Video Installation
rtf 331q 393 q | 07450 07900
Class Mondays and Wednesdays, 9am-12pm
CMB Studio 4B and other locations (TBA)
Spring, 2006
Samantha Krukowski
The Doc Motel, UA9, 2.112K (behind the student services building) / 471.4222
Office Hours: Wednesdays, 2:30-4:30pm
samantha@rasa.net
http://www.rasa.net
Shara Lange
shara@mail.utexas.edu
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Things to know
This course culminates in a large scale public event to be held on Saturday, April 29 from dark-midnight. This event, which we will name, organize, develop and promote as a group, will consist of individual projection installations conceived and produced by each of you for sites in and around CMA, CMB and CMC. The course requires individual and team effort…your abilities to develop, articulate and communicate your ideas, consider and understand those of others, change and adapt as necessary, see the part and the whole, and argue and laugh, are essential.
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. You should be self-motivated to succeed in this course. Work is cumulative. Be prepared to work hard, collaborate with others, stretch your boundaries, share what you learn.
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.
Your technical ability will increase in proportion to your effort. 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.
Stuff you should already have with you: some foundation in the arts, a basic understanding of digital imaging, sound and video, familiarity with website design and production. Remember, the prerequisite for this class is RTF 319 or its demonstrated equivalent.
Studio 4B (our room) is open to you during class and any time there is not a scheduled class. When 4B is not in use, there are proctors on hand to help you with any technical questions you may have. Don’t be shy about finding them and asking them for help. 4B control is open to undergraduate students from 9-5 pm weekdays and graduate students during building hours. The printer for Studio 4B computers is located in 4B control.
4B Schedule and proctor skills sheet online here:
http://www.utexas.edu/coc/rtf/equipment/index.html
So. Black out your calendars from noon on Friday, April 28 to noon on Sunday, April 30. And we’re off!
Things to buy (or get)
Places to buy such stuff: The University Co-op, Asel Art, Miller Blueprint, Jerry’s Artarama, Hobby Lobby. There are many online resources, and better art supply stores in Houston than in Austin.
Glue (RC 56, Neutral Ph Adhesive or equivalent)
Hot glue gun and hot glue sticks
Chip board (or equivalent)
Basswood (not Balsa wood)
Xacto knife and blades, The Chopper (optional)
Metal ruler with cork underside
Self-healing cutting mat
Scissors
String
1 pad drawing paper, medium quality (18”x24” minimum)
1 large pad newsprint paper (24”x36” minimum)
Many sheets of Ivory Carton (equivalent—Bristol board, etc.)
Pens, pencils, different kinds of drawing media
If you can, an external Firewire HD, otherwise, archival media as needed (CD-R, DVD-R, mini-DV, etc.)
Equipment
There is some (unfortunately limited) equipment available to you for this class. You may take it out once you have filled out the necessary paperwork and paid a nominal fee. Information about this equipment (including user manuals and tips/troubleshooting), the rules and forms for checkout is available here: http://rtf.utexas.edu/equipment/.
The list of equipment reserved for this class in Equipment Checkout (2nd floor, CMB) is available to you online here:
http://www.utexas.edu/coc/rtf/equipment/index.html
For April 29
You will need projectors and playback devices and extension cords and gaffer tape (and more…) for the April 29 event. We will form an equipment committee to help list, locate and reserve this and other, equipment, and we will have access to some equipment in the College of Communication (how much to be determined in just a bit). However, it will ultimately be YOUR responsibility to locate, safely use and safely return the equipment required for your final projection installation. Start talking to friends and relatives NOW about borrowing their stuff, and start thinking about other ways to get your hands on what you will need.
Projects
You will complete four projects prior to spring break, all of which are designed to help you develop your abilities and vocabularies for creative work that simultaneously utilizes image, space and performance. There are multiple in-class workshops to help you with them. The second part of the semester is devoted entirely to the development and production of your final projection installations and the organization of the April 29 event. You are required to document all of your work online; a website design tutorial can be scheduled with the TA outside of class for those of you who may need it.
Readings
There are a few required readings that will be given to you as handouts in class.
I ask that you purchase two texts, both available inexpensively from amazon.com and other online booksellers
You are Here: Personal Geographies and Other Maps of the Imagination (Katharine Harmon)
Folding Architecture: Spatial, Structural and Organizational Diagrams (Sophia Vyzoviti)
There is a reserve list for this course at the Fine Arts Library. Some of these books contain required readings, some do not. All of these books extend the field for our discussions and production. You may wish to purchase some of the books on reserve since many are wonderful. Take advantage of this catered-to-you mini library.
To see the reserve list for this course online, go to: http://reserves.lib.utexas.edu/courseindex.asp or to my website
Other details
The course has a listserv: videoinstallation@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 join the converge listserv (instructions on the “student resources” section of my website), a listserv populated by many of my ex-students and others who are involved with work of the kind you will be doing in this class; it is an additional resource for you during and after this course.
Grading
Projects including documentation (see below) 80%
Participation 20%
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. The standard grade rules apply: A=excellent, B=good, C=average, D=below average, F=failing. Remember that C is an average grade and only students who reach beyond this level will earn a higher grade.
A failing grade will be assigned to any student who does not complete all of the projects, misses more than four class sessions, misses any part of any review and/or fails to participate in the April 29 event.
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.
Documentation
Website and CD-ROM
Throughout the semester you are required develop a website that documents and extends 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. Use your site as much to document your work as to order it, extend it, research and discover things about it.
You will be given a personal directory on a 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 and turned in on the date specified.
You are responsible for documenting your final projection installation individually on your site though we will also work to create an event document as a group.
Semester presentations
In addition to your required presentations and class critiques, 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.
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.