s sign. The sign s ands o some hing, i s objec . (Pei ce, 1960, pa a.
228)
I is impo an o men ion ha he elemen s o he Pei ce semio ic — ep esen amen, in e p e an
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and objec — do no exis isola ed, bu only in ela ion o each o he (Pe ei a, 2011, p. 84).
Acco ding o he p e ious assump ions, i is possible o design a semio ic analysis model o he
image on he on co e o The Economis , including he colou chosen by he au ho , as hey can
be conside ed signs.
The semio ic analysis o his image canno be done wi hou aking in o conside a ion he social
con ex . In ac , he p oduc ion o meaning always akes place in a speci ic ime, space and
in e locu ion (Ma ins, 2002, 2017). In his pa icula analysis, he social con ex is he cu en
pandemic si ua ion.
On a i s look a he on co e (Figu e 1), i is possible o see a unnel. Bu , i is no any unnel.
The a ches ha o m he unnel ha e p o ube ances, ep esen ing he SARS-CoV-2 spikes. This
elemen canno be conside ed only as a mo phologic cha ac e is ic o he i al pa icle. This
cha ac e is ic does iden i y no only he SARS-CoV-2, bu also he impo ance o he spikes in he
in ec ion. The SARS-CoV-2 i us has se e al S-glycosyla ed p o eins a i s su ace. These p o eins
a e esponsible o he ancho age o he ACE2 (angio ensin-con e ing enzyme 2) ecep o p esen
on he human cells, media ing he i us pa icle en ance in o he cells (Huang e al., 2020, pp.
1141–1142; Le ko e al., 2020, p. 562). This o eshadows ha i was he SARS-CoV-2 i us ha
o igina ed he o ma ion o he unnel, o cing, in some way, socie y o walk h ough i .
The black colou a he beginning o he unnel is esponsible o he da kness obse ed. F om a
physical poin o iew, black is no an ac ual colou bu he esul o isible ligh spec e abso p ion.
This cha ac e is ic can lead us o ano he in e p e a ion. The pandemic si ua ion is so complex ha
all he su ounding ene gy is abso bed un il no hing is le . The black is ach oma ic, an absence o
ligh (Fa ina e al., 2006, p. 98). This absence o ligh , he da kness, ansmi a da k eeling, sad
and dep essi e, con eying an idea o dea h and des uc ion (Fa ina e al., 2006, p. 98). P ecisely
how he cu en si ua ion can be cha ac e ized, a si ua ion o chaos and dea h.
When walking h ough his unnel, he colou black is g adually eplaced by shades o g ey, un il
he whi e, ha is, un il he cla i y. The whi e colou appea s as he an i hesis o he black. F om a
physics poin o iew, he whi e is he e lec ion o all colou s, which is associa ed wi h pu i y, o
li e and di ini y (Fa ina e al., 2006, p. 97). This dicho omy can also be ela ed o eligion (Judeo-
Ch is ian), in which he whi e ep esen s ligh ( he pa adise) and black ep esen s da kness ( he
hell).
The unnel demons a es he pa h ha socie y mus oam o each he ligh . The closes i ge s o
he ligh , he lesse he da kness. The colou g ey is also neu al and is ob ained by he mix u e o
whi e and black. In ha sense, when app oaching he ligh , he da kness ge s u he away, so he
pa h becomes clea e . The o igin o he wo d "cinza" (g ey) comes om he La in cinicia o g is
om he Ge manic, symbolizing he in e media e posi ion be ween ligh and shadow (Fa ina e al.,
2006, p. 98). When walking h ough he unnel owa ds he ligh , he p o usions obse ed in he
i s a ch o he unnel disappea , gi ing he indica ion ha he “w ongdoe ”, he i us, is
disappea ing.
A he end o he unnel, a new elemen , a sy inge. This sy inge ep esen s he so wan ed accine
agains he i us SARS-CoV-2. This elemen is he only one ha con ains a ue colou , ed. Red is
he i s o all colou s. I ep esen s ene gy, blood, u ges a eeling o hea and d aws a en ion
(Fa ina e al., 2006, p. 99). When looking a he sy inge, i is ine i able no o look o he ed
elemen . In he Ch is ian cul u e, he ed gi es li e, pu i ies and sanc i ies. I is he Sa iou ’s ed,
he blood he shed on he c oss o he sal a ion o humankind. I is he sign o s eng h and he
edemp ion ene gy (Fa ina e al., 2006, p. 99).
Looking a his image, i is s ill possible o d aw a pa allel wi h Vic o Tu ne 's heo y o liminali y
(Tu ne , 1969/1974), which analyses he passage i e om a p e-socie al o a socie al si ua ion.
Vic o Tu ne (1969/1974) concei es liminali y as he passage be ween he cul u al s a e,
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cogni i ely de ined and logically a icula ed, and he limbo, which is he absence o “s a us” (p.
120). The “liminal” en i ies (socie y o people in he passage) a e no in one o ano he place
(Tu ne , 1969/1974, p. 117). They a e in he in e media e s a e. In his con ex , as socie y aces a
sudden e en , like he cu en plague (SARS-CoV-2), he social dis inc ions and s anda d hie a chy
a e gone, in a way, h own in o limbo. All he socie y is subjec ed o he same si ua ion. They a e a
he h eshold o some hing, be ween he sickness and he cu e. The unnel ep esen s he da kness,
symbolizes he disease, while he accine ep esen s he ligh , he cu e. The c ossing o he unnel
can be conside ed limbo. This i ual phase, in which socie y is cu en ly a , o an inde e mina e
pe iod, symbolizes he ansi ion upon he social “dea h”, in ha all can be a ec ed by he i us.
Socie y will lea e limbo when i eaches he ligh . This passage is he ebi h o socie y.
A e we acing he necessa y i ual o allow socie y he ad en o a new wo ld, wi h new social
hie a chies, wi h g ea e equali y? Doub ully…
The on co e o he magazine The Economis also leads us o he na a i e o Genesis and he
Apocalypse. In he wes e n eligious adi ion (Judeo-Ch is ian), he e en is enligh ened by he
sal a ion idea, a pa icula unde s anding o he his o ical pe iod, which “is uled by he
escha ological p inciple” (Ma ins, 2011, p. 43). The e o e, he e en is a singula ac and
au onomous sou ce o meaning and in elligibili y. I is he bea e o a “he meneu ic powe ”, a
“powe o e ela ion” (Ma ins, 2011, p. 51). Taking in o conside a ion his poin o iew, i is also
possible o compa e his momen wi h he apocalypse, he des uc ion, wi h he socie y being
pushed h ough o a unnel, o a new beginning, he genesis.
The accine is seen as sal a ion, compa able o he a i al o pa adise. The sy inge is he only
elemen wi h a ue colou , he ed, which is indissociable o an ene ge ic eeling, he edemp ion
and om he bloodshed by he Sa iou (Fa ina e al., 2006, p. 99), o he bene i o socie y. The
accine is socie y's hope. I socie y can c oss he somb e unnel, i will lea e limbo, eaching he
ligh , pa adise.
While ocusing on he image in s udy, we canno s op hinking o ano he message his image
con eys. The image can be seen as a black and whi e dicho omy, wi h only a small no e o colou ,
ed, meaning hope, bu we can also conside o he eelings, like ea . Will we be able o each
pa adise? Wha i socie y emains s uck in limbo?
All o hese sensa ions a e possible because “colou is ouch, he eye, he hamme ha makes he
soul ib a e, he housand-s inged ins umen ” (Fa ina e al., 2006, p. 13; Kandinsky, 1969). The
colou has se e al dimensions, in he sense ha i is seen, causes an imp ession in o he e ina, ha
is, op ical-sensi i e, i is el , i p o okes a psychic-exp essi e emo ion, and i is cons uc ed
symbolically, ha is, in cul u al e ms. Colou has i s own meaning, a alue as a symbol. I is a
language ha communica es an idea (Fa ina e al., 2006, pp. 8, 13).
The image may ansmi a message, which means he image's i le is unnecessa y, as all he image
elemen s ansmi he pa h o hope.
Roland Ba hes (1964) may disag ee wi h he idea ha he i le o he image became unnecessa y.
In he “Rhé o ique de L'Image” (Image Rhe o ic), Roland Ba hes de ends he union o bo h he
wo d and he image. E en mo e, Ba hes p oposes submi ing he image o he logos, being
p epos e ous o p esen an image wi hou wo ds. Al hough Ba hes (1964) men ions ha i is
possible o ind images wi hou wo ds, bu only when wi h his absence i is pu posed o gi e an
enigma ic pu po o he image (p. 43). E en u he , Ba hes (1964) e e s ha :
he image immedia ely deli e s he i s message, he subs ance o which is linguis ic; he
suppo s a e he legend, which is ma ginal, and he labels, which a e inse ed na u ally in o
he scene, as in con o mi y; he code in which his message is aken is none o he han he
F ench language; o be deciphe ed, his message equi es no o he knowledge han he
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knowledge o he w i ing o F ench. (p. 41)
The supe imposi ion o he image o he wo d is ela i ely ecen . In his ega d, Ma ins (2011)
e e s o he ollowing:
he shi om wo d o image began o e a cen u y ago. Since he in en ion o pho og aphy
in he mid-nine een h cen u y, o he cybe ne ic ne wo ks and i ual en i onmen s,
h ough he image o cinema and ele ision, he image has no s opped ollowing he pa h o
sepa a ion om he wo d, becoming au o elic. (p. 72)
The pe cep ion o he h ea , which he image poses o he wes e n logos, has housands o yea s.
Ma ins (2011) ecalls, in ha sense, he Old Tes amen , in pa icula he Exodus (20:4), which
o bids he images o God: “you shall no make any idol, no any hing ha has he o m o wha
li es in he heigh s o hea en, on he ea h below, o in he wa e s unde he ea h” (Exodus 20: 4,
as ci ed in Ma ins, 2011, p. 71).
Ch is ian heology goes e en u he by demonizing he image by designa ing i as a daimon.
Daimon means “genius” in he G eek e ymology, ha is, he de il, who ies o seduce and all in o
emp a ion. In u n, dia-bolé is a sepa a e image, which is opposed o sun-bolé, an image ha
b ings oge he (Ma ins, 2011, p. 71). Bu , in he echnological age ha cha ac e izes ou ime, he
sepa a ion o logos and image is a eali y. In ac , Nei a (1993, p. 11) s a es ha only wha is
ansla ed in o images is eal.
Then, analyzing he co e o The Economis , ollowing Nei a (1993) concep , which demons a es
he impo ance o he image, he e is no eali y wi hou i . Obse ing i a he ligh o Pei ce's
iadic di ision, “any hing which de e mines some hing else (i s in e p e an ) o e e o an objec
o which i sel e e s (i s objec ) in he same way, he in e p e an becoming, in u n, a sign, and so
on ad in ini um” (Pei ce, 1960, p. 2303). And acco ding o Fa ias and Quei oz (2017), any ac ion o
he sign (semiosis) is cons i u ed by he i educible ela ionship o he ep esen amen, objec and
in e p e an (p. 23), is, he e o e, possible o look o colou as a sign ha is no subjec only o hei
in e nal p ope ies bu as a e e ence o wha i indica es and he e ec s ha elici in he a ge
audience (San aella, 2005, p. 5).
The e ec ha a pa icula image o colou induces in a pe son is no , o i does no ha e o be
equal o he same eeling i causes in ano he pe son. As s a ed p e iously, colou has a iple
ac ion on he ecei e : imp esses, exp esses, and builds. And how? Colou is seen, ha is, i causes
a e inal imp ession; i is el , ha is, i p o okes an emo ion; i is cons uc i e, meaning ha i
builds i s own language ha communica es an idea (Fa ina e al., 2006, p. 13). Fa ina e al. (2006)
go e en u he :
he psychological ac o domina es he eu y hmy o he wo ld pulse, o ac i e and passi e
expe iences in he daily ma ch o he human exis ence, colou , a p oduc o ou isual
sensa ion, has become, h ough he mul iple aspec s o i s applica ion a plas ic eali y… (p.
14)
This means ha i is no possible o analyze an image, a pain ing, a colou , o e en a pu ely by
looking a he physics behind i . A , in gene al, should be concei ed, aking in o conside a ion he
sensi i i y o he di e en ecep o s o he message. As Ca la Fazenda (2001) men ions in he
disse a ion:
who said ha colou s a e jus elec omagne ic adia ions, ha p oduce physicochemical
imp essions a he bo om o he eyeball? Is no possible o clea ly see wi h he hea ?
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Colou is no an imp ession. Colou , i i knows is colou . Colou is he hea . Colou ing. I is
no in hings. I is in he way o seeing hem, in he way o s anding in on o hem. I is in
he ac o seeing, in he ac o s anding in on o i , admi ing hem. I is he way o
colou ing hings, o pe o m magic wi h hem, in he blink o an eye. (p. 9)
The on co e o he magazine The Economis was designed wi h a pa icula goal, o lea e a
ma k in he soul o he message ecep o , aking in o conside a ion he social con ex ha we a e
lea ing and he psychological ac o o each pe son. In o he wo ds, he way a pe son will look a
his image will depend on he expe ience h oughou he pandemic. They may look wi h hei hea
o hei eason.
Conclusion
The image on he on co e o he news magazine The Economis was, o su e, p epa ed wi h he
in en ion o con ey a s ong message, wi h he abili y o b and he ecep o 's soul. When looking
o he i s ime a his image, i is possible o isualize he socie y walking h ough a da k unnel
owa ds he ligh . The dominan colou o he unnel ep esen ed in he image unde analysis is
black, being his colou , om he physics poin o iew, he abso p ion o all isible ligh spec a.
The black colou is g adually eplaced by di e en deg ees o g ey un il he opposi e o he black
colou , he whi e. The colou whi e, in u n, is he i adia ion o isible spec a. This dicho omy led
us o compa e he unnel wi h c ossing a dese on o an oasis, going om hell o pa adise, om
chaos o sal a ion. This dicho omy akes us e en u he o he idea o he apocalypse and genesis.
The black colou ep esen s he apocalypse (hell), while he whi e symbolizes he genesis
(pa adise).
As Ma ins (2002, 2017) men ioned, he p oduc ion o meaning is in ima ely connec ed o he
con ex , ha is, in speci ic condi ions o ime and in e locu ion. In his analysis, he social con ex is
he pandemic s a e we li e in, he unce ain y o wha socie y will ind a he end o he unnel,
lea ing socie y in limbo, as Vic o Tu ne (1969/1974) e e s in his liminali y heo y.
This image has many elemen s ha allow us o e lec , elici dis inc eelings, om anguish,
dep ession, claus ophobia ( he black colou ) o joy, happiness, and eedom ( he whi e colou ). I is
impo an o men ion ha he sy inge is seen as sal a ion, ein o cing his meaning by he ed
colou . In he Ch is ian cul u e, he ed ep esen s he blood ha gi es li e. This image uses
ch oma ic language o induce se e al eelings and ansmi i s message and he biological
cha ac e is ics o he i us SARS-COV-2, like he spikes. These spikes can media e he i us
en ance in o he human cells, making he image's message e en mo e asse i e. This i us is
esponsible o he da kness in which socie y inds i sel .
Meanwhile, he c ossing o he unnel akes he in e p e an o pose mo e ques ions. In he
classical semio ic e ms o Cha les Pei ce (1960) and i s ipa i e di ision o he sign, in
ep esen men , objec and in e p e an , he in e p e an is he one who ecei es he message.
Among he se e al in e oga ions ha one can s ance is he ollowing: will socie y each sal a ion,
meaning he accine? A second ques ion ha one can pose is: is he human communi y a he
beginning o a new e a, an e a wi h g ea e social jus ice?
I is impo an o men ion ha i is only possible o go onboa d he jou ney p oposed by he image
due o he ch oma ic language and he bond ha all he uni s o m among hem composing he
language, acco dingly o Saussu e (1916/2006) assump ions. Na u ally, i is no possible o o ge
ha he p oduc ion o meaning is only possible in speci ic condi ions o ime, space, and
in e locu ion. I is no ewo hy ha his analysis canno be dissocia ed om he social con ex ha
socie y is going h ough, he pandemic.
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Vis a
No. 8 (2021): July - Decembe 2021 | h ps://doi.o g/10.21814/ is a.3522
Howe e , independen ly o how ca e ul and me iculous he image obse a ion is, he impac ha
causes di e s om pe son o pe son. The message is cons uc ed based on he in e p e e ’s
expe ience, his psychological s a e and his su ounding wo ld. E en he mo e scep ics canno
conside colou only in he ligh o physics, as ligh abso p ion and e lec ion. Undoub edly, i is
necessa y o conside he e ec i can elici in he in e p e an . As Ca la Fazenda (2001) says:
“colou is hea ” (p. 9).
T ansla ion: Cláudia M. Bo elho
Acknowledgemen s
This wo k is suppo ed by na ional unds h ough FCT – Fundação pa a a Ciência e a Tecnologia,
I.P., unde p ojec UIDB/00736/2020. This s udy was suppo ed by he FCT – Fundação pa a a
Ciência e a Tecnologia, I.P., unde he scope o he s a egic unding o UIDB/04469/2020.
Biog aphical No es
Claudia M. Bo elho is a esea che a he Cen e o Biological Enginee ing. She comple ed he
PhD in enginee ing sciences in 2005 a he Uni e si y o Po o in collabo a ion wi h he Uni e si y
o Camb idge (Uni ed Kingdom). Claudia M. Bo elho has ocused he esea ch on de eloping
pe sonalized he apies, as each pa ien is unique. She has ecei ed se e al in e na ional
dis inc ions, has supe ised se e al mas e s and doc o al s uden s. She is he au ho and co-au ho
o se e al scien i ic publica ions in indexed scien i ic jou nals, as well as book chap e s in he
biomedical ield. In 2015, she assumed he p esidency o he Na ional Associa ion o Resea che s in
Science and Technology, collabo a ing in he de elopmen o scien i ic policies o digni y he
esea che s’ ca ee s and make he na ional scien i ic sys em sus ainable. I was du ing his s age o
he ca ee ha she became in e es ed in communica ion sciences. She is cu en ly de eloping he
second doc o al hesis in his a ea.
ORCID: h ps://o cid.o g/0000-0001-8221-419X
Email: [email p o ec ed]
Add ess: Depa amen o de Engenha ia Biológica, Uni e si y o Minho,4710-057 Gual a , B aga,
Po ugal
Moisés de Lemos Ma ins is a ull p o esso a he Depa men o Communica ion Sciences o he
Uni e si y o Minho. He di ec s he Cen o de Es udos de Comunicação e Sociedade
(Communica ionand Socie y Resea ch Cen e), which he ounded in 2001. He is he edi o o he
jou nals Comunicação e Sociedade, Re is a Lusó ona de Es udos Cul u ais/Lusophone Jou nal o
Cul u al S udies and Vis a. He holds a PhD om he Uni e si y o S asbou g in social sciences
(sociology). He has published in sociology o cul u e, social semio ics, sociology o communica ion,
isual semio ics, in e cul u al communica ion and lusophone s udies. He di ec ed o 10 yea s he
Ins i u e o Social Sciences o he Uni e si y o Minho ( om 1996 o2000, and om 2004 o 2010).
He was p esiden o he Po uguese Associa ion o Communica ion Sciences om 2005 o 2015; he
Fede a ion o Lusophone Associa ions o Communica ion Sciences om 2011 o 2015; and he Ibe o-
Ame ican Con ede a ion o Scien i ic and Academic Communica ion Associa ions om 2012 o
2015.
ORCID:h p://o cid.o g/0000-0003-3072-2904
Email: [email p o ec ed]
Add ess: Communica ion and Socie y Resea ch Cen e, Ins i u e o Social Sciences, Uni e si y o
9 / 11