The Maxim of Manner

Visual language, by its very nature, refuses to conform to Grice’s maxims. It could even be argued that the refusal of visual language to be specific, or definite, to deliberately leave itself open to ambiguity is the very reason it attracts us. It invites multiple readings and rejects the linear structure imposed by language. The disorderly eye can go wherever it pleases. - Judith Stewart, curator of The Maxim of Manner