Duration / Registration:
a course about Time

Duration/Registration: a course about time
Topics in Convergent Media: Vision
RTF 331S, #07285
Tuesdays and Thursdays, 3-6pm
CMB Studio 4B and other locations (TBA)
Fall, 2002

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For a long time I used to go to bed early. Sometimes, when I had put out my candle, my eyes would close so quickly that I had not even time to say to myself: 'I'm falling asleep.' And half an hour later the thought that it was time to go to sleep would awaken me; I would make as if to put away the book which I imagined was still in my hands, and to blow out the light; I had gone on thinking, while I was asleep, about what I had just been reading, but these thoughts had taken a rather peculiar turn; it seemed to me that I myself was the immediate subject of my book: a church, a quartet, the rivalry between Francois I and Charles V. This impression would persist for some moments after I awoke; it did not offend my reason, but lay like scales upon my eyes and prevented them from registering the fact that the candle was no longer burning. Then it would begin to seem unintelligible, as the thoughts of a former existence must be to a reincarnate spirit; the subject of my book would separate itself from me, leaving me free to apply myself to it or not; and at the same time my sight would return and I would be astonished to find myself in a state of darkness, pleasant and restful enough for my eyes, but even more, perhaps, for my mind, to which it appeared incomprehensible, without a cause, something dark indeed.

I would ask myself what time it could be; I could hear the whistling of trains, which, now nearer and now farther off, punctuating the distance like the note of a bird in a forest, showed me in perspective the deserted countryside through which a traveler is hurrying towards the nearby station; and the path he is taking will be engraved in his memory by the excitement induced by strange surroundings, by unaccustomed activities, by the conversation he has had and the farewells exchanged beneath an unfamiliar lamp, still echoing in his ears amid the silence of the night, by the imminent joy of going home.

Marcel Proust
Overture to Swann's Way
Remembrance of Things Past

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Dr. Samantha Krukowski
o: CMB 4.120A (the closet at the end of the long hallway) / 471.4222
samantha@rasa.net
office hours: by appointment

TA:
Tray Duncan tduncan@mail.utexas.edu
GRA:
Kris Swift Raver99999@aol.com
Tutors:
Maria Gonima gonima@amoda.org
Kristin Peterson spazfoot@mail.utexas.edu
Chris Roberson ickymuffin@hotmail.com
DW:
Doug Denny ddenny@cs.utexas.edu

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Things to buy (find/make/get)
(Most available in the basement of the Co-op on Guadalupe)

Found objects for model-making
Basswood (NOT Balsa wood)
Chipboard and cardboard
Fishing line
6 sheets of decent drawing paper (minimum size 24 x 36 inches)
Still life / installation materials and props
Paper and materials for a hand-bound diary
Montage materials and objects
Unlined notebook for time-map documentation
Canvas (80” square, your material choice)
Materials for time-map
Glue (RC 56 or Neutral Ph Adhesive)
Hot glue gun and hot glue sticks
Xacto knife and blades (optional: The Chopper)
Metal ruler with cork underside
Self-healing cutting mat
Good drawing paper (should have some tooth)
Cheap drawing paper (various options)
Graphite pencils in various weights (6B, 4B, 2B, HB, H, 2H, 4H, 6H)
Charcoal (not compressed, various hardnesses)
Drawing media (your choice)
A couple of good erasers
CD-RWs or, better, a portable firewire HD

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.

Things to know

In order to maintain official registration in this course, you must attend the Convergent Media orientation at 6pm on Friday, December 6.

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 may have a harder time completing the work.

The course has a listserv: 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. You are encouraged to also subscribe to the converge listserv, a listserv that reaches the growing Convergent Media community. To do so visit the Convergent Media web site (www.aces.utexas.edu/convergentmedia) and go to the listservs link listed under the resources link.

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. Hack and be resourceful. There are many, many online tutorials and resources for various programs. Studio 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

Most readings for this class are on overnight reserve. As there are many students in this course, and one copy of each text, plan your access to these readings well in advance of the date they are due. You may wish to purchase some or all of the books. The reserve list for this class extends beyond assigned readings, so take advantage of this catered-to-you mini-library. To see the reserve list for this course, go to: http://reserves.lib.utexas.edu/courseindex.asp

Grading

Projects 1-4 80%
Documentation and Presentation 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 and scope.

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 the Final Review. Make sure you mark your calendar and arrange your schedule accordingly.

Documentation and presentation are both large parts of your participation in the course.

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 Time, Light, Shadow, Space

1a Make a large model, at least 2 cubic feet in dimension, that formalizes
the spatial relationships of the rough model you took away from class. This model should have solids and voids, areas of defined substance and absence, and various types of elements: directional, energetic, concentrated, extended.
Materials: Basswood, chip-board, paper, glue

1b Hang this model with fishing line in a place where its shadow is affected by changing light conditions. Using big pieces of paper (24x36 minimum), make 6 drawings that capture these shadow variances at different times of the day and night. Make sure the hardness or softness of your drawing medium corresponds to the character of the shadow you are representing.
Materials: Paper, charcoal, graphite

# 2 Still Life

2a Construct and install a still life that will change over two weeks’ time. This project may be conceived for either a public or a private space. It should not be moved during the time of its transformation, and it should be designed with attention to the constraints and conditions of material, temperature and weather, movement. Photograph the still life at least 4 times per day and construct a timeline with the images.

2b Keep a diary that records your observations of the transformation of the still life. The diary should be self-contained, bound and should include pictorial and written elements. It should be a document but it should allow the embellishment of its truths. It should be beautiful—itself an object that occupies time because it inspires its own observation (observation-observed.)

# 3 Box

3a Based on your diary for #2, create a montage. Your montage will present a time-composite (time and narrative in one space) whereas your diary presented a time-progression (time and narrative changing from page to page.) Pay close attention to your choice of materials and objects, scale, composition, texture, image. Everything you include should have meaning; nothing should be arbitrarily placed.

3b Using Flash, make an interactive version of your Box. Emphasize the relationship of layers, hidden elements, object transformations and tempo relative to the meaning-system established in the Box.

# 4 Time Map

4a For one week, carefully observe yourself in time. In one book (that you make or purchase), keep track of everything you do, everything you think: chart your life and the kind of time that characterizes and runs it. Take note of fast time, slow time, time that flies, time that stands still. Register patterns and activities and thoughts and experiences but do so with temporal awareness. Begin to create a system of codes and symbols that organize your experience. Uber-documentation is the key here—you must be a fanatic during this week of intense self and time-awareness.

4b Create a canvas 80” square. The material for this canvas is up to you, but you must choose it for a reason. On this canvas, create a complex diagram that is, in essence, a time map/chart/calendar of your week. The diagram should have an overall schema (an organizing principle or form) and a multitude of general and specific categories, marked by the codes and symbols you created. A cartographic key may or may not be important. The diagram should allow macroscopic and microscopic readings and should be sufficiently layered, both formally and symbolically, to invite extensive study and tracing.

Documentation: Website and CD-ROM

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 CM server where you can store your files. Post-dates are the same as project due dates. No project is complete without its documentation. At the end of the semester this website and its dependent files should be duplicated on a CD-ROM for archival purposes.

Presentation and Final Review

You will be asked often to discuss readings, ideas and the progress of your work with the class and /or visitors. There will be a peer and faculty review of your work on Saturday, December 7 from 9am-6pm. You are required to present your work and be in attendance for the entire day. This is an open review and you are welcome to invite anyone to observe and participate.

Faculty Information

To find out more about Samantha Krukowski see: www.rasa.net/samantha

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.