Art 410 - Conceptual Strategies

This is a test post from , a fancy photo sharing thing.

This presentation accounts for 20% of the final grade. The following will be considered in approximately equal weight for grading the presentation:

- Research

- Visual interest and relevance of the Power Point slides and effects (if any)

- The student's performance of the presentation

During discussions in class today, several people asked about content for the presentation. Here are a few guidelines. They're not rigid rules. You can potentially do a very good presentation by completely ignoring them - just some things to think about.

- The main thing to get across is the concept(s) behind the artist's work. How does does this concept relate to the classic ideas of conceptual art developed by Sol Lewitt and others? What are they saying? or trying to say? or are they just in it for fame and fortune (unlikely)? A presentation along the lines of: they did this artwork then they did this artwork, then this one, and oh there was this one, kind of thing isn't going to get rapturous applause (or a very high grade).

- Use various types of visual imagery - not just pictures of the artist's work. For example pictures of the artist, where they work(ed), contemporaries, etc. You can also show video clips in PowerPoint (but, remember you only have 20 seconds per slide).

- Your presentation is likely to be richer if you've conducted research in the library in addition to Google. Google doesn't have access to all information sources (yet). The size and quality of images on the web can be poor. Scanning from publications such as exhibition catalogs may be required. You could also try the Art Department slide library which may have access to good quality scans. It will be obvious if you've relied on low quality images from the web.

- What was happening in the wider culture when the work was made? And how does their work relate to this? For example, much work in the 60's was influenced by the Vietnam War, civil rights issues, etc. Contemporary artists of today might be influenced by the Iraq War, Globalization, the Environment, etc.

- Beware of arbitrary transitions between slides. Ask yourself why you chose that transition and not another one. How does the transition reinforce what you (or the artist) is trying to say. And that goes for backgrounds too. Why are you using that standard rainbow colored PowerPoint background? Why not use white? Or, what about using faint images of the artist or their work slide backgrounds?

- You will need to practice your Pecha Kucha before presenting it in class.. It is unlikely you will do a good presentation unless you've practiced it several times. Remember 20 slides, 20 seconds per slide and that's it. Check out examples of Pecha Kucha on YouTube, or other sources. I also showed you some sites with tips on Pecha Kucha.

- What do you personally think of the artist's work? Have you gained anything from studying them? Ultimately, this class is all about your personal development as an artist (or non-artist).

That's probably enough to think about for now....

1. Copy url of YouTube video.

2. Go to http://keepvid.com/.

3. Paste in the YouTube url select YouTube as the site link and click Download.

4. Find downloaded flash movie "get_video" on the Desktop.

5. Select the file and Command-I, and add the .flv extenstion to the file.

6. Go to http://media-convert.com/.

7. Upload the .flv file and convert to .mov

8. In PowerPoint: Insert > Movies and Sounds > Movie from file

Submissions are due.

[Elijah Mercurio presentation on Adrian Piper]

1. The Society of the Spectacle by Guy Debord (88mins).
The text
About Guy Debord's films
Watch Guy Debord's other films.

INTERMISSION

2. Together We Can Defeat Capitalism by Together We Can Defeat Capitalism (10 mins).

3. Steal This Film I by the Society of Noble Peers (The Pirate Bay) (32 mins)
About this film
About Steal This Film II - contribute!

I will be issuing mid-term grades via email at the end of the week. This is not a school requirement, just something to give you an idea of where you stand. Work completed up to the end of Thursday will be taken into account.

The required assignments are given in the Curriculum (see link to the right) and in this blog. Grading information is given in Expectations and Grading (see link to the right). For your information the assignments you should have completed by now are:

- "Art Which Can't be Art" - read and blog summary 5%

- Google Earth Project 20% - complete and upload to blog working .kml file with path and photos

- Yoko Ono Art Instructions - blog an idea and blog the results of implementing another student's idea 5%

- Read Hakim Bey essarys and blog an idea for an act of Poetic Terrorism or Art Sabotage, or an idea for establishing a Pirate Utopia or a Temporary Autonomous Zone. 5%

- Actively participate in wall drawings 10%

- Powerpoint presentation 20%

TOTAL SO FAR = 65%

For full details of the requirements for each assignment search the blog.

The policy about unexcused lateness and absences is clearly explained in the Expectations and Grading. I will be taking these into account in calculating mid-term and final grades.

You all have the opportunity to get extra credit from independent projects (for instance to make up for absence or lateness). I need to give the OK first, so send an email explaining what you want to do.

INTRODUCTION TO ILLUSTRATOR

Our final project will be changing an existing print advertisement to present our own personal or political message. We will look at some examples on Thursday. To start off we will learn the basics of Illustrator.

The official Adobe Illustrator (.ai) file format specification.

Examples of programming in PostScript

Today and next Tuesday we will complete two Adobe tutorials:
- A quick tour of Illustrator CS2; and
- Combining Illustrator CS2 graphics with Creative Suite

Download these two PDF tutorials and the associated exercise files at:
http://www.adobe.com/designcenter/illustrator/articles/illcs2it_cibexcerpts.html

Read Mark Dery's essay on Culture Jamming
http://www.markdery.com/archives/books/culture_jamming/#000005#more

Blog an example of culture jamming.

We will discuss in class on Thursday

Rewind to last week's films.

Media Burn by Ant Farm

The myth of a clean war

Guided missile video

In societies where modern conditions of production prevail, all of life presents itself as an immense accumulation of spectacles. Everything that was directly lived has moved away into a representation.

Jean Baudrillard, or is it?

War and consumerism........

Situationist detournement

Processed World
Deep Dish TV
independent media center

Adbusters

Ron English

Read Chapter 7 of Ways of Seeing by John Berger. Download reading

Blog one thing you agreed with and one thing you disagreed with.

We will discuss in class on Thursday, November 1, but you must have blogged on Wednesday.

You all need to sign this form and I must hand it to the chair of the art department. I will circulate the form in class.

The safety hazards in this class might include:

- repetitive stress injury while using computers (max 3 hrs per week)

- trips or falls while doing wall drawings

By signing the form you acknowledge that I have informed you of these potential hazards.

- Mid term assessments emailed

- Safety Guidelines Signature Form

- Reminder of assignment

- Status of Illustrator tutorials

- Press ID Project in Illustrator

Press ID Parameters
- Credit card size (3.25 inches by 2 inches)
- Original design: do not copy an official design, make your own official-looking design
- Research the look of a real Press ID before starting
- Must have full on official looking head shot
- At end of class, upload a jpeg image to your blog, PLUS the original Illustrator file.
- I will print all the IDs, we will then laminate them next week

- Students sign Security Signature Forms (or I'm fired)

- Wavy line drawing - complete. Debrief on wall drawings. What would Sol Lewitt think?

- John Berger, Ways of Seeing: review blog postings and watch video

- If time: watch segment from Waking Life and documentary of how the cel animation was created.

http://www.dafont.com/