Thursday, August 30, 2012

read Ways of Seeing

Class:

If you haven't read this book, I suggest purchasing it used on AMAZON and reading ASAP.  It's a baseline for many ideas about the power and implications of looking/seeing and what is to create and view images.  It's so basic we can't read it in this class, but I suggest reading over the next three weeks (approx 60pages a week, lots of images and an easy read) as a primer for the rest of the course.

(or you may be able to find the original BBC TV series if you google it and poke around awhile)

http://www.amazon.com/Ways-Seeing-Based-Television-Series/dp/0140135154/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1346381889&sr=8-1&keywords=ways+of+seeing

Start your reading early so it's not stressful!  Make it an almost daily activity, it will make the process easier!

Katie Condon

I am interested in the point at which people either waive or ignore their control of situations. In the first two images, the process of making the photographs was significant in contributing to the conversation surrounding choosing to let go of control. The third image is an example of one not acknowledging control, almost to the point of laziness. The videos I was referring to in class (titled "Floating Pool" and "Grave Robbery") can be found here: vimeo.com/katiecondon.


reminder to post your work

students:

as discussed in class, please post three images from your in-class presentation and a short paragraph (2 or 3 sentences) that sum up your most recent work.

once this is completed, please comment on at least one or two of your peers and give them artists to look at or articles/essays/books via the comments area.

if someone's work has already been commented on, pick another peer who needs a comment/recommendation...

great meeting everyone and get your theory binders started, start printing, reading, making notes for our next visit in two weeks!




more advice on the practice of reading theory...


Reading Theory: Advice and Suggestions


Theory is difficult, enthralling, obstinate, personal, dry, egocentric, and life-changing all at once.  Have faith that building your theoretical understanding of photography will drive forward your artistic practice as well as your ability to understand the major cycles of thought, consensus, and discontinuity that we come from as cultural makers.  Reading theory is a certain kind of discipline that takes strategy and respect.  Here are some guidelines we will be using to systematize our reading/discussion:

Print out the article and make notes on a physical copy.  Define terms you don’t know in the margin as well. 
Read the piece twice, once to get a feel for the style, hypotheses, and vocabulary of the writer, and once for a deeper, more synthesized understanding of the text.
Find the thesis sentence (or paragraph) that singles out the main argument or conclusion the author is building, which may or may not be obvious, or at the beginning of the writing.  Highlight the thesis(es) and be ready to discuss them. 
Check out their biography—what is the origin of their paradigm?  Country of origin?  Date of article?  Other major writings?  Be ready to answer these questions on the fly.
Who was a predominant influence on the writer?
Who did the writer influence?
What questions do you have for the discussion?  Include these in your notes!
What contradictions (if any) does the writer present?
By the end of a discussion you should be able to:
·       Under the context of the text
·       Understand the tone of the text
·       Restate the text/thesis in your own words
·       Provide examples for key points
·       Map the structure of the text
·       Understand the vocabulary, key words, and critical conclusions
·       Relate the text with other theories/paradigms

Last: a partial understanding of a text is not a defeat but an ongoing springboard for further understanding, future epiphanies, and always productive!

Tuesday, August 28, 2012

Welcome!

This blog will be a space for writing assignments, related articles/videos/etc to readings, and general class discussion.  Everyone will use the blog to help present their assigned readings to the class.  It is through this blog that we will leave an outline of ideas, thoughts, questions/answers, related video clips, theory examples, and so on.

For every reading we do, a student will lead the discussion and have already posted the following information to the blog by the beginning of class:

1.  the thesis of the text in your own words
2.  a basic outline of major points
3.  major key words defined
4.  contemporary examples that illuminate the piece
5.  any helpful bio/political contextual info
6.  related video clip(s) that enable further understanding of the text (5min max)

We will not be having class on Wednesday 9/5, we will make this class up during critique week.
Please be thoroughly prepared to hit the ground running on 9/12!