Digital Video & Explorations in Live Art

Information and Syllabus

Digital Video & Explorations in Live Art

Required Text
Description
Syllabus
Individual & Group Projects
Evaluation
Web Resources

Instructor: Robert Spahr
Contact: rob@robertspahr.com AIM: rospahr
Office Hours: TBA

Course Syllabus Location: http://www.robertspahr.com/ela/

Required Text:

Goldberg , Roselee. Performance Art: From Futurism to the Present . Thames & Hudson World of Art
* All other readings will be distributed in class. *

Description:

Digital Video / Explorations in Live Art exposes students to the history of performance art of the twentieth century, tracing it's development which foreshadows and predicts many of the current issues in todays New Media. For this course we will define performance simply as live art by artists. Students will draw on any number of disciplines and media for material, such as visual art, literature, theatre, poetry, music, dance, and installation art as well as video, film, and the Internet. We will use historical texts, theoretical writings, analysis and ensemble work to better understand the history of performance art and the various forms it takes. Classroom lectures will show that the development of ideas in the history of performance art mirror some of the same issues computer scientists were dealing with when they developed such things as hypertext, networked computers, graphical user interfaces, and data retrieval and storage. We will see recorded performances and early technology demos to enhance our discussion. Students will create two original pieces of live art, as well as a group project that will contain each individual project, and be presented in an evening of Live Art for the public. Date and location TBA. Each student will keep a journal to record his or her thoughts and responses to the semester's work, and use the journal to identify their strengths as artists and areas they may want to explore for future development. Basic use of Final Cut Pro 5 will be covered, for use to create self-contained video documentation of each performance project. All projects must be documented on any suitable medium, CD, VHS, DV, or DVD.

Syllabus:

8/29 & 8/31 Introduction and overview of Live Art, Exercises to develop strategies of Live Art
Reading Assigned: PA: pg 11-30 "Futurism", "The Variety Theatre Manifesto, 1913 by F.T. Marinetti" -- Some Strategies of Live Art

9/5 & 9/7 Open Studio Session. Strategies of Live Art. Lecture and discussion of "Futurism", "The Variety Theatre Manifesto"

9/12 Open Studio Session. Strategies of Live Art.

9/14 Open Studio Session.
Reading Assigned: PA: pg 31-49 "Russian Futurism & Constructivism", "Montage in 1938, by Sergei Einsenstein"

9/19 Open Studio Session. Final Cut Pro, and methods of documentation.
Lecture and discussion of "Russian Futurism & Constructivism", "Montage in 1938"
Written Proposal for Project 1 Due.

9/21 Open Studio Session.

9/26 Open Studio Session.
Reading Assigned: PA: pg 50-74 "Dada", "Dada Manifesto, by Tristan Tzara"

9/28 Open Studio Session.

10/3 Open Studio Session.

10/5 Critique of Individual Project #1
Lecture and discussion of "Dada", "Dada Manifesto"
Film: Four Films by Four Artists - http://www.ubu.com/aspen/aspen5and6/film.html
Audio: Duchamp / Huelsenbeck - http://www.ubu.com/aspen/aspen5and6/audio5E.html

10/10 Open Studio Session.

10/12 Open Studio Session.
Reading Assigned: PA: pg 75-96 "Surrealism", "The Theater and the Plague, by Antonin Artaud"

10/17 Open Studio Session.
Lecture and discussion of "Surrealism", "The Theater and the Plague"

10/19 Open Studio Session.

10/24 Open Studio Session.
Reading Assigned: PA: pg 97-120 "Bauhaus", "Man and Art Figure, by Oskar Schlemmer"

10/26 Open Studio Session.

10/31 Open Studio Session.
Lecture and discussion of "Bauhaus", "Man and Art Figure"

11/2 Open Studio Session.

11/7 Open Studio Session.

11/9 Open Studio Session.

11/14 Final Presentation and Critique of Individual Project #2
Reading Assigned: PA: pg 121-151 "Living Art c.1933 to the 1970s", "A Statement: The Car Crash Happening, by Jim Dine"

11/16 Open Studio Session.
Lecture and discussion of "Living Art c.1933 to the 1970s", "A Statement: The Car Crash Happening"

11/21 & 11/23 No Class meeting - Thanksgiving Recess

11/28 Re-Work on Individual Performance Project #2. Strategies of Live Art - Group Project
Reading Assigned: PA: pg 152-226 "The Art of Ideas & the Media Generation 1968 to 2000", "Ontological-Hysteric Manifesto I, 1972, by Richard Foreman"

11/30 Open Studio Session.
Lecture and discussion of "The Art of Ideas & the Media Generation", "Ontological-Hysteric Manifesto I"

12/5 Dress Rehearsal / Walk Through for SQURL ART Event

12/7 SQURL ART Event

12/12 Journals and final documentation of Individual Projects due. Projects can be documented on any suitable medium, CD, VH, DV, or DVD.

Performance Projects: Two Individual & One Group Project

Two Individual Performances
Each student will develop and present two original performance projects. You will have a chance to present each project once as a work in progress, and again as a final performance; dates are listed in the course schedule. After the first showing for each performance, you will receive feedback from the class and myself. You will then have time to continue your work on the performance for a final showing. The first project will focus on creating a visual performance piece, the second project must use text as well as visual elements. More details on these projects will be given.

One Group Performance - An evening of Live Art for the public.
A group collaborative performance will be developed in the class. This performance will be created and structured by the group, and will be the "container" for each students two individual performances projects. This group performance (containing the individual projects) will then be performed as a complete evening of Live Art for the general public. Date and location TBA.

Projects can be documented on any suitable medium, CD, VHS, DV, or DVD.

Evaluation:

The work in this course requires motivation, exploration, risk-taking, and most importantly, an openness to new ideas. Attendance is required because much of the work is collaborative. Attendance and promptness are mandatory. The grading policy of this class is meant to encourage you to explore new ideas and take chances. Do not think in terms of "What must I do to receive an A grade", but think in terms of what you would like to learn.

Journal Each student will respond to the class readings, their own performance projects, and any recorded performances we watch in the class. Students should also document their creative process, and artistic development within the journal. Think of the journal as a resource, to contain your present ideas and hints of future directions to explore.

Each Performance Project will be graded on artistic, creative and intellectual merit.

Grades will be based on the following: