Cluster 2

cluster 2: Cinematic Space
structure, scale, time

Mr. (Jeff) Koon’s theme is transformation, enacted literally with familiar restated objects in uncharacteristic material or scale. It is a basic Pop Art strategy….Ever since Jasper John’s flags and targets pointedly addressed the viewer with “things the mind already knows” much , maybe most art has set out one way or another to reach a broader audience more directly. The welter of strategies began simply enough with the elimination of the sculpture’s pedestal and the siphoning of images from pop culture….. Roberta Smith NYTimes 8.24.2008

Architecture creates space by enclosing it, Cinema creates space by framing it, making cuts in both space and time. Thom Anderson – film maker and critic
http://www.thefault.info/2/post/2008/03/post-title-click-and-type-to-edit.html


Overview:
Drawing on past explorations in art practice, this cluster looks at the transformations of everyday objects into something more. The Dada artists brought urban debris into their work, co-opting the “real world” into art making. Pop Art celebrated the everyday object in an attempt to collapse a division between “high” and “low” art. Cubism introduced the element of time making way for film, animation and eventually the suggestion of a captured moment in a series of moments that is evidenced in Cinematic Space stills.

Considerations of the Cinematic Space cluster are the transformations of an object from ready-made, to 2D (drawing/ writing/ photography), to small scale reproduction, to large scale reproduction, and finally as an element in the construct of narrative suggested by cinematic space. The cluster explores transitions of materials, dimensions (2D/3D), scale, and context.

Our primary process question will be how the transitions affect an ordinary object. Formal elements that will have barring on this cluster are: mass, both how it is constructed from planes and how it is affected by the space around it; weight and its visual engagement with gravity; scale and its affect on space relationships and context.

Components of the cluster:
2x2x2 small - Select an object from the Cornish environment to reproduce. Draw the form from many angles, looking for an understanding of the planes that make up the shape. Continue to make notes and drawings throughout this process. Recreate the shape in oak tag (file folder paper) on a small scale. (roughly 2x2x2 inches)

2x2x2 large - Reproduce your form in a large scale (minimum dimensions of 2x2x2 feet). This reproduction utilizes found recyclable planar material. Cardboard and other paper materials are ideal. Consider various surfaces (plain or printed) various textures (smooth, corrugated, etc.), and various weights.

Cinematic Space Option I: image sequencing, action narrative, constructed cinematic space
Cinematic Space Option II: contextual sequencing, action narrative, found cinematic space

Each option requires that you make sequence drawings placing your object in a place (fabricated or found) and employ movement of your object as a suggestion of time. Generally, if you are utilizing 2x2x2small, your space will be fabricated. If you use 2x2x2large, the object will move around from location to location. Each option develops a narrative (something happens...time passes…things change).

Documentation:
The moments in time developed in cinematic space are documented photographically and presented as finished work. How many images you require to convey your narrative is up to you. Printing of images will be covered in a Friday session.

Tools: paper and instruments for drawing, rulers, triangles, xacto knives, box knives, scissors, oak tag, tape of all kinds, glue, fasteners, found materials (cardboard / paper), digital camera, and other materials as needed.
Think about using the materials “at hand” in your everyday life. Materially this cluster focuses on “reuse and recycle.” These are restrictions that can push your creative thinking. Remember to be inventive with your process and trust what you know.

Artists for discussion:
Anish Kapoor, Claes Oldenburg, Antony Gromley
Ron Mueck, Tom Sachs, Andy Warhol
Jeff Koons, Jasper Johns, Marcel Duchamp
Louise Nevelson, Tara Donovan, Charles LeDray
Do Ho Suh, Tobias Putrih, William Kentridge
Gerry Judah, Carlos Bunga, Nathalie Djurburg
Lori Nix, Eve Sussman, James Cassebare
Lucy McKenzie, Paul Pheiffer, Robert Therrien

Guides to structure:
Folding Architecture: Spatial, Structural and Organizational Diagrams (Sophia Vyzoviti)
Supersurfaces (Sophia Vyzoviti)

Vocabulary:
plane – 2dimensional surface
mass – 3dimensional from having physical bulk
space – what lies between, around, above, below or within things. It can be actual or illusory.
scale – the size or apparent size of an object seen in relation to other objects, people, or its environment.
cinematic space – the relationship between time, space and narrative framed by a camera or other devise
context – physical, historical, cultural circumstances etc.
narrative – construct created to describe a sequence of events
framing - a technique used to bring focus to the context and subject
construct – reality as invented by the maker of an image, a narrative, or theory

Panther

Cluster 2, 2007

Cluster 1

Cluster 1: Strategies for Design or,
Notan, The Bauhaus, De Stijl, DIY, and You

Timeline: Approx. 3 weeks—Tuesday, September 2 - Friday, September 19

Project specifications:

Overview:

"The world is complex, dynamic, multidimensional; the paper is static, flat. How are we to represent the rich visual world of experiences and measurement on mere flatland?"
(Tufte, 9) Do we all read compositions in the same way? Are there common approaches in your drawings that you do now, and that you've done all your life?

Working initially through drawing and paper cutting, you will design multiple experiments (Rocks and Water, Expanding the Square, and Letterform Transformations) by taking apart forms and reconfiguring them to explore an array of organizational strategies. Following these series, each class member will design a spread, or two-page layout (utilizing works you've just made) that will then be assembled into a zine; a print collaboration across the class, traded through Foundations. Then, switching scale (moving to a sheet as tall as your body, or taller perhaps), you will extract a selection from the previous works and expand it, responding to the composition in this new, enlarged format.

The propositions (or exercises) here are designed to be cumulative; each component will inform the next, producing a layered, fluid introduction to some of the language we will be utilizing throughout this course. In our observational discussions, we will be questioning the complex relationships between these different studies and proposing ways they may influence one another. How do you translate your ideas about a work from one medium to another, and what may that translation suggest for your viewer?

Components of the cluster:
*Rocks and Water, description in class

*Expanding the Square, further description and examples in class

*Letterform Transformations: Using either stencil or a letterform of your choosing, design a composition that is 75% positive, and moves through four (4) stages to become 75% negative. Each stage will be run in an edition of three (3); four stages, three prints each equals twelve (12) prints total (4 x 3 = 12).

*Zine or, a collection of prints and related writings (the link to Zine World has a good overview in pdf, titled "Zine 101: A Quick Guide to Zines"): We will be designing a collaborative print project--a zine--that will include works from every class member. These pages will be duplicated, assembled, bound, and disseminated throughout the classes. As a designer in this collective process, you will be responsible for making a spread (or layout) of two pages--one is a print taken from the Letterform Transformation, the other a text-based *response* to that image. This visual response will extend from your process book writings; you may choose to include a copy of your own writings, further develop a piece you've already written, or perhaps the process of partnering an image with text may lead you to assembling new, found writings in the form of a text-collage. Final size is 8.5" (height) x 11" (width), with each page 8.5" x 5.5". The final work will be staple-bound in the middle of your spread, orientation will be horizontal.

*Painting to Scale, further description in class.

Tools:
Instruments for drawing, black construction paper, scissors, Xerox machine, vellum, ruler, Bristol board or heavy weight white paper (as mounting), adhesives (Mod podge/glue stick/masking tape), acrylic paint, brushes, gesso. Other materials as needed.

Artists for discussion:
Guillaume Appollinaire, Jean Arp, Lee Krasner, Sol LeWitt, Frank Stella, Donald Sultan, Joel Shapiro, Miranda July, John Baldessari, Mel Bochner, Agnes Martin, Hanne Darboven, Robert Motherwell, Franz Kline, Henri Matisse, Angus Fairhurst, M/M Paris, Sarah Morris, Michael Spafford, Christopher Wool, Jasper Johns, John Cage, and Glenn Ligon, among others.

Further Readings:
Albers, Josef. "VI: Elements". Despite Straight Lines. Cambridge: MIT Press, 1980.
Bochner, Mel. 1967. "The Serial Attitude". Artforum 6, no. 4 (December): 28–33.
Burroughs, William S. "The Cut-Up Method of Brion Gysin." <http://www.ubu.com/papers>
Perry, Michael, ed. Hand Job: A Catalog of Type. Princeton Architectural Press, 2007.
Serra, Richard. Verb List. < http://www.ubu.com/concept/serra_verb.html>
Tufte, Edward. Envisioning Information. Cheshire: Graphics Press, 1990.
van Doesburg, Theo. "Towards a plastic architecture". Translation of original published in De Stijl, XII, 6/7,1924. Architecture & CAAD.

Tentative Schedule:
Approx. 3 weeks: Tuesday, September 2 - Friday, September 19

Week 1, September 2-5
Tues/Wed: Introduction to syllabus. Introduction to Foundations facilities, lab hours, studio policies, safety procedures (facilitated by Jessica Bender), and materials. Introduce Process Book. Notan exercises (rocks/water, expanded square), as described above.
Thurs: Continue Notan exercises
Fri, 9/7: Artist lectures: Ruthie Tomlinson, Kristen Ramirez, Marc Dombrosky, Jessica Bender

Week 2, September 8-12
Mon/Tues: Drawing letterform compositions as preliminary studies for printing.
Wed/Thurs: Reduction printing (using 4" x 6" EZ cut).
Fri: Field trip to Olympic Sculpture Park or Suyama Space (TBA). Drawing intensive, focusing on sculptural works and their context (their relationship to their environment).

Week 3, September 15-19
Mon/Tues: Zine layout: students bring their spread to class for meeting and assembly.
Wed/Thurs: Tall painting: scaling,cropping letterform compositions, exploring composition.
Fri: Interclass observational discussions on painting projects and zines, zine trade