The PHOTO OP series — to which SEMIOVOX has invited our semiotician colleagues from around the world to contribute — analyzes photos that we’ve snapped while “off the job.”

22^nd of April 2025 Weird cashews. A package of cashew nuts designed to resemble a page from a weird comic book, featuring old-school, classic comic-style illustrations. The use of stylized fonts and references to street food culture enhance the visual experience. More intriguingly, the design may allude to a niche pop-cultural phenomenon currently emerging in the field of literature in Poland — weird Asian fiction. If that’s the case, the brand could be tapping into new and unconventional narratives, adding depth and originality to its identity.

17^th of January 2024 New cosmic royalty. Visit to a small convenience store. A vast selection of disposable vapes, offered in a variety of flavors and colors, promising a cosmic experience and a sense of exclusivity. The concept of royalty, expressed in simple yet solid fonts, feels oddly mismatched with the high-tech, space-themed aesthetic. But perhaps in today’s culture, a new kind of technocratic royalty is emerging?

22^nd of April 2024 Polish new (hi)story. The cover of Tygodnik Powszechny – a special issue dedicated to new narratives around Polish identity (“People’s Stories”).

A lone straw figure stands like a statue or a pedestal, representing a new type of collective hero that has emerged in recent years in Poland. The straw figure symbolizes a sleeping nation, stagnation and inaction in Polish culture and connotes Stanislaw Wyspianski’s drama The Wedding.

Poles are discovering the individual stories of their rural ancestors and the history of Poland through the marginalized voices of common women and men — the oppressed, the victimized, our grandparents and great-grandparents.

These are the stories that were silenced and ignored by mainstream culture, yet they are fundamental to our current attitudes and behaviors as a nation, as citizens, and as parents.

PHOTO OP: Mariane Cara (Brazil) on LA LUCHA CONTINUA | Aiyana Gunjan (India) on YAMRAJ | Greg Rowland (England) on I ❤️ FOOD | Gabriela Pedranti (Spain) on NOT SO TRIVIAL | Biba Allarakia (Saudi Arabia) on ALL THAT GLITTERS | Brian Khumalo (South Africa) on A LOST MEMORY | Becks Collins (England) on A MILLENNIAL ON THE BRINK | Samuel Grange (France) on SLOW DOWN | Rachel Lawes (England) on DESKTOP COLLECTIONS | Marie Lena Tupot (USA) on BOX OFFICE | Sónia Marques (Portugal) on SWISS-NESS | Serdar Paktin (Turkey / England) on BOTTLE SERVICE | Stefania Gogna (Italy) on OPEN-AIR MUSEUM | Charles Leech (Canada) on IS IT IRONIC? | Kishore Budha (England) on DOWN THE TUBE | Josh Glenn (USA) on JOINED AT THE DIP | Mark Lemon (England) on SHOP LOCAL | William Liu (China) on SWAN SONG | Malcolm Evans (Wales) on CHOCOCRACK | Paulina Goch-Kenawy (Poland) on POLAND’S NEW (HI)STORY | Adelina Vaca (Mexico) on WHAT’S YOUR POISON? | Natasha Delliston (England) on NATURE BATHING | Ramona Lyons (USA) on DEATH TO TECH | Ximena Tobi (Argentina) on TODO PASA | Victoria Gerstman (Scotland) on UGLY-CUTE ENTROPY.

Also see these global semio series: MAKING SENSE (Q&As) | SEMIOFEST SESSIONS (monthly mini-conferences) | COVID CODES | SEMIO OBJECTS | COLOR CODEX | DECODER (fictional semioticians) | CASE FILE | PHOTO OP | MEDIA DIET.