ART 290 Projects in Media
Course Description: Builds on prior studio experiences within a
student's visual arts concentration. Each student produces a body
of thematically linked works that display an advanced level of
critical thinking and technical achievement. Students work outside
of class; students and faculty use regular class meetings for critical
discussion and review of work.
You are required to work on assignments for at least eight hours
outside of class each week.
Prerequisites: Two Visual Arts program concentration
requirements in Photography, Video, Computer Arts, or Painting &
Drawing.
Special needs: If you have any special learning needs you should
confer with the instructor at the beginning of the semester to
discuss your particular ways of learning. If you have concerns
about a learning disability or other special need, you may wish to
make an appointment with the Director of Disability Services, to
review the options and aids available to you. If you believe you
would benefit from a personal tutor for any of the above reasons,
you should consult with a Learning Center counselor.
Teaching Procedures: Instruction is typically in the form of inclass lectures, discussions, and critiques of work in process.
Lectures are supplemented by assigned texts. Problem solving and
critical thinking are integral to the creative process and foster selflearning and independence. The mode of instruction and learning
in this course is such that you will be challenged to work
203 independently and arrive at your own solutions to complex
problems.
Instructional Objectives: A student who successfully completes
this course will be able to:
• Describe, compare, and contrast media-based artworks.
• Demonstrate competence in the manipulation of materials and
media (craft).
• Extend investigative work on projects over a period of time.
• Develop a medium-specific portfolio that demonstrates an
advanced understanding and competence of working within
that chosen medium.
Thematic Work: You will develop a series of works based on a
topic set by the instructor at the beginning of the semester. You
will begin by completing several focused assignments designed by
the instructor to help you get started researching this topic and
prepare you to work more independently. Some assignments will
need to be completed in an outdoor location and others indoors.
The environment the work is undertaken within will help both
inform and contextualize the work. Work will be due for review
each week. The quantity of works you produce over the course of
the semester will largely depend on their scope, scale, and level of
complexity, but you are expected to have several pieces in progress
concurrently. You are expected to work within your area of
concentration, but may develop mixed-media, collaborative,
performance, or installation-based works.
NOTE: If the work you produce for this course reflects that you
have successfully explored the topic in depth it will be included in
the spring Art Student Exhibit. Weak, incomplete, or rushed work
will not be considered.
204 Process Book: You will be required to keep a sketchbook/journal
dedicated to your research of the topic that demonstrates how you
arrived at solutions for the work you created. You are expected to
work in this notebook consistently and regularly. The book will be
reviewed throughout the semester.
Statement: For your final presentation you will be required to
present a 1-2 page written statement about the work you produced
over the course of the semester. The statement will detail your
process, the problems you encountered, and the solutions you
arrived at. You will make one copy for each member of the class.
Viewings and Readings: Throughout the semester, the instructor
will present work by artists who have explored the topic in one
form or another, or which is actually integral to their work/process.
These presentations will be followed by critical discussions of the
work as it relates to the topic. There will also be weekly readings
that revolve around the topic and which you must be prepared to
discuss in depth.
Presentations: You will be required to make regular presentations,
both of work in progress and your research. The success of this
course will largely depend on your level of commitment and
individual contributions to the weekly meetings. It will not be
acceptable to come to class unprepared.
Critique: Includes the presentation, discussion and critique of all
assignments. This part of the course examines your ability to
present your work and discuss the work of your fellow students.
Constructive criticism and the sharing of ideas is an important part
of the creative process; the more you participate in the process the
more you will benefit from it.
205 Supplies and Materials: A couple of DVD-R discs and an 8–16
GB flash drive; a quality, hardbound, portable ruled, gridded, or
plain paper notebook; any additional materials necessary to
complete the work you wish to create within your chosen medium.
Your portfolio must be handed in to the instructor at the end of the
semester in digital format on a disc. Your journal/sketchbook must
also be submitted but will be returned to you.
Attendance and Punctuality: You must attend class, be punctual,
and be on task for the duration of each class meeting. If you miss a
class you must follow up with your instructor before the next class
meeting. If you know you will be absent prior to a class you must
notify the instructor. Poor attendance and/or punctuality will have
a negative impact on your course work and final evaluation.
Cell phones: Throughout class meetings you are expected to be
involved and attentive: Cell phones must be switched off.
Grading: This course is graded pass/fail. To succeed you must
work hard throughout the semester, explore ideas, problem solve,
develop an ability to think critically about the subject and your
own work, and actively engage in a process of discovery. Weak,
rushed, or unfinished work will earn a grade of Incomplete. The
following is a guide as to the criteria by which the instructor will
evaluate your progress, level of involvement, and personal growth
in this subject throughout the semester:
•
Willingness to work hard and in depth, as demonstrated by:
o On-time completion of assignments
o Evidence of working on assignments between class
meetings for at least eight hour each week.
o The quantity, quality, and strength of work produced
throughout the semester.
206 •
•
•
•
•
o Extending of investigative work on a project over a period
of time.
o In depth research and exploration of the topic as evidenced
in your course journal/ sketchbook and the final work.
Willingness to take risks in relation to new concepts, content,
techniques, and processes.
Growth in the understanding of the visual language, issues, and
concepts.
Development of critical thinking and problem-solving skills
relative to the subject.
Contribution to class discussions and critiques.
Strength of your final course portfolio
At the end of the semester you will receive a written final
evaluation in place of a letter grade. This evaluation may be
presented to transfer institutions as evidence of your level of
success in this course.
Eliesa Johnson, Photogen Inc.
207 Postnuclear by Miroslaw Hobora
How to contact Paul Lindale:
email – lindale@gcc.mass.edu
phone – 775-1241
office – S212
office hours – by appointment on Monday, Wednesday, Thursday.
208 Readings
Aristotle
Book IV, Physics, Translated by R. P. Hardie and R.
K. Gaye
Ast, O.
Visualization Of Time: An Artistic Inquiry into the
Development of the Visual Metaphor, edited by
Julia Druk, 2006
Cantwell, L.
Art and Time, Artwrit, Fall 2011
Danto, A.C.
Sitting With Marina, New York Times, May 23, 2010
Folger, T.
Newsflash: Time May Not Exist, not to mention the
question of which way it goes, Discover Magazine,
June 2007
Gibran, K.
Time XXI, The Prophet, Alfred A. Knopf, 1923
Greene, B.
Special Relativity in a Nutshell, NOVA, PBS, 2011
Greene, B.
The Fabric Of The Cosmos: The Illusion Of Time
NOVA, PBS Airdate: November 9, 2011
Holz, E.
John Sisley Interview, EYE SEE HUE Magazine,
Issue 01, 2011-2012
Kandinsky, W.
Point And Line To Plane, Dover Publications, 1979
Levine, R.
Lightman, A.
A Geography of Time: The Temporal Misadventures
of a Social Psychologist, or How Every Culture
Keeps Time Just a Little Bit Differently, Basic
Books, 1997
Einstein’s Dreams, Pantheon, 1993
Mann, T.
The Magic Mountain, Random House, 1928
Merwin, W. S.
Any Time
209 Musser, G.
A Hole at the Heart of Physics, Scientific American,
June 26, 2006
Rilke, R.M.
Duration of Childhood, The Select Poems of Rainer
Maria Rilke, Vintage International, 1989
Schefer, J.L.
On La Jetée, Passages de l’image. Translated by
Paul Smith. Exhibition catalogue, Centres Georges
Pompidou, Paris, 1990
Tarkovsy, A.
Imprinted Time, Scultping in Time: Reflections on
the Cinema, Routledge, 1988
Weintraub, M.
Christian Marclay’s “The Clock”, On View Now,
ART: 21, January 3rd, 2013
Viewings
Marina Abramovic, The Artist is Present, 2012
Julian Barbour, Does Time Exist?, 2012
Andy Goldsworthy, Rivers and Tides: Working With Time, 2004
Brian Greene, The Illusion of Time, 2011
Michio Kaku, Cosmic Time, 2008
Christian Marclay, The Clock, 2010
Chris Marker, La Jetée, 1962
Eric Mazur, Stopping Time, 2010
Wim Wenders, Wings of Desire, 1987
210 Problems
#1: Answer the question What is time?
#2: Write down every word that comes to mind when you think of time.
#3: Draw a sketch that represents how you see or think of time.
#4: Create an interior image in which the environment provides a
context for understanding and interpreting some aspect of time.
#5: Create an exterior image in which the environment provides a
context for understanding and interpreting some aspect of time.
#6: Create an image looking within or without in which time is
represented.
#7: Develop your own theory of and philosophical statement on time.
Your theory and statement may be based on existing work on the subject.
#8: Use a book to keep track of your research, process, and the
development of your ideas over time. The book may contain images,
sketches, quotes, and notes as long as they relate to the subject of time.
#9: Create a series of artworks exploring your ideas.
#10: Develop an artist’s statement discussing this work.
#11: In your book, draw a new sketch or diagram that represents how
you now see or think of time.
#12: In your book, readdress the question What is time?
211 Schedule (subject to change)
Throughout the first half of the semester you are expected to work
your way through the readings in the course sourcebook. The
images and texts selected are designed to enrich the dialog around
the subject of Time during class meetings and to help inspire and
inform your own art-making process. For those of you requiring a
structured reading program, you will find reading assignments
listed below on a class-to-class schedule, though you could also
simply ready the text through from beginning to end.
Class #1: The Question of Time.
In class: Answer the question What is time?
Viewing: Does Time Exist? by Julian Barbour.
Assignments:
Ø Purchase a notebook/sketchbook for this course (see requirements
under Supplies and Materials on p.206).
Ø On the first page in the book, write down your definition of time
from today’s class and then, on a new page, every word that comes
to mind when you think of time. Note: This exercise should be
specific to your own thought process and should not be researched.
This list is personal.
Ø After you have completed the above exercise read Newsflash: Time
May Not Exist (p.57), which relates to today’s viewing.
Class #2: The Lenses of Time.
In class: Discussion and categorization of the words relating to time.
Viewing: Stopping Time (excerpt) by Eric Mazur.
Assignments:
Ø Draw a sketch of how you see or think of time.
Ø Go on to read Point And Line To Plane (p.119) and Visualization of
Time (p.131).
212 Class #3: The Visualization of Time.
In class: Review and discussion of sketches.
Assignments:
Ø Create an interior image in which the environment provides a
context for understanding and interpreting some aspect of time.
Ø Read On La Jetée (p.107).
Class #4: Memory and Time.
In class: Discussion of the role of time in La Jetée.
Viewing: La Jetée by Chris Marker.
Class #5:
In class: Review and discussion of images.
Assignments:
Ø Create an exterior image in which the environment provides a
context for understanding and interpreting some aspect of time.
Ø Read Andy Goldsworthy interview (p.141).
Class #6: Time in Art
In class: Discussion of the nature of time in the work of Andy
Goldsworthy.
Viewing: Andy Goldsworthy: Rivers and Tides (excerpt).
Class #7:
In class: Review and discussion of images.
Assignments:
Ø Create an image looking within or without in which time is
represented.
Ø Read Art and Time, Christian Marclay’s “The Clock” (p.125),
Claire Morgan – Periphery (p.139), Sitting With Marina (p.145), and
the John Sisley interview (p.153).
213 Class #8: The Representation of Time
Viewing: The Clock (excerpt), by Christian Marclay; Marina
Abramovic: The Artist is Present (excerpt).
In class: Discussion of The Clock and the representation of time.
Class #9:
In class: Review and discussion of images.
Assignment: Read Duration of Childhood (p.7), chapter seven of The
Magic Mountain (p.9), Time XXI (p.47), and Any Time (p.117).
Class #10: Narrative Time.
In class: Discussion of the nature of time in Wings of Desire and
readings.
Viewing: Wings of Desire (excerpt), by Wim Wenders.
Assignment: Read Physics Book IV (p.19), and Imprinted Time (p.33).
Class #11:
In class: Discussion of final projects.
Viewing: The Illusion of Time by Brian Greene.
Class #12:
Viewing: Cosmic Time by Michio Kaku. Assignment: Read A Hole in the Heart of Physics (p.49), Special
Relativity in a Nutshell (p.65), and The Fabric of the Cosmos (p.71).
Class #13:
In class: Presentation and critique of work in progress.
Assignment: Read Einstein’s Dreams (p.93) and A Geography of Time
(p.169).
214 Class #14: MIDSEMESTER
In class: Presentation and critique of work in progress.
Week #8:
In class: Presentation and critique of work in progress.
Week #9:
In class: Presentation and critique of work in progress.
Week #10:
In class: Presentation and critique of work in progress.
Week #11:
In class: Presentation and critique of work in progress.
Week #12:
In class: Presentation and critique of work in progress.
Week #13:
In class: Presentation and critique of work in progress.
215 Week #14:
In class: Review of artist statements, final sketch, and the question of
time.
Final Critique: Thursday December 19, 10 am – 2pm
Snow Storm – Steam-Boat off a Harbour's Mouth, J.M.W. Turner (1842)
216 Significant Academic and Art Department Dates: ¾ Monday September 9: Last day to add day and evening classes and to drop/withdraw with a 100% refund. ¾ Monday September 16: Last day to drop/withdraw credit courses with a 75% refund. ¾ Friday October 4: Last day to drop/withdraw with no record. ¾ Monday October 14: Columbus Day -­‐ no day classes, evening classes meet as scheduled. ¾ Thursday October 31: Portfolio Day, 9 am – 1 pm. All final year students seeking transfer must present their portfolios. See the Art Department web site for a list of attending schools. ¾ Tuesday November 5: Advising Day -­‐ no classes. Spring registration for current students begins. ¾ Friday November 8: Last day to drop/withdraw with a grade of "W." ¾ Monday November 11: Veterans' Day -­‐ no day classes, evening classes meet as scheduled. ¾ Wednesday November 13: Day classes follow a Monday schedule -­‐ a class that only meets on a Wednesday will not meet on this date. Please confer with your instructor. ¾ Thursday November 28 & Friday November 29: Thanksgiving Recess -­‐ no day or evening classes. ¾ Thursday December 12: Last day of evening classes. ¾ Monday December 16: Last day of day classes. ¾ Tuesday December 17 -­‐ Friday December 20: Final exams. 217 The whole life of man is but a point of time; let us enjoy it.
Plutarch (46 AD - 120 AD)
218