Intermedia
RTF 331Q | 393Q
Tuesdays and Thursdays, 2-5pm
CMB Studio 4B and other locations
Fall, 2004
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“Multimedia, by its very nature, is open, democratic, nonhierarchical, fluid, varied, inclusive—a slippery domain…”
--Randall Packer and Ken Jordan, Multimedia (2001)
“Interdisciplinarity is not the calm of an easy security; it begins effectively (as opposed to the mere expression of a pious wish) when the solidarity of the old disciplines breaks down—perhaps even violently, via the jolts of fashion—in the interests of a new object and a new language neither of which has a place in the field of the sciences that were to be brought peacefully together, this unease in classification being precisely the point from which it is possible to diagnose a certain mutation.”
--Roland Barthes, “From Work to Text,” in Image-Music-Text (1977)
“An intermedium (is) an uncharted land that lies between…It is not governed by rules; each work determines its own medium and form according to its needs. The concept itself is better understood by what it is not, rather than what it is…There was and could be no intermedial movement. Intermediality has always been a possibility since the most ancient times…it remains a possibility wherever the desire to fuse two or more existing media exists.”
--Dick Higgins, Horizons: The Poetics and Theory of the Intermedia (1966)
“Artistic man can only fully content himself by uniting every branch of Art into the common Artwork: in every segregation of his artistic faculties he is unfree, not fully that which he has power to be; whereas in the common Artwork he is free, and fully that which he has power to be.”
--Richard Wagner, “Outlines of the Artwork of the Future,” in The Artwork of the Future (1849)
Intermedia is a course designed to help you develop your
creative work utilizing multiple mediums and multimodal practices. Moving
between analog and digital processes and engaging the character of their
exchange will be a significant course component. Of primary importance
should be your engagement with your work, your investment in the labor
of making it, your dedication to the evolution of your own sensibility,
your concern for craft, and your perseverance in completing individual
projects while allowing each one to serve as a ground for the next.
Instructor: Samantha Krukowski
The Doc Motel, UA9, 2.112K / 471.4222
Office hours: by appointment
samantha@rasa.net
http://www.rasa.net
TA: Jenn Garrison
jgarrison10@austin.rr.com
••Contents subject to change ••
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Things to buy | get
Glue (RC 56 or Neutral Ph Adhesive)
Hot glue gun and hot glue sticks
Xacto knife and blades
Self-healing cutting mat
Metal ruler with cork underside
Scissors
Good drawing paper (should have some tooth)
Cheap drawing paper (various options)
Large newsprint pad (18”x24” minimum)
Collage materials (collect your own)
Chipboard and cardboard of various thicknesses
Graphite pencils in various weights (6B, 4B, 2B, HB, H, 2H, 4H, 6H)
Pencil sharpener
A couple of good, white erasers for drawing (Staedtler Mars Plastic, for example)
Charcoal (various weights and thicknesses)
A couple of kneaded erasers for drawing with charcoal
Black permanent pens, including a few thick Sharpies
Paints, inks, wet media (permanent and water-soluble)
Clear 16mm film leader (available for purchase in equipment checkout)
Clear 16mm splicing tape (available for purchase in equipment checkout)
Materials for direct film work
Needles, thread, string
Storage media (may include Mini-DV tapes, CD-RWs, DVDs)
Helpful but not required: External firewire HD, digital camera, video camera (mini-DV or something that converts easily to mini-DV).
Materials will vary for each project. Costs are a function of time and materials. The cost of materials can be altered somewhat by decisions you make (i.e.: resource pooling, bulk ordering, alternative methods). Be ready to spend what is required to effectively execute your work and to coordinate your efforts to lower prices.
Places to buy such stuff: The University Co-op (both locations), Asel Art, Miller Blueprint, Breed and Company, Hobby Lobby. There are many online resources (use them and save money), and better art supply stores in Houston than in Austin.
Things to know
You should be self-motivated to succeed in this course. Work is cumulative. If you are not used to setting your own goals and keeping a fast pace you may have trouble participating and producing work. We are here to help you as you develop ideas, interests and questions. Be prepared to work hard, collaborate with others, stretch your boundaries, share what you learn. Students with no prior background in analog or digital arts are discouraged from taking the course, though there are always exceptions.
The course has a listserv: intermedia@lists.cc.utexas.edu. Your e-mail address will be added to the listserv after the first week of class. Use this listserv to communicate with us, your fellow students, ask technical questions, contribute ideas, share resources. In addition, you are encouraged to go to the Convergent Media web site and subscribe to the Converge listserv (http://www.cm.aces.utexas.edu/original/resourceslistservs.shtml). This listserv includes many people who are involved with intermedia work; it is an additional resource for you during and after the duration of this course.
Questions you have and develop may be resolved by practice or by other types of inquiry--theoretical, philosophical, scientific, poetic, etc. There should be times during the semester that you get stuck. You should develop the tools to unstick yourself. If you don’t know what to make, go look at what other people have made. If you don’t know what to say, go read something or watch something or listen to someone interesting. If you are still stuck, in all probability you are not making enough stuff to get yourself moving toward a question you can answer through practice or thought. A motto for the course: Make, make, make. If you show up for help, you will be asked what you are making and for evidence of your efforts and research in the direction of your inquiries.
Consider buying an unlined black sketchbook and making it your best friend. Carry it with you everywhere and use it to write and think; dream and play; sketch and draw; collect, insert and paste; sculpt and decorate. Do not use this book as a personal diary; it should be a record of your involvement with the course and the projects you make throughout the semester. Get in the habit of using this book during reviews and class conversations. It is important to record what you learn during critiques of your work and that of your classmates. While your work is being reviewed, it may be valuable for you to ask someone else to record the conversation in your book for you.
Your technical ability will increase in proportion to your effort. Hack and be resourceful. There are many, many online tutorials and resources for various programs. Lab facilities are limited which necessitates cooperative scheduling. You may need to use resources in several locations, and finding the right equipment at the right time will probably require initiative on your part.
Readings
There are a number of required readings for the course. They are all on reserve, some will be xeroxed and handed out to you at no cost. The reserve list for this course is split between PCL, the Fine Arts Library and the Architecture and Planning Library. You may wish to purchase some of the books since many are wonderful.
To see the reserve list for this course online, go to: http://reserves.lib.utexas.edu/courseindex.asp or to my website: http://www.cm.aces.utexas.edu/faculty/skrukowski/professorial/curentcourses.html and click on “reserve list” for Intermedia.
Grading
Projects 1-6 70%
Presentation and Documentation (critiques, website and archives) 30%
A high grade will be assigned to those students who work hard, participate extensively and continuously, demonstrate a clear understanding of the readings and course concepts, and produce work that shows evolution in terms of sensibility, process, craft, scope and final composition / work.
A failing grade will be assigned to any student who does not complete all of the projects, misses more than three class sessions, and / or who misses any part of any review.
Documentation and presentation are both large parts of your participation in the course—invest in them.
As in any creative class, grading criteria are necessarily subjective. You may not agree with our personal evaluation, but decisions are final and no post-grading negotiation will be permitted. I discourage incompletes.
Projects
#1 Form
You will be given a xerox copy of a painting. This painting is a ground or landscape that will guide you in the construction of a physical form (24” limit in any direction.) Pay particular attention to shadows and interstitial spaces. When you complete the form, take multiple photographs from different perspectives and with more or less proximity. Materials: basswood, glue.
#2 Figure
Your constructed form is the model for a series of 12 drawings. These drawings will be, in part, investigations of positive and negative space. Materials: graphite, drawing paper (11” x 14”).
#3 Re-form | Re-figure
Scan your drawings. Crop each drawing so you end up with an 8” square. Print the images (good quality please). Arrange the images in a sequence. Remove six of the images. Create collages in empty spaces, maintaining the original sequence. Materials: open but carefully chosen and intentionally limited—be specific in terms of material choice, texture and color.
#4 Sound
Create a soundscape that moves through and interprets the sequence of images you created.
#5 Celluloid
Write a narrative onto one-half roll of clear 16mm film leader. Draw from and extend the vocabulary of your first four projects as you go, interpreting from 2D, 3D and 4D alike. Use whatever materials, colors and techniques seem appropriate.
#6 Kinetics
When you have finished your leader work, transfer the film to mini-DV and then dump it to Final Cut Pro. Create a five minute final video with sound that is carefully conceived and edited in content, affect and tone.
Documentation and Presentation
Website and other archives
Throughout the semester you will develop a website that documents your work in the course. This site should be designed in such a way that it evokes the character of the work you pursue and complete. You will be given a personal directory on the Convergent Media server where you can store your files. Post-dates for online project representation are the same as project due dates. At the end of the semester this website and its dependent files should be duplicated on a CD-ROM for archival purposes.
Mini-DV tape, Project #6
Make a copy of your mini-DV tape for Project #6 and turn it in at the end of the semester.
Semester presentations
You will be asked often to discuss readings, ideas and the progress of your work with the class and /or visitors. Be prepared for these discussions, and participate in them fully. Your attendance is mandatory at the Final review scheduled on December 6 from 12-6pm. Failure to participate in the entire review will result in an F for the course. Plan your schedule accordingly.
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Faculty Information
To find out more about Samantha Krukowski see: http://www.rasa.net
University Speak
Regarding Scholastic Dishonesty: The University defines academic dishonesty as cheating, plagiarism, unauthorized collaboration, falsifying academic records, and any act designed to avoid participating honestly in the learning process. Scholastic dishonesty also includes, but is not limited to, providing false or misleading information to receive a postponement or an extension on a test, quiz, or other assignment, and submission of essentially the same written assignment for two courses without the prior permission of the instructor. By accepting this syllabus, you have agreed to these guidelines and must adhere to them. Scholastic dishonest damages both the student's learning experience and readiness for the future demands of a work-career. Students who violate University rules on scholastic dishonesty are subject to disciplinary penalties, including the possibility of failure in the course and/or dismissal from the University. For more information on scholastic dishonesty, please visit the Student Judicial services Web site at http://www.utexas.edu/depts/dos/sjs/.
About services for students with disabilities: The University of Texas at Austin provides upon request appropriate academic accommodations for qualified students with disabilities. For more information, contact the Office of the Dean of Students at 471-6259, 471-4641 TTY.
About the Undergraduate Writing Center: The Undergraduate Writing Center, located in the FAC 211, phone 471-6222, offers individualized assistance to students who want to improve their writing skills. There is no charge, and students may come in on a drop-in or appointment basis.