Sculpture: Installation
ART 495-90 CRN: 33565
Jan. 3, 2011 – Jan. 20, 2011
Instructor: Brad Allen
Email: bradley.allen@umontana.edu Phone: 243-5704
Classroom for Course: Art Annex 123 (Sculpture Studio)
Office: Art Annex 126 (Inside Sculpture Studio)
Class Times: M – F, 9 am – Noon
Access to Galleries: 24-7
Access to Sculpture Studio: M – F, Noon – 4 pm
Access to Instructor: M – F, 8 – 9 am, noon – 1 pm
Course website: sculpturenotes.blogspot.com
Description:
-In the next 3 weeks you will be introduced to the brief history of Installation Art, see contemporary
examples of artists in this field, create 2 of your own installations, and critique your peers daily.
-We will engage a dialogue about post-medium and post-studio art approaches.
-You will be responsible for all materials, objects, sounds, images, etc. used in your work.
-The common materials amongst your installations will be space, time, and people.
-The sculpture studio can be used in open hours to prefab or plan as needed.
-This course requires writing in these forms:
-A statement for each installation, describing your intent
-Critiquing peers by writing responses on their statements
-Posting a written synthesis of the more successful outcomes as a final
-Attendance is mandatory; each unexcused absence results in the lowering of a letter grade.
-4 unexcused absences results in class failure (“F”).
-When installing your work you will have an assigned helper.
Objectives:
-Explore approaches to creating installations in varied spaces
-Gain understanding of the histories surrounding installation as a contemporary art genre
-Utilize critical thinking skills in the form of verbal critique and written response
-Analyze art solutions presented and synthesize criticism into a written form
-Practice organizing, budgeting, and implementing the construction of art in a time frame
Format:
This course is a special topics studio art course with a lecture component.
Each day will follow this basic format (minus 3 critique days):
8 - 9 am Consult Brad if needed, get early feedback
9 am Attendance taken, announcements follow
9:10 - 10 am View1st Installation presented, View 2nd Installation presented
10 - 11 am Classroom time for Lecture, Slides, Films, Discussion
11 - noon View 3rd Installation presented, View 4th Installation presented
Noon – 4 pm Open Sculpture Studio (including Weekends)
Requirements:
Installations 200 pts
Statements 175 pts
Final documentation 25 pts
Total possible 400 pts
Installations: (100 pts each, 200 pts total, 50% of grade)
You will make 2 installations as assigned coursework and have each critiqued separately. Without critique you receive no credit for work done. You are required to document each installation and edit each to 2-3 jpegs or a QuickTime video that is less than 2 minutes. This documentation will be presented at the end of the week that your installation was viewed. The documentation of both of your works will be turned in to my email (above) on Jan. 21st.
Materials, scale, and imagery are all open. This is seen as an extension of your content, necessities of your intent. You may only need one gym sock to activate the space, or you may need 2 tons of bailing wire. In this 400-level class, I won’t lead your content, but I will impose the following parameters:
1 installation needs to consider a post-studio approach. For example, if you are a prolific metal fabricator, instead of welding multiple forms and placing them in the gallery (continuing the craft/process-based dialogue of the root objects) you instead consider working with existing objects, forms, raw material, light, sound, etc. Consider things more fleeting, more temporary, more accessible.
1 installation needs to consider elements that project, calculate, transmit, receive, move, sense movement, make sound, record, generate documents, or some similarly related low-end technology. If the cardboard Frito-Lay display in the grocery store can spin, so can your installation! Let’s think about interaction without requiring that ALL the action be on the part of the viewer. Instead of thinking about building robots (we don’t have time for that), think about where you can obtain a robot quickly and cheaply (my kids have 5 between them that do low-end pre-programmed functions, they’re just toys).
You must uninstall your work before 4 pm on the day of your viewing. This will allow the next artist to enter the gallery at 4 pm and install for the next day. If your viewing is on a Friday you may uninstall the following Saturday by 4 pm. If your viewing is on a Monday, you may begin installation on the preceding Saturday. No one is to uninstall someone else’s work. Email me and I will do that. If I uninstall a piece, the artist will fail to gain any points for that particular installation.
Spaces:
There are 5 possible spaces for your installations.
Everyone will exhibit 2 installations. Which space is up to you, but you have to sign up for it and stick to the scheduled time. Space will be allocated by lottery and selection.
According to scale, large to small:
1. Off Center Gallery in Art Annex
2. Hallway Space (doorway at north end of Art Annex Hallway extending east)
3. Sculpture Studio Space in back of AA 123 near sand mixer
4. Light Shaft Space in Fine Arts Building
5. Fish Bowl Gallery (foyer in front of Off Center Gallery in Art Annex)
Assistants:
Everyone will serve as an assistant. Everyone will get an assistant. Instructor will assign assistants to artists based on scheduling. Assistants will need to be available to help a peer artist as needed the afternoon/night before, and afternoon of, the artist’s viewing. So in effect, you have to schedule the appropriate work time for 2 of your own installations and work time for 2 of your peer’s installations.
The idea here is that you will need an extra set of hands and eyes to mount an exhibition in one night and uninstall the following afternoon by 4 pm. Assistants are to take on the roll of contractor-for-hire, wherein, you don’t give advice about design or content, just help as instructed. This might be a difficult role for some of you to play, just remember, you get an assistant to help you too! Do a good job. Being a supportive and helpful assistant is part of my grading consideration (see Assessment).
Statements: (25 pts each, 75 pts total, 37.5% of grade)
You will write a statement of intent for each installation. Single space, 12-point Cambria font, and 200-300 words. This should identify your goals with the piece. It should clearly state what you intended to explore, communicate, or question. It should identify artist’s installations that are influential, especially in approach and effect. It should identify any philosophical strategies involved. It should address the two parameters above. It should state points of research that are found elsewhere. Avoid the biographical and focus on writing what it is that you hope your artwork will do.
Your statement will also ask 3 specific questions of us, the viewers, to further personalize your critique.
These could be about elements of design you feel are weak, or questions of how connected your viewers are to your specific ideas, or as ambient as asking them to define their experience. All of these questions will point towards what you feel is important, your focus, your intent.
- Copy the STATEMENT OF INTENT FORM on the sculpturenotes.blogspot.com website
- Paste into a word document. Type in your statement and 3 questions.
- Print 18 copies, bring to your critique (you can also print them in Sculpture Studio the day before)
- Hand out to peers. Peers answer the questions with detail, bringing some of those to light in the verbal portion of the critique.
- Peers hand back to the presenter/artist.
A third statement will be written and posted to the blog as a response. This requires you signing up for a BlogSpot account. If you want to post your third statement and delete your new account directly after, that is perfectly fine. The account is free, and I understand many of you have one already. Respond to the blog entry “495 Installation: Statement 3”. A prompt will be found there that asks what strategies/approaches (not individual pieces) were the most challenging, exciting and promising as an artist. It will also ask which experiences were the most impactful as viewers. This is Due by Jan. 21st at midnight.
Documentation (25 pts total, 6% of grade):
YOU will document each installation, regardless which space it is in. This is a requirement to fulfill the process of completing the work. Without documents you will not receive points for the work. You can choose from 2 popular methods of documenting installation work: Still camera images or digital video.
You can use your camera or check one out from the Sculpture Division. We have a Cannon HD camcorder, 2 Flip video cameras, and a Nikon Coolpix 8 megapixel digital camera. You are responsible for cameras when in your possession, and are responsible for downloading/editing data appropriately.
Document formats:
Images should include 2-3 images total that accurately depict an overall view, detail view, and optional second overall view from different vantage point, or, second detail view whichever is more important. Jpegs are the preferred file types, with resolution optimized for loading to the Internet and viewing on a computer screen. (No giant file sizes, but no thumbnails either)
Videos should be shot on a tripod or on a camcorder with Image Stabilization. Shaky dizzying shots do not describe your piece well. The downside to video is that it requires more complicated editing; the upside is that moving through a space most accurately communicates what is like to experience the installation firsthand. The appropriate format is QuickTime, duration less than 2 min., preferably 30 seconds.
Critiques:
We will have 3 critique days—first Friday, second Friday, and third Thursday of January (See schedule).
Let’s call the daily presentation of installations (3-4 per day) “Viewings” as to separate the two.
During viewings we will be presented a statement, an installation, and 3 questions for us to answer directly on the statement. We will spend 20-30 minutes viewing the installation with artist present. This time will be used to make notes about the installation, ask the artist specific questions, and to experience the work.
At the end of each week we will spend the entire class time looking at the installations as projected images or videos. This will be a time to open dialog about the statement/installation relationship and the questions that the artist asked. This delay in critical feedback will hopefully allow poignant concise comments to be delivered to the artist. At the end of each critique, we will hand all the statements back to the artist so they can collect the answered questions in whole.
Assessment:
Installations:
After receiving a document that clearly identifies your intent, I can begin the evaluation process. I can evaluate, based on feedback in critique, gauging how successful the piece was when held to the goals outlined in the document. I can weigh this with ambition, attitude, planning, and follow-through.
Characteristics of point allocation:
A (90-100 pts) – The intent described in your statement is clearly visible in the resulting installation, installation has sense of finish, clarity abounds, potent use of positive space (materials, objects, images, sound) and selective use of negative space (empty gallery, floor, ceiling, the quiet), it effects your viewers in a way that you intend, it provides enough content or form to challenge and captivate, it is not cliché, it is embodies ample effect for the amount of time given, you put in 12+ hours per week outside of class in research, prefab, or discussions, you provided ample support in the form of helping your peer install, your attitude and attention are exceptional.
B (80-89 pts) – The intent described in your statement is visible in the resulting installation, installation has a sense of finish, potent use of either positive or negative space, it effects your viewers, but perhaps not quite in the way you intended, it provides enough content or form to satisfy your viewers, it narrowly avoids feeling predictable or cliché, it generates an effect that is suitable for the amount of time given, you put in 8+ hours per week outside of class in research, prefab, or discussions, your support of your peer was adequate, no negative feedback from the peer, your attitude and attention are good.
C (70-79 pts) – The intent described in your statement is not clearly visible in the resulting installation, installation looks/feels unfinished in some ways, positive and negative space seems unconsidered, viewers are hardly effected, content and forms employed are adequate, elements feel predictable or cliché, effectiveness doesn’t quite equal amount of time given, 6-8 hours per week outside of class in research, prefab, or discussions, your peer felt supported in an average way, but had some negative things to say, your attitude and attention were just adequate.
D (60-69 pts) – The intent described in your statement is not at all present in the resulting installation, installation seems very unfinished/ill-considered, space seems unconsidered, content or forms are less than adequate, it is cliché or very predictable, effectiveness in no way equals amount of time given, less than 6 hours per week were invested in the course outside of class, you peer felt unsupported in that you were rude, irresponsible, or absent, they complained formally, your attitude and attention were poor.
F (less than 60 pts) – Installation was not presented, or, you failed to document/present documentation for critique, less than 6 hours per week were invested, you in no way helped your assigned peer, your attitude was very poor, attention was non-existent.
Statements:
Characteristics of point allocation:
A (45-50 pts) – Well written statement clearly identifies your intent, goals, objectives with the work, identifies influences, obvious and hidden, avoids elements of biography, is concise, meets all requirements in length and format, you had 18 copies printed and ready to hand out at your viewing, your 3 questions were useful, considered, and helped us understand your intentions that much more.
B (40-44 pts) – Fairly well written statement identifies your intent, identifies influences but omits some obvious ones, possesses some elements of biography, could be more concise, meets all requirements in length and format, you had 18 copies printed and ready to hand out at your viewing, your 3 questions were adequate, but didn’t help us understand your intentions that much more, seemed superficial.
C (35-39 pts) – Averagely written statement broadly identifies your intent, acknowledgement of influences are sparse or non-existent, possesses many elements of biographical information, rambles on at times, meets most requirements in length and format, you had 18 copies printed and ready to hand out at your viewing, your 3 questions seemed like afterthoughts not questions you really wanted the class to answer, but didn’t help us understand your intentions at all, seemed superficial.
D (30-34 pts) – Poorly written statement that doesn’t identify your goals or objectives with the work, no acknowledgement of influences or research, biographical in format, reads as rambling and empty, meets none of the requirements in length or format, you did not have copies printed and ready to hand out at the beginning of your viewing (you came to me the morning of to have them printed), your 3 questions didn’t seem to relate to the installation or statement, seemed insincere or careless.
F (less than 30 pts) – You did not present a statement.
Things not part of the formal assessment that can negatively affect your grade:
- Sleeping at any point during the class
- Wearing headphones daily, isolating yourself form the class and instructor
- Finishing your installation as viewing begins, even lights, it’s too late!
- Being inconsiderate or rude to your peers or instructor
- Remaining speechless during critique
- Not cleaning up after yourself
- Using equipment improperly even after correction by instructor
Policies:
School-wide Health and Safety Concerns:
-No creatures or children will be allowed in studios during class time or open studio times.
-No food or open beverage containers will be allowed in SoA facilities when art making is in progress
-Pick-up of artwork must take place prior to the scheduled exam day or the last class period. Pieces remaining after this time will be discarded. Artwork also may not be left in the Art Office.
-Before students use any power tools or equipment he/she must complete the safety seminar, which will be given at the beginning of the semester. Access to specialized equipment and tools will be addressed on an individual basis.
-Should anyone have special needs that require attention, please do not hesitate to inform your faculty member at the beginning of the course, or as soon as these needs arise. In addition to the safety seminar, there is a woodshop tool safety and usage summary sheet, and a general sculpture shop rules list at the entrance of the studio.
Academic Misconduct and the Student Conduct Code. All students must practice academic honesty. Academic misconduct is subject to an academic penalty by the course instructor and/or disciplinary sanction by the University. All students need to be familiar with the Student Conduct Code. The Code is available for review online at http://life.umt.edu/VPSA/name/StudentConductCode
In addition to the in-processes safety lectures, there is a Material Safety and Data Sheet folder in the kiosk between the sculpture offices. Please search through these lists of chemicals if you have any respiratory or allergic conditions.
Emergency Information
Campus Emergency 4000
Missoula City Emergency 9-911
Campus security (24 hr) 6131
Daytime Facility Emergency 4181 or 5704
General Sculpture Division Studio Guidelines:
1. Only students currently enrolled in a SoA course are allowed to use the sculpture studio.
2. Any person outside of sculpture or ceramics must check in with either the sculpture professor or lab technician.
3. No visitors inside the tool room.
4. Each student seeking to use the Sculpture Studio must check in with the work-study student on duty, sign-in by clearly printing your name, and work-study student will track your time and tool usage.
5. Know the location of the first aid area, eye wash station, razor disposal, and two fire extinguishers.
6. No open toed shoes allowed in sculpture area.
7. While any work is in progress every student must wear approved safety eyewear and if appropriate, hearing protection.
8. Tools must be returned to the tool room immediately after use.
9. Condense all hoses and cords used during your session, turning off valves to air hoses.
10. No tools leave the sculpture lab or yard, period.
11. All guards must remain on power tools exactly like they arrive from the factory.
12. Report any tool deficiencies or malfunctions immediately.
13. All hazardous or vaporous materials must be handled outdoors, or in specified ventilated area.
14. Most areas are ventilated; make sure fans are on even for the smallest job.
15. Leave floors clean, tables clear, and sinks drained.
16. Should there be an injury, however small, immediately consult the sculpture professor or lab technician.
17. Never work when you are tired or if you have had a drop of alcohol.
18. Of course, there is absolutely no drinking, smoking, or eating in the building.
19. If you are injured at night during the open shop hours, first tell the work-study student that is on duty, and they will call the sculpture professor.
20. The work-study students are here at night for your safety, and they can help you work with tools safely, however, they will not do your project for you.
21. Take breaks to ensure overall awareness
Anyone in violation of these rules can loose their lab privileges. Any questions contact Brad Allen at extension 5704.
Phone located by entrance on South wall.
First Aid cabinet located by entrance under red cross.
Respirators, safety glasses, ear plugs in blue cabinet on North Central Wall near sink.
Schedule:
Day/Date Activity
M/3 Introductions, syllabus, View Brad/Burke’s installation (practice),
Lottery for order, construct viewing schedule w/ assistants
T/4 Practice Critique (Brad), Slides “Early Installation”, “Contemporary Approaches”
Idea discussions, Handout Reading #1
W/5 Viewing 1, Viewing 2, Slides “Lines”, Viewing 3, Viewing 4
Th/6 Viewing 5, Viewing 6, Viewing 7, Discuss reading #1,
11 – 12 noon, visiting artists lecture, Alex Gartelmann and Jonas Sebura,
Lunch with artists afterward.
F/7 Critique Installations 1-7, Alex & Jonas’ exhibition, This is How it Feels opening at FrontierSpace, in alley shared with New West downtown, 6 – 9 pm.
M/10 8, 9, Slides “Figuration”, 10, 11
T/11 12, 13, Informal discussion, handout reading #2, 14
W/12 15, 16, Slides “light & sound”, 17, 18
Th/13 19, 20, 21, 22, 23
F/14 Critique Installations 7-22, pizza, May run past noon!
M/17 No class, Martin Luther King Day, no shop hours
T/18 24, 25, Discuss readings, 26, 27
W/19 28, 29, Slides “Interaction & Mechanisms”, 30
Th/20 Critique Installations 24-30, followed by optional fish BBQ!
F/21 No Classes (Brad Gone),
Statement #3 due on blog as response, Final Documentation of installations
due to Brad’s email, both by midnight
The numeration in this column refers to the “Viewing number”. Each student will have 2 viewing numbers for him or her, and 2 for the peer they are assisting.
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