History of Art and Technology
New Technologies In Twentieth and Twenty-first Century Art
Spring 2011• ARTHI 2510-001
http://www.ekac.org/history.ats.html
When: TUE 1:00 PM - 4:00 PM
Where: 112 S MICH room 920
READINGS:
While the core content of the class is provided through lectures, a reading list is included below in the form of links (webliography). Students are expected to read the assigned texts (or explore the assigned websites) before class.
INSTRUCTOR:
Eduardo Kac <ekac@saic.edu>
Board of Governors Professor of Art and Technology
The School of the Art Institute of Chicago
112 S. Michigan Avenue, Room 407
Chicago IL 60603
Phone: (312) 345-3567
http://www.ekac.org
TA: Dana Major Kanovitz <dmajor@saic.edu>
History of Art and Technology
New Technologies In Twentieth and Twenty-first Century Art
Course description
This course examines the impact of new technologies on the aesthetics of the twentieth and twenty-first centuries. Issues explored in the course include the structure of synthetic pictorial spaces, creating art in a global scale, responding to images of pure light, the aesthetics of motion, behavior in virtual environments and the experience of interactive artworks. In some cases the emphasis is on a particular new medium and the multiple artistic approaches to it; in other cases, the emphasis is on particular artists and their experimental work. Main lecture topics include: Moholy-Nagy's work, early radio and the impact of auditory images, kinetic art, robotic art, telecommunication art, computer art, digital photography, bio art, virtual reality, telepresence and holographic art.
By focusing on the theoretical and historical implications of the aforementioned media and movements, and on the work of several artists, the course places this major trend in modern and contemporary art within its larger context. Through a combination of lectures and discussions, and presentation of films, slides, records, video and audio tapes that document relevant works, we investigate critically the relationship between new technologies and the visual arts.
SUMMARY
•(Feb 1) Introduction
The Electromagnetic Landscape
•(Feb 8) Radio and the Disembodied Voice
•(Feb 15) Moholy-Nagy: From the Telephone Pictures to the Light-Space Modulator
•(Feb 22) Kinetic Art: From Representation to Actual Motion
•(March 1) Six Kinetic Artists: Fischinger, Palatnik, Malina, Schöffer, Tinguely, and Takis
The New Image: Electronic, Digital, Photonic
•(March 8) Television and Video: Art and Mass Media
•(March 15) Mid-Term Student Presentations
•(March 22) Computer Art: From Digital Graphics to Interactivity and VR
•(March 29) Digital Photography: Ethics and Aesthetics of Synthetic Realities
•(April 05) Holographic Art: Spatial Imaging and the Orbital Gaze
Behavior, Awareness, and Interactivity
•(April 12) Cyborg Performance: Technology and the Human Body
•(April 19) Art and Robotics: Behavioral Aesthetics
•(April 26) Telecommunications, Web Art, and Telepresence : Global Scale in Real Time
• (May 03) CRITIQUE WEEK • TUE • APRIL 28 • NO CLASS
•(May 10) Bio Art. Research papers due.
Please note that the lecture plan is subject to change without notice.
CREDIT
To earn credit in this class you shall:
• Come to class regularly and punctually.
• Read the assigned texts and participate in class
• Complete your mid-term presentation and deliver your written summary (abstract), with your name and ID
• Give your final presentation
• Deliver your final research paper
THE RESEARCH PAPER
Use your interest as guide in order to choose the topic (which must be related to the general subjects of the class). The aim of this assignment is to produce a research paper on a focused subject. The paper should be a well-composed essay on an artist, group of works, problem or theme. Papers about technical issues and of a technical nature will not be accepted. Opinion papers, descriptive papers about the student’s own work or about the instructor’s work will not be accepted.
THE RESEARCH PAPER SHOULD HAVE APPROXIMATELY TEN PAGES (NOT INCLUDING FOOTNOTES AND BIBLIOGRAPHY). IT MUST BE LASER-PRINTED AND DOUBLE-SPACED. USE TIMES, TYPE 14.
STUDENTS MUST OBTAIN APPROVAL BEFORE STARTING TO WORK ON THE PAPER.
Students should make an effort to balance specific information, formal analysis and broader intellectual/cultural ideas. Define the topic of choice clearly. Students should keep in mind that in a research paper footnotes should be used and that bibliography should be provided accurately.
PAPERS MUST HAVE AT LEAST SEVEN BIBLIOGRAPHIC REFERENCES.
Do not quote generic websites. Online references must be from peer-reviewed publications. It’s OK to use wikipedia preliminarily, but not as a final source.
For a list of Flaxman Library Databases by Subject, please see:
https://startit.artic.edu/kb/resources/webproxy/databaselist_bysubject.html
See also: http://flaxman.mylibrarytoolbar.com/
Students should avoid broad topics. Rather, particular art works, events or critical issues should be chosen as a means of focusing in on a larger theme.
The instructor is available for discussing papers and ideas via email <ekac@saic.edu> or immediately after class. You're welcome to schedule an appointment as well.
Remember: you must discuss your topic choice with the instructor and obtain approval before starting the research. This can be done via email, informally during break or after class, or through a formal appointment.
THE WRITING CENTER
SAIC offers free, hour-long writing tutorials at the Writing Center, which is
located in the basement of MacLean. Tutors are available to assist all
currently enrolled students with any stage of the writing process, including
the following:
• Getting started with writing
• Forming a claim or thesis statement
• Developing ideas
• Strengthening organization
• Improving writing style
• Revising drafts
• Correcting grammar and punctuation errors
• Addressing MLA, CMS, and APA style questions
• Citing references
Writing Center tutors work with students to help them find their own solutions
to questions. Rather than correcting or editing papers for students, tutors
work with students to help them identify issues that need further attention.
Tutors may ask students to discuss their ideas as a way to specify, clarify, or
deepen them. Tutors may also offer feedback on drafts, suggest writing
approaches, review information, and help students analyze their own writing.
Ultimately, the goal in the Writing Center is to help students become more
proficient, independent writers.
THE WRITING CENTER LOCATION
MacLean Center Basement
112 S. Michigan Ave., B1-03
HOURS
The Writing Center is open Monday through Friday during the fall and spring
semesters.
Monday - Thursday: 10:00 AM - 7:15 PM
Friday: 10:00 AM - 5:15 PM
During the winter interim and summer sessions, it is open Monday through
Thursday with limited hours.
CONTACT INFORMATION
writingcenter@saic.edu
Leila Wilson, Coordinator
312-345-3588
lwilson@saic.edu
APPOINTMENTS
To schedule an appointment with a Writing Center tutor, students should sign up for an available time on the sign-up sheets outside of the tutoring suite.
Students may schedule a maximum of two appointments per week. Weekly standing appointments are also available. When students come to their tutoring appointments, they should make sure to bring their assignments with them.
PLEASE NOTE THE FOLLOWING SAIC POLICIES:
1. SAIC Attendance Policy:
No more than three absences are allowed in order to receive credit, and excessive tardiness is not tolerated. Please read the below statement from the SAIC Bulletin which is the official attendance policy.
ATTENDANCE POLICY from SAIC Bulletin: Students are expected to attend all classes regularly and on time. Any necessary absences should be explained to the instructor. Students who are ill should contact their faculty member or leave a message for the instructor in the department office the day they are absent. For an extended absence due to illness, contact Health Services. Notification is then sent to all instructors informing them of the student's absence. For other extenuating circumstances contact the Academic Advising office. Please note that the written notification does not excuse a student from classes. The instructor gives students officially enrolled in a course credit only if they have responded adequately to the standards and requirements set. If the instructor does not clarify their requirements and absence policy in the course syllabus, students should ask the instructor. Also note that if a student registers late for a class (during add/drop) the instructor counts the missed classes as absences and the student is responsible for assignments given during those missed days.
From Page 123-4 of SAIC Bulletin: <http://www.saic.edu/life/policies/index.html#bulletin>
2. Accommodations For Students with Disabilities:
Any student in need of academic adjustments or accommodations because of a disability should contact SAIC's Disability and Learning Resource Center (DLRC) at 312-499-4278, or email < dlrc@saic.edu >. DLRC staff will review the student's disability documentation and will work with the student to determine reasonable accommodations. The DLRC will then provide the student with a letter outlining approved accommodations. This letter must be presented to the instructor, as early in the semester as possible, so that accommodations can be implemented. Students please contact the DLRC as early as possible.
3. Plagarism Statement.:
The School of the Art Institute of Chicago prohibits academic misconduct, which includes "both plagiarism and cheating, and may consist of the submission of the work of another as one's own; unauthorized assistance on a test or assignment; submission of the same work for more than one class without the knowledge and consent of all instructors; or the failure to properly cite texts or ideas from other sources" (Students' Rights and Responsibilities, Student Handbook, <http://www.saic.edu/pdf/life/pdf_files/rights.pdf>.
Plagiarism is a form of intellectual theft. One can plagiarize even if one does not intend to. The penalty for plagiarizing may range from failure on the specific plagiarized assignment to failure in the class. Repeat offenses can lead to disciplinary action, which could include suspension or expulsion from the School. The Faculty Senate Student Life Subcommittee has prepared a 28-page handbook entitled Plagiarism: How to Recognize It and Avoid It. The document is available online on at <http://www.saic.edu/webspaces/portal/library/plagiarism_packet.pdf>.
The final page of the handbook has been designed as a one-page handout, When to Give Credit. It is available online in PDF format at <http://www.saic.edu/webspaces/portal/library/plagiarism_credit.pdf>
Library staff has also prepared a two-page synopsis of the committee's handbook, designed as a handout for students. Avoid Plagiarism: Quick Guide, is available at <http://www.saic.edu/webspaces/portal/library/plagiarism.pdf>.
History of Art and Technology
New Technologies In Twentieth and Twenty-first Century Art
<http://www.ekac.org/history.ats.html>
Eduardo Kac
Links validated on February 1st, 2011.
SUGGESTED READINGS
• Introduction
http://www.marxists.org/reference/subject/philosophy/works/ge/benjamin.htm
The Electromagnetic Landscape
• Radio and the Disembodied Voice
http://cec.concordia.ca/econtact/Radiophonic/Radiocasting.htm
• Moholy-Nagy: From the Telephone Pictures to the Light-Space Modulator
http://www.moholy-nagy.org
• Kinetic Art: From Representation to Actual Motion
“The Morphology of Movement: A Study of Kinetic Art”, by George W. Rickey <Search in JSTOR, through the Flaxman website>
http://www.lumia-wilfred.org/index.html
• Six Kinetic Artists: Fischinger, Palatnik, Malina, Schöffer, Tinguely, and Takis
http://www.olats.org/pionniers/pionniers.php
The New Image: Electronic, Digital, Photonic
• Television and Video: Art and Mass Media
http://www.medienkunstnetz.de/themes/overview_of_media_art/massmedia/
• Computer Art: From Digital Graphics to Interactivity and VR
http://www.medienkunstnetz.de/themes/generative-tools/computer_art/1/
• Digital Photography: Ethics and Aesthetics of Synthetic Realities
http://www.medienkunstnetz.de/themes/photo_byte/artistic%20concept/
• Holographic Art: Spatial Imaging and the Orbital Gaze
http://www.ekac.org/Photonic.Webs.ISEA_95.html
http://www.ekac.org/Holotime.Blimp.html
Behavior, Awareness, and Interactivity
• Cyborg Performance: Technology and the Human Body
• Art and Robotics: Behavioral Aesthetics
http://www.ekac.org/roboticart.html
http://www.ekac.org/robotichronology.html
• Telecommunications, Web Art, and Telepresence
http://www.ekac.org/Telecom.Paper.Siggrap.html
http://www.ekac.org/artforumtelep/artforumtelep.html
• Bio Art
http://www.tca.uwa.edu.au
http://www.martademenezes.com
http://www.viewingspace.com/genetics_culture/pages_genetics_culture/gc_w02/gc_w02_gessert.htm
http://leonardo.info/isast/spec.projects/art+biobiblio.html