Reconsidering the Pop-Up Book (or) Future Architectures of the Text

Reconsidering the Pop-Up Book (or) Future Architectures of the Text
Topics in Convergent Media: Narrative
Dr. Samantha Krukowski

RTF 331Q, Unique #07265
Wednesdays, 2-5pm
Fall, 2001

o: CMB 4.120A (the closet at the end of the long hallway) / 471.4222
c: 771-2121
office hours: Tuesdays 3-5pm
samantha@rasa.net
TA: Cameron Cooper
cam_cooper@hotmail.com

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Thus is revealed the total existence of writing: a text is made of multiple writings, drawn from many cultures and entering into mutual relations of dialogue, parody, contestation, but there is one place where this multiplicity is focused and that place is the reader, not, as was hitherto said, the author. The reader is the space on which all the quotations that make up a writing are inscribed without any of them being lost; a text’s unity lies not in its origin but in its destination.
--Roland Barthes, Image / Music / Text

Texts are under siege. They are being redefined by technologies that challenge their architecture (physical and linguistic structure), appearance (design, texture, layout), content (word, image, meaning, reference), function (education, entertainment), and distribution (print, electronic, activist). Shifting ideas and practices around and about texts are not only influenced by technological advances, but also by historical and theoretical preoccupations that gain or lose ground with the rhythms of time. In this course we will study the landscapes of textual transformation and make projects that reflect and extend it.

The course environment

Individual classes are about making and thinking. Some classes will be project oriented, others will be discussions of ideas and readings or of other material brought to the class by us or by you. Additional class times may be scheduled throughout the semester in order to accommodate the growth and interests of the class.
You are required to document all of the work you make in this course. At the end of the semester, this documentation should be uploaded to the CM studio server in a web-ready version and handed in on a CD-ROM. (see www.CM studio.utexas.edu for representation requirements and examples of prior student work.) Take photographs of works in process and finished works throughout the semester.

Various events and discussions take place in the CM studio that will be of interest to you. Watch the CM web site (cm.aces.utexas.edu) and the listserves (see below) for updates and postings.

This course has an individual listserve. Your e-mail address will be added to the listserve after the first week of class. Use this listserve to communicate with your fellow students, ask technical questions, contribute ideas, share resources. You are encouraged to go to the CM web site and subscribe to the two other listserves affiliated with the Convergent Media area by clicking on the “listserves” link.

Tutorials for the software programs available in the lab are scheduled throughout the semester. These are the means by which you gain technical knowledge in Convergent Media courses. A current schedule can be found on the CM studio web site; it will also be posted in the Lab at the beginning of the second week of classes. These tutorials will not be repeated—make sure you attend them.

The CM studio is an unusual space. You are required to attend the CM studio orientation to be held on Friday, September 7, at 6pm.

Some things you might want to know…

You should be self-motivated to succeed in this course. Classwork is cumulative, and those of you who are unable to set your own goals and pace may have trouble participating and producing work. I am here to help you as you develop ideas, interests and questions. Do not take this course if you are unwilling to work hard, collaborate with others and stretch your boundaries.

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 come to me disoriented, I will first ask you what you are making and ask to see evidence of your efforts and research in the direction of your inquiries.

You should expect to spend at least ten hours of lab time each week in addition to class time. 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. Learn as much as you can about everything that comes your way, but focus on those technologies that interest you, and seek their subtleties on your own time. 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 require considerable initiative on your part.

Presentation is a large part of your participation in the course. From time to time you will discuss the progress of your work with the class and/or visitors. I will be reviewing your individual progress over the course of the semester by observing your skills and creative choices as you work. There will be a peer and faculty review of your final projects at the end of the semester. Scheduling and location will be worked out in class and via e-mail. The nature of the public exhibition of your projects will be determined during the semester, but you are required to attend this end of semester review.

A suggestion: Buy and keep an unlined sketchbook on you at all times.

Readings

Readings for this class are on reserve at the Architecture Library in Battle Hall.

Readings are assigned weekly. If you look at the readings schedule on the course calendar that follows, you will notice that many (big) books are assigned. The idea is that you go to these books and take what you are interested in, then bring that back to the class for discussion. Get a sense of the field of inquiry, and then narrow it according to your interests.

You are individually responsible for each set of readings. I strongly advise you to spend time struggling with them, even if they seem beyond your reach. If you are having problems with a particular week's readings, contact a classmate or three and meet to discuss the material. I grade your understanding of the readings (and your sensitivity to the issues raised by them) during class discussion, so it is to your advantage to read carefully and participate. Additional classes may be scheduled to discuss particular articles or ideas.

To see the reserve list for this course, go to: http://reserves.lib.utexas.edu/courseindex.asp

The reserve list for this class extends beyond assigned readings. Utilize this catered-to-you-mini-library extensively, and let it send you in multiple directions.

Grading

Grading is based on your participation in the course and the character and quality of your 4 projects. While class participation is not graded as a percentage of your final grade, what you give is proportionate to what you get.

In order to receive a grade for this course, there are three requirements beyond the above. First, you must attend class (you will be dropped after 3 absences). Second, you must complete all of your projects (you will fail in the event of a missing project). Third, you must present your final project in a public setting (we will discuss options). As in any creative class, grading criteria are necessarily subjective. You may not agree with my personal evaluation, but decisions are final and no post-grading negotiation will be permitted. I discourage incompletes.

Project 1: Write, Read, Cut, Paste, Rewrite, Reread (10%)

This project is to be completed in two parts, the first due on September 5, the second due on September 12

In class: Write a five page narrative. Keep a copy for yourself. Find a classmate and and send them your narrative via e-mail.

Part 1: Take your classmate’s narrative apart, literally. Break it so that it falls into pieces that offer themselves for recombination. Be careful about your choices—if you want to use a method for the deconstruction, invent it first; if you want to single out certain kinds of words, decide what they are in advance; if you want to allow your attention or lack thereof to dictate your maneuvers, make sure your attentive state is heightened and focused. Once you have taken your colleague’s text apart, put it back together. But add to its content while you reconstruct it. Insert images (or directions for them) where you think there should be images, spaces where there should be spaces, texture and color where they seem appropriate, words where you think the narrative needs them. When you are finished, copy (as much as possible) the reconstruction for yourself and then give the reconstructed narrative back to your classmate.

Part 2: Create a narrative that comes to life between the original and reconstructed versions (the one you did and the one you received) of this in-class exercise. Use any technology you deem appropriate. When you turn in your project, hand in all 4 narrative components.

Project 2: Pop-Up Book (20%)

This project is to be completed in two parts, the first due on September 26, the second due on October 10

Part 1: Develop the story, characters, imagery and architectural environment of your book. Make a model version that represents the ideas, imagery, scale, structure and overall content of your book. This model should function, if primitively.

Part 2: Produce the book. It should be of the highest quality—something you would find on a shelf in a bookstore.

Project 3: The Writing (30%)

Due October 24

Write 50 typed pages. Begin working on this project the first day of class. Train yourself to write daily. You may write in any style you wish, using any technology you wish, and you may challenge to verb “to write” considerably. These pages will be the basis for your fourth project.

Project 4: Text / Space / Space / Text (40%)

Presentation of this project will take place during Final Exam week, date to be determined

This project is about the relationship between architecture and text, space and language, image and word. Readings, exercises and experiences in the course will help you develop the scope and container of this project.

Course Calendar (labs not included)

Wednesday, August 29

Introduction

Wednesday, September 5

Reading 1 due
Roland Barthes, S/Z
Tom Phillips, A Humument

Assignment 1—part 1 due

Wednesday, September 12

Reading 2 due
I-Ching
Rem Koolhaas, S, M, L, XL

Assignment 1—part 2 due

Wednesday, September 19

Reading 3 due
Jennifer Bloomer, Architecture and the Text
James Joyce, Finnegan’s Wake
John Wilton-Ely, Piranesi

Wednesday, September 26

Reading 4 due
Bernard Tschumi, Questions of Space
Study pop-up books on reserve

Assignment 2—part 1 due

Wednesday, October 3

Reading 5 due
David Bland, A History of Book Illustration
David Robb, The Art of the Illuminated Manuscript

Wednesday, October 10

Reading 6 due
Michael Phillips, William Blake: The Songs
Werner Spies, Max Ernst

Assignment 2—part 2 due

Wednesday, October 17

Reading 7 due
Mark Danielewski, House of Leaves

Wednesday, October 24

Reading 8 due
Nikos Kazantzakis, The Odyssey

Assignment 3 due

Wednesday, October 31

Reading 9 due
Hyper/Text/Theory
George Landow, Hypertext

Wednesday, November 7

Reading 10 due
Languages: An Exhibition of Artists using Word and Image
Word as Image: American Art 1960-1990

Wednesday, November 14

Reading 11 due
Mitchell Stephens, The Rise of the Image the Fall of the Word
Leonard Shlain, The Alphabet vs. The Goddess
Kimberley Elam, Expressive Topography
William Mitchell, Digital Design Media

Wednesday, November 21

Work Session

Wednesday, November 28

Work Session

Wednesday, December 5

Work Session

Final Exam Week

Final Review to be scheduled
CD-ROM and website due