Parsons The New School for Design
Art and Design History and Theory
Screens
and Screenings in Contemporary Art and Urban Space
Fall
2012
CRN and Course No.: 5934, PLVS 3200,
Section A
Day and
Time:
Tuesdays, 3:50-6:30pm
Location:
55 W
13th St, Room 304
Office Hour: Tuesdays, 2:30-3:30pm
in 2 W 13th Street, Room 708
Course Description:
Urban dwellers encounter moving images on such diverse
locations as billboard advertisements, flat screens in lobbies, public buses,
backseats of taxicabs, public art installations, outdoor movies, and even on
one’s handheld device. This class will look at theoretical notions of the
screen and the society of the spectacle and consider canonical works of film
theory in relationship (or in opposition) to these public cinematic
experiences. In addition to readings from cultural and media studies, this
class will look at Expanded Cinema of the 1960s, the emergence of video and
film projection in galleries, and the work of artists such as Krzysztof
Wodiczko and Doug Aitken. Course requirements include weekly readings, in-class
and online discussion, occasional response papers, and a final project based on
one’s own experience with screens in urban space.
Learning Outcomes:
By the successful completion of this course, students will:
1. Be familiar with the changing paradigms of the
moving image outside of the theater as well as the role of the moving image in
the visual arts in the twentieth century,
2. Be able to intelligently and thoughtfully compare
and contrast differing scholarly and artistic methodologies and critiques,
3. Complete an original research project using
primary and secondary sources and employing Chicago Manual of Style,
4. Make clear and organized presentations to the
class using Powerpoint,
5. Discuss current practices in visual culture in
light of film theory, urban studies, and art history, and
6. Use social media to share experiences and
discuss topics pertinent to course themes throughout the semester.
Assessable Tasks:
Weekly blog posts, online discussion, and in class participation
Three 2-page free response papers to self-guided trips
5-6 page critical essay responding to readings
10-12 page final research paper (with 10-minute presentation and
proposal)
Museum Trips:
You will be required to make two museum trips (but encouraged to take
advantage of many other cultural events in NYC)
·
The first required viewing is Ghosts
in the Machine at The New Museum.
Please view the entire exhibition with particular focus on Stan
Vanderbeek’s Movie Drome. More
info here: http://www.newmuseum.org/exhibitions/view/ghosts-in-the-machine
This exhibit closes on Sept 30th, so go early. We will be discussing Vanderbeek on
October 2nd, when a 2-page response paper will be due.
·
The other required trip will be during class time to the Museum of the
Moving Image together. We will
view both the permanent exhibition “Behind the Screen” and “Film after Film”
Course Outline:
The readings listed for each day are to be completed before class. Please bring the readings, and post a few discussion
questions/critical thoughts on the blog and be ready to discuss and debate!
*NOTE: Some readings
are subject to change and may have supplementary video and multimedia content
on the course blog. Please check regularly.
Week 1: August 28,
2012
Introduction and
Overview
Week 2: September 4,
2012
Navigating the Urban
Spectacle through Screens
Readings
Discussed: Erikki Hutamo, “Messages on the Wall: An Archaeology of Public Media
Displays,” Scott McGuire, “Mobility, Cosmopolitanism, and Public Space in the
Media City,” and Uta Caspary, “Digital Media as Ornament in Contemporary
Architecture Facades” all found in the first section of the Urban
Screens Reader
Anna McCarthy, Ambient
Television: Visual Culture and Public Space (Durham: Duke University Press,
2001). Book chapter. PDF
DUE:
2-page response to dérive
Week 3: September 11,
2012
Viewing Paradigms in
Film Theory
Readings
DIscussed:
Jean-Louis Baudry, “Ideological Effects of the
Basic Cinematographic Apparatus,” Film
Quarterly 28 n.2 (Winter 1974-1975): 39-47. JStor
Laura
Mulvey, “Visual Pleasure of Narrative Cinema” (1975) PDF
Anne Friedberg, Window
Shopping: Cinema and the Postmodern (Berkeley: University of California
Press, 1994). Book chapter. PDF
*Note:
these essays are very dense and theory-laden. Please allow extra time for
these, and come to class with questions.
RECOMMENDED EVENTS!
Joshua Light Show Performances at the Skirball Center at NYU Sept 13-16. Student tickets should be available at
the box office.
More info here: http://www.nyuskirball.org/calendar/thejoshualightshow
Week 4: September 18,
2012
Viewing Paradigms in
Film History
Readings
Discussed:
Tom Gunning, “An Aesthetic of Astonishment: Early
Film and the (In)credulous Spectator,” Art
and Text 34 (Spring 1989): 31-45. PDF
Mary Morley Cohen, “Forgotten Audiences in the
Passion Pits: Drive-in Theaters and Changing Spectator
Practices in Post-War America,” Film
History 6 n.4 (Winter 1994): 470-486. JStor
Amy Herzog, “In the Flesh: Space and Embodiment in
the Pornographic Peep Show Arcade,” The
Velvet Light Trap 62 (Fall 2008): 29-43. ProjectMUSE
DUE: Critical
Essay
NO CLASS September 25,
2012, DON’T FORGET THE NEW MUSEUM!
Week 5: October 2,
2012
Expanded Cinema
Readings
Discussed:
Gene Youngblood, Expanded Cinema (1970). Selections
TBA. Entire book is available
online for free!
Noam M. Elcott, “On Cinematic Invisibility:
Expanded Cinema between Wagner and Television” in Expanded Cinema: Art Performance Film PDF
Duncan White, “Expanded Cinema: The Live Record” in Expanded
Cinema PDF
Stan Vanderbeek “Culture Intercom” (1966) PDF
Carolee Schneeman “Free Form Recollections of New
York” (1970) PDF
Branden Joseph, “’My Mind Split Open’: Andy
Warhol’s Exploding Plastic Inevitable,”
Grey Room 8 (Summer 2002): 80-107. JStor
DUE:
2-page response to Vanderbeek’s Movie Drome.
Week 6: October 9,
2012
Museums and Historians
Go to the Movies: Immersion and Viewership
Readings
Discussed:
Read all six “Commentaries” (p. 2-23) in American Art 22 n.2 (Summer 2008). JStor
Kerry Brougher, The
Cinema Effect: Illusion, Reality, and the Moving Image (Washington, D.C.:
Hirshhorn Museum, 2008). Selections. PDF
Alison Griffiths Shivers Down Your Spine: Cinema, Museums and the Immersive View
(New York: Columbia, 2008). Selections. PDF
Week 7: October 16,
2012 – FIELD TRIP! Museum of the
Moving Image
Week 8: October 23,
2012
Screens and
Interaction: Interface and Tactility
Readings
Discussed:
Dan Graham, “Cinema,” in Two Way Mirror Power: Selected Writings by Dan Graham on His Art
(Cambridge: MIT Press, 1999), 94-96. PDF
VALIE EXPORT, “Expanded Cinema: Expanded Reality,”
in Expanded Cinema: Art, Performance,
Film (London: Tate, 2011) PDF
Luts Koepnick, “The Aesthetics of the Interface,”
in Window/Interface eds. Eckmann and
Koepnick (St. Louis: Kemper Museum, 2007). PDF
Week 9: October 30,
2012
Installation Art
Readings
Discussed:
Michael Fried, “Art and Objecthood,” (1967) PDF
Kate Mundloch, Screens:
Viewing Media Installation Art (Univ of Minnesota Press, 2010), Chapters 1
and 2. PDF.
Chrissie Iles, Into
the Light: The Projected Image in American Art, 1967-1977 (New York:
Whitney Museum, 2001). Book chapter. PDF
Week 10: November 6,
2012
Cinematic Public Art –
Attractions and Spectacle
Readings
Discussed:
Julia Nevárez, “Spectacular Mega-Public Space: Art
and the Social in Times Square,” in Urban
Screens Reader
Timothy J. Gilfoyle, Millenium Park: Creating a Chicago Landmark (Chicago: Univ of
Chicago Press, 2006). Chapter on Plensa’s
Crown Fountain. PDF
Also read and view all of In Media Res “Media as Public Art” (March 28-April 1, 2001. Link
Doug Aitken:
Sleepwalkers (MoMA and Creative Time, 2007). Selections from the catalog. PDF
Additional blog materials on Masstransiscope.
DUE:
Masstransiscope Response
Week 11: November 13,
2012
Cinematic Public Art –
Interventions
Roundtable
presentation and discussion of research topics
Readings
Discussed:
Online essays re: Mark Read’s Occupy Wall Street
“Bat Signal” Projection (to be posted on blog)
Krzysztof Wodiczko, “Open Transimission,” in Architecturally Speaking: Practices of Art,
Architecture, and the Everyday (New York: Routledge, 2000), 87-109. PDF
“Electric Signs: An Interview with Jason Eppink,
the Pixelator,” in Urban
Screens Reader
Karen Lancel and
Hermen Maat, “Stalk Show,” in Urban
Screens Reader
W.J.T. Mitchell, “The Violence of Public Art,” in Art and the Public Sphere (Chicago: Univ
of Chicago Press, 1992), 29-49. PDF
DUE:
Research Project Proposals
NO CLASS November 20,
2012 (Wednesday Schedule)
Week 12: November 27,
2012
Public Art and Social
Engagement – rethinking the role of film and TV
Readings
Discussed:
Maeve Connoly, The
Place of Artists’ Cinema: Space, Site, and Screen (Bristol: Intellect
Books, 2009). Selections. PDF
Catherine Elwes, “The Domestic Spaces of Video,” in
Expanded Cinema: Art, Performance, Film
(London: Tate, 2011) PDF
Weeks 13 and 14: December
4 and December 11
Research Project
Presentations
Week 15: December 18,
2012
Conclusion and
Discussion
Readings
Discussed:
“Round Table: The Projected Image in Contemporary
Art,” October 104 (Spring 2003):
71-96. JStor
Due:
Final Research Project Papers (no late papers at all!)
Assignments:
Spectacular dérive. Give yourself at least a full hour (best
if it’s more) and wander around the city, allowing your attention and direction
to be dictated by moving images, flashing lights, and spectacle. Pay attention to how certain things are
(or are not) grabbing your interest, and allow yourself to end up wherever. Take pictures, notes, and/or record
your voice. Come to class next
week with a 2-page prose essay on your findings and be prepared to give a quick
synopsis to the class with images for display.
Readings
to be familiar with: Guy Debord, “Theory of the Dérive” (1958) via link
Also please skim a few theses of “Society of the Spectacle”
for context
Critical Essay. Analyze the methodologies and social
implications of two distinct essays from this week and last week critically in
a 5-6 page paper. Do not simply
summarize each one, but think about how they relate to each other in terms of
their conception of spectatorship, exhibition, and the spatial dynamics of the
cinema. Conclude with your own
voice, criticizing or lauding certain approaches.
Movie Drome Response: View the exhibition
“Ghosts in the Machine” at The New Museum. Spend some extra time in Vanderbeek’s Movie Drome. Write a 2-page response paper about
your sensorial experience of this space.
Think about how it relates to other viewing paradigms you’ve experienced
both in the cinema and in museums. Staple
your receipt to your paper. There is a discount student
rate and Thursday evenings are free.
Check the website for hours before you go.
Masstransiscope
Response: View Bill Brand’s Masstransiscope
(1980). Ride the B or Q train to
DeKalb Ave in Brooklyn, then ride back into Manhattan – you will see the piece
on windows to the left as you are approaching the bridge. *Note: if there is
construction or something and the train is running local between Canal Street
and DeKalb Ave, you will not be able to see the piece. Please check mta.info ahead of time,
especially on a weekend.
Write a 2-page response on your experience of this piece, paying
particular attention to your fellow commuters. Are others noticing the work? Ignoring it? How does this experience of a cinematic
spectacle engage with the viewer?
Research Project
Proposal: Write a concise two-paragraph abstract of your research question, what
you will address, what methodologies you will employ, and what you hope to
accomplish. Also include an
annotated bibliography of at least six sources. These should expand as you continue with the project. It is advised that you discuss your
idea for your project in person or email before this stage.
Final Research
Project: Your final project will investigate a complex research question based on
the themes discussed in this course.
Students are expected to use both primary and secondary source materials
in their research, which can include participation/attendance at local events
and screenings. These papers will
be 10-12 pages (double-spaced) in length with illustrations at the end and a
full bibliography. In weeks 13 and
14, students are to present a 10-minute audio-visual presentation to the class
followed by brief discussion.
An extended assignment guideline, along with potential research
questions will be posted to the course website. Students are encouraged to discuss their projects early with
me early in the semester, so that I can guide you to helpful resources.
Final Grade
Calculation
Participation /Attendance 15%
Response Papers 30%
Critical Essay 15%
Final Project 40%
Required Reading
All reading for this course will be available online via BobCat,
Blackboard, or ERes. A number of
readings are also drawn from Urban
Screens Reader, available for download via http://www.networkcultures.org/_uploads/US_layout_01022010.pdf
Recommended Reading
Some very helpful books that are available via Amazon fairly
inexpensively are Kate Muldoch, Screens:
Viewing Media Installation Art (Univ of Minn Press, 2009) – two
chapters of this are required reading, so you may wish to purchase
Expanded Cinema: Art
Performance Film (Tate, 2010) – there are also a number of required
readings drawn from this very thorough reader
Michael Rush, New Media in Art
2nd Edition (Thames and Hudson, 2005) – very readable introduction
across different periods and media. Great background and a helpful source for
paper ideas!
It is recommended that you use a recent edition of either the Chicago Manual of Style or Kate
Turabian’s style guide for how to format citations and bibliographies. Abbreviated guidelines are available
online and the full texts are in the reference section of any of the New School
or NYU libraries.
Online Participation – Course Blog
Given the fleeting, temporal nature of a lot of the issues we will be
discussing in this course, all students must follow and interact with the
course blog. There is a discussion
board on there for weekly readings, and all students will have the ability to
post things they’ve seen around town or interacted with. I will also post materials in
preparation for class – mostly videos relevant to the art to be discussed.
I also have a Twitter account for this class @ParsonsAnnie.
Class Policies:
Responsibility
Students are responsible for all assignments, even
if they are absent. Late papers,
failure to complete the readings assigned for class discussion, and lack of
preparedness for in-class discussions and presentations will jeopardize your
successful completion of this course.
Email
You
are responsible for checking email regularly, as important announcements and
changes will be sent to you via your newschool.edu address. My email policy is that I will answer
emails within 24 hours on a weekday and 48 hours on weekends. Please do not email me the night before
an assignment is due expecting an important answer.
Participation
Class participation is an essential part of class
and includes: keeping up with reading, contributing meaningfully to class
discussions, active participation in group work, and posting to the course’s
online resources.
Attendance
Attendance in class is mandatory, as is
punctuality. Two unexcused absences will result in a failing grade for the
“Participation” percentage. Three
unexcused absences will result in failure of the entire course.
Cell Phones and Laptops
Since they are too
distracting, cell phones and laptops are not allowed during class time, unless
you have special permission or it is part of an assignment or presentation we
are doing in class.
Academic Integrity
This is the university’s Statement on Academic
Integrity: “Plagiarism and cheating of any kind in the course of academic work
will not be tolerated. Academic
honesty includes accurate use of quotations, as well as appropriate and
explicit citation of sources in instances of paraphrasing and describing ideas,
or reporting on research findings or any aspect of the work of others
(including that of instructors and other students). These standards of academic honesty and citation of sources
apply to all forms of academic work (examinations, essays, theses, computer
work, art and design work, oral presentations, and other projects).”
It is the responsibility of students to learn the procedures
specific to their discipline for correctly and appropriately differentiating
their own work from that of others.
Compromising your academic integrity may lead to serious consequences,
including (but not limited to) one or more of the following: failure of the
assignment, failure of the course, academic warning, disciplinary probation,
suspension from the university, or dismissal from the university.
Every student at Parsons signs an Academic
Integrity Statement as a part of the registration process. Thus, you are held responsible for
being familiar with, understanding, adhering to and upholding the spirit and
standards of academic integrity as set forth by the Parsons Student Handbook.
Guidelines for Written Assignments
Plagiarism is the use of another person's words or
ideas in any academic work using books, journals, internet postings, or other
student papers without proper acknowledgment. For further information on proper
acknowledgment and plagiarism, including expectations for paraphrasing source
material and proper forms of citation in research and writing, students should
consult the Chicago Manual of Style (cf. Turabian, 6th edition). The
University Writing Center also provides useful on-line resources to help
students understand and avoid plagiarism. See http://www.newschool.edu/admin/writingcenter/.
Students must receive prior permission from
instructors to submit the same or substantially overlapping material for two
different assignments. Submission
of the same work for two assignments without the prior permission of
instructors is plagiarism.
The
plagiarism policy for this course is zero tolerance. If you plagiarize, you will receive an automatic ZERO for
the assignment and you will be reported to advising.
Student Disability Services
In
keeping with the University’s policy of providing equal access for students
with disabilities, any student with a disability who needs academic
accommodations is welcome to meet with me privately. All conversations will be kept confidential. Students requesting any accommodations
will also need to meet with Jason Luchs in the office of Student Disability
Services, who will conduct an intake, and if appropriate, provide an academic accommodation
notification letter to you to bring to me. At that point I will review the letter with you and discuss
these accommodations in relation to this course. Mr. Luchs’ office is located in 79 Fifth Avenue, 5th
floor. His direct line is (212) 229-5626 x3135. You may also access more information through the
University’s web site at http://www.newschool.edu/studentservices/disability/
.
Grading Standards:
What follows is Parsons’ grading standards for written work. If you have any questions about grading
as the semester goes forward, don’t hesitate to ask.
F
Failing grades are given for required work that is not submitted, for
incomplete final projects or for examinations that are not taken (without prior
notification and approval). Make-up work or completion of missed examinations
may be permitted only with the approval of the instructor and the program
director.
D
The paper adheres to all of the general guidelines of formatting,
page-length, and the minimum terms of the assignment. Written work receiving a “D” grade may be a simple
restatement of fact or commonly-held opinion. These kinds of papers also will tend to put forward
obviously contradictory or conflicting points of view. “D” papers may also have serious
organizational and grammatical errors in evidence, which may or may not impede
the reader’s ability to understand the author’s point.
C/C+
These are average papers.
They will demonstrate some success in engaging with the assigned
readings or material. The paper
will show that the student can identify and work with key terms and passages in
a text and apply them to ideas and examples found in other texts, or other outside
material. Additionally, the paper
will demonstrate effort in the areas of analysis and critical thinking by
posing an interesting problem or question. Typical of a “C/C+” paper, however, is that the original
problem or question, once asked, does not move the paper forward. Often, there is no real solution given,
or there is a variety of possible solutions put forward without a clear sense
of where the author’s commitment lies. “C/C+” papers may also have significant
organizational, grammatical and/or editorial errors in evidence. These errors may periodically impede
the reader’s ability to understand the author’s point, or may lead to a paper
that seems repetitive or circular.
B/B+
These are very good papers. The “B/B+” paper does everything a “C/C+”
paper does, but offers a sustained and meaningful structure to a critical
endeavor that is more complex than a paper at the “C/C+” level. What also distinguishes a “B/B+” paper
is the author’s ability to offer a unique insight, to ask questions of primary
or secondary source material, and/or to set up a debate between texts or points
of view. The author’s point of
view is clear and an argument is sustained fairly consistently throughout the
paper. “B/B+” papers are logically
organized, and also respond to the assignment in thoughtful and distinctive
ways. Although minor grammatical
and editorial errors may be present, they are under control and do not impede
meaning or clarity in the paper.
A
These are exceptionally good papers that go above and beyond the
expectations and requirements set forth in the assignment. They demonstrate substantial effort and
achievement in the areas of critical thinking and scholarship. They also
demonstrate considerable interpretive connections between concrete ideas or
textual moments, a high level of analysis, and flexibility of argument. The argument or point of view that is
offered is consistent throughout the paper, and governs the use and
interpretation of all examples, and primary and/or secondary source material. “A” papers are very well organized, and
are free of grammatical and editorial errors.
Given these criteria, the majority of papers in your class can be
expected to fall in the “C” to “B+” range. Although minus grades are not included here, you may,
of course, assign them at your discretion. Generally, minus grades are used in those cases where a
student has fallen just short of achieving all the elements characterizing a
paper in a particular grade range.
I
A grade of I (Incomplete), signifying a temporary deferment of a regular
grade, may be assigned when coursework has been delayed at the end of the
semester for unavoidable and legitimate reasons. Incomplete grades are given
only with the written approval of the instructor and the program director. The
Request for an Incomplete Grade form must be filled out by the student and
instructor prior to the end of the semester.
For undergraduate students, if a grade of incomplete is approved,
outstanding work must be submitted by the seventh week of the following Fall
semester (for Spring and Summer courses) or by the seventh week of the
following Spring semester (for Fall courses). Otherwise, a grade of I will
automatically convert to a permanent unofficial withdrawal (WF) after a period
of four weeks.
