arts

VPSA62H3 Foundation Studies in Studio • Fall 2015 • Department of Arts, Culture and Media | Studio

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Course Outline Course: FOUNDATION STUDIES in STUDIO Course Number: VPSA62H3 Co-requisite: VPSA63H3 (But Why is it Art?) Class Hours: Tuesday 2pm – 5pm Lecturer: Professor Tanya Mars Office: AA324 Office hours: Tuesday, 11am to 1pm or by appointment Email: [email protected] Foundation Studies in Studio is an introduction to the importance of content and context in the making of contemporary art. You will be expected to draw on a variety of methods/practices and to mine your own experiences to create works. Readings, presentations, gallery visits and class discussions will provide a foundation for your investigations.

Along with content/context and methods/practice, the goals of this course are to challenge your preconceptions about art; to help you develop a rigorous, independent work ethic; and to teach you to develop a critical eye and a sophisticated art vocabulary. You will be given a series of projects that are designed to challenge you and your imagination. Finding creative solutions to these projects may take more time and thought than you are accustomed to putting into art projects. You will not be given examples of how to solve assignments because the point is to learn how to find your own solutions to the problems. Don’t panic. Open your mind. Learn to take chances. Learn to experiment. Be sure to remember to use library resources, as well as the Internet to do research. Foundation Studies in Studio is intended to prepare you for further study in Studio. Important Dates Project 1: Modular Material September 22 Project 2: Text as Image/Language as Art October 20 Project 3: Site-specific Art November 10 Project 4: Performance Art (For One) December 1 Quiz on the reading “Art and Difficulty” October 27 Field Trip October 6 Draft of Critical Response October 27 Critical Response November 17 Research Assignment 1 September 15 Research Assignment 2 October 20 Research Assignment 3 November 10 Research Assignment 4 November 24 Research Notebook December 1 Grading Scheme Modular Material 15% Text as Image/Language as Art 15% Site 15% Performance 15% Quiz 5% Critical Writing 10% Research Notebook 10% Fabrication Studio Lab Service 2% Participation/Development 13% 100%

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Grading Scale For grading scales and an explanation of what grades mean, please refer to the Academic Handbook available on line at the U of T website. What is your mark based on? A mark will be given to you for each project after it is critiqued. Work not critiqued in class will not be graded. Critical writing and quizzes will be marked in a timely fashion. Marks are based on adherence to project parameters, clarity of concept and effective integration of materials and process, complexity of project, execution, presentation and attention to detail. Students are expected to approach the assignments and projects as an opportunity to explore and produce creative solutions to complex visual problems. All work must be completed by its due date.

Late work will be marked one grade lower per week (class) late: For example, if you submit an assignment one week past the due date and if it is marked as a B, it will be lowered to a C, simply because it is late. Obviously, work due on the last day of classes will not be accepted after that date. If you are ill and miss classes/assignments you will be required to provide a verification of illness from a doctor in compliance with University regulations. Form: http://www.utsc.utoronto.ca/~registrar/resources/pdf_general/UTSCmedicalcertificate.pdf Participation/Development The participation/development grade reflects a combination of the following: thoughtful contributions to discussions and critiques; full attendance and arriving to class on time; cooperation and assistance during presentations/critiques; demonstrated growth over the course of the semester; completion of the Level 1 workshop + Lab Service and attendance at two visiting artist lectures (see below). Critiques You must attend and participate in all critiques. Critiques allow you to discuss the issues associated with choice of material, presentation, and differences in perception. For example, when is elegance necessary and when is crudeness necessary? Do we all understand an image in the same way? Why not? The discussions of these questions will point you toward more complex responses to your projects. This complexity will be reflected in grades. If you choose to ignore the ideas discussed in the critiques (or worse yet don’t attend) the possibility of developing your critical skills will be greatly reduced. Think of critiques as an opportunity for you to learn how to talk about both the technical and conceptual aspects of your work. Visiting Artists There will be a series of Visiting Artist lectures on campus throughout the term. You are encouraged to attend as many of these lectures as you are able, since listening to artists talk about their work will give you inspiration. In addition, attending visiting artist lectures will be considered positively in your participation/development mark. Information on the Visiting Artists series and how to sign up will be available soon. Required Reading and Quiz There will be a quiz on the reading: Chapter 4, “Art and Difficulty,” in Leonard Diepeveen and Timothy Van Laar, Art with a Difference: Looking at Difficult and Unfamiliar Art, pp.93-121. This text will be available as a PDF on the intranet. The book is also available in the library.

VPSA62H3 Foundation Studies in Studio • Fall 2015 • Department of Arts, Culture and Media | Studio

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Writing One writing assignment will be given during the term. This will be a 1,000 word Critical Response to a work or series of works that you found difficult during our field trip to downtown galleries. Being able to articulate clearly what you think about what you see is an important part of being an artist. This writing should reflect some of the ideas that are discussed in class during critiques as well as some of the ideas in the reading of “Art and Difficulty.” It is important for you to develop a sophisticated and knowledgeable contemporary art vocabulary. Note about plagiarism In the majority of cases, plagiarism happens unintentionally. You can review the University of Toronto’s notes on “How Not to Plagiarize” at: http://www.writing.utoronto.ca/advice/using-sources/how-not-to-plagiarize or on Blackboard. If you are experiencing any difficulty with reading and language, or if you want to develop more effective study skills, the university has many services to assist you. Don’t think of these resources as remedial or only for those who speak English as a second language. Reading, writing, thinking are complex skills that require practice and fine-tuning, so the more you learn about these skills the better. Some of the learning resources/services offered at UTSC include:

English Language Development http://www.ctl.utsc.utoronto.ca/eld/ The Writing Centre http://www.ctl.utsc.utoronto.ca/twc Centre for Teaching & Learning http://www.utsc.utoronto.ca/ctl Materials for Projects You will provide your own materials, as needed, for each project. Getting materials and supplies are up to you. Check with your instructor or senior students for places to shop or scrounge for materials. Be aware that using appropriate and good materials is essential to a successful project: please refrain from using CD disks, garbage bags, or computer paper, unless they strongly support a statement you are making. Read the assignments carefully so that you will be prepared.

There can be no use of toxic materials in the studio (this includes oil-based paint). If you are unsure of whether a material is toxic, please speak to your instructor. You have access to the Fabrication Lab 2 [SW105] and the Mac Multi-Media Lab. What are your Responsibilities? You will be sharing the studio with other students in this course. This is your collective space. That means that you are responsible for the space. You are welcome to eat and study here as well as work, when classes are not in session, but you must throw out your own garbage and help keep the studio clean.

Every art student will be given the keypad access code that allows entrance after 5 p.m. when the doors are locked by maintenance staff.

Students not enrolled in our department are not allowed in the studios after 5 p.m. KEYPAD CODEs for both AA305A and AA307 will be given to you during the first day of class.

PLEASE DO NOT SHARE THIS ACCESS CODE WITH NON-STUDIO STUDENTS.

Students with a disability/health consideration are encouraged to approach the ACCESSABILITY Services Office. 416- 287-7560. Students can also drop by the office, S302B, inside the Resource Centre. The Coordinator is also available for appointments.

VPSA62H3 Foundation Studies in Studio • Fall 2015 • Department of Arts, Culture and Media | Studio

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Level 1 Workshop All Foundation students are REQUIRED to complete the Level 1 training workshop to learn how to use the Fabrication Lab and how to use basic hand tools safely. This workshop will take place during the second class in Fab Lab 2 [SW105]. If you miss this class, you will be required to take the Level 1 workshop at one of two make-up sessions that will be posted during the term. If you fail to take the workshop, you will not only lose marks from your Participation Mark, you will NOT be able to use the labs in order to complete projects for other Studio courses. Becoming comfortable and understanding the safety regulations in the labs is an extremely important part of the Studio Program.

The Level 1 workshop includes an on-line component on WHMIS (Workplace Hazardous Materials Information System) training that must also be successfully completed in order to access the Fab Labs with Level 1 privileges. Detailed instructions on how to access the on-line WHMIS training is included in the “Arts, Culture and Media Visual: Shop and Safety Plan and Manual” you receive when you attend the Level 1 workshop. Once you have completed WHMIS, take a screen shot of the last screen to the Lab technician. He will then record that your Level 1 training is complete.

Lab Service All students who use the Fabrication Labs must contribute 1 hour of service during the semester. This is a community building process and your opportunity to understand how a studio/shop functions. Sign up in Fab Lab 2 and the technician will give you a task. This service is worth 2% of your participation grade.

Basic Tools and PPE (Personal Protective Equipment) These are required: • safety glasses · make sure they have side shields to prevent objects coming from an oblique angle and striking the eyes and that they are able to fit over top of prescription glasses. · Prescription glasses cannot substitute for proper eye protection. • ear plugs (disposable or semi-permanent) • x-acto knife with a locking blade + spare blades • ruler with cork back

Start collecting tools; keep them in a shoebox or a toolbox. Start with the items above and add to your tools as needed. FYI (For Your Information)

• Some Contemporary Art magazines: Art Forum, Art News, Art in America, Artpapers, Border Crossings, C Magazine, Cabinet, Canadian Art, Contemporary, Fillip, Fuse, Parkett, Modern Painters, Frieze, Flash Art, Esse. You can get an extensive list of art magazines on the Internet. There are also on-line only “magazines”such as Total Art Journal (totalartjournal.com) and some of the print magazines have on-line versions and/or back issues available for viewing.

• The Art Gallery of Ontario is free on Wednesday nights 6 – 8:30 p.m.

• Most galleries are closed on Mondays but many are open on Saturdays and sometimes Sundays

• Check Saturday’s Globe and Mail, Thursday’s Toronto Star, Saturday’s National Post, and Thursday’s NOW magazine (free), and artoronto.ca for announcements, reviews and listings of exhibitions and other art events

• The Power Plant Contemporary Art Galley (located at Harbourfront Centre, and free on Wednesday‘s from 5 – 8 p.m.) is dedicated to exhibiting contemporary art.

• There are two galleries on Scarborough campus:

・ The Doris McCarthy Gallery, which has regular exhibitions by professional contemporary artists

・ Gallery 1265, the student gallery run by Studio students, is located in the Meeting Place

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STUDIO PROJECTS PROJECT 1: MODULAR MATERIAL Due: September 22 The goal of this project is to repurpose manufactured objects from their common use into an art object. You will build a modular sculpture. Your sculpture can be any geometric form: a box/cube, sphere, cone, pyramid or cylinder, etc. You can choose between two approaches:

1. Take apart one manufactured object and rearrange it into a geometric sculpture OR

2. Build a geometric sculpture using multiples of one kind of manufactured object. Develop a logic of construction. Let the qualities and characteristics of the object to inform the shape and size of the sculpture that you construct. Let these qualities and characteristics also help you think through ideas of volume. Volume can be both the quantity of the objects but it can also be space inside or around the object. Before you commit to an idea for your sculpture, experiment with your object. Pull it apart, test its physical limits, use it, repurpose it. An understanding of your object will emerge from play. Explore the way in which colour, pattern, size, repetition determine the final form your sculpture could take. Consider how volume is achieved and explored through process, form and material – how these choices are combined to make a clear and integrated concept.

• Your completed sculpture must be a stable, self-contained object with all of its individual components purposefully fixed into place. You may use glue, hardware, gravity, etc but how you choose to hold your manufactured objects together needs to be considered carefully.

• Your consideration of volume must be evident in how you design your object: volume is BOTH mass and

negative space.

• The size of your sculpture matters. For this first work a minimum size of 12 inches by 12 inches by 12 inches is required.

Materials you may NOT use: mirrors, CDs, DVDs, food or computer paper. Look at Dada, Surrealism, Minimalism, as well as the works of: Carl Andre, Tom Friedman, Tara Donavan, Tony Cragg, Cornelia Parker, Mona Hatoum, Sierra Santiago, Adrien Spier, Ai Weiwei, Brian Jungen, Griffith Aaron Baker, Choi Jeong Hwa, Alexis O’Hara, Maia Urstad, Charlotte Posenenske PROJECT 2: TEXT AS IMAGE/LANGUAGE AS ART Due: October 20 This project focuses on the use of text as both image and content. You will experiment with typography and text. Choose a word from the list below. Give careful consideration to the material that you use to make your word. Think about the meaning of your word and how it interacts with the materials you choose. The material itself will contain information that will make a difference to the context and underlying concept of your work. Choose one word from this list: silence, fail, compress, addition, subtraction, disrupt, rerun, elimination, eradicate, roam, stretch, swell, doubt, crave, guess, cling, esteem, persecute, betray, astonish, conviction, melancholy, fix, dismay, delight, strain, lust, obey, lament, pull, tension, agitate, exhilaration, obsess, blur.

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Using whatever means necessary, present the word so that you express its meaning. You are not restricted in the scale of your work. You may execute your project in 2D or 3D by drawing letters, tracing letters, cutting and pasting letters, creating your own stencil, or working with materials to create volume, etc. You are to use only text. You are restricted to one font but you may combine processes. You may repeat, omit, slice, block, or overlap words or letters, etc. Consider the entire space of your presentation (both ground and figure). Spatial considerations will shift depending on whether you are creating a 2D or 3D work.

Materials you may NOT use: mirrors, CDs, DVDs, food or computer paper. Look at Dada, Futurist, Surrealist, Constructivist and Bauhaus typography. Look at works by contemporary artists such as Micah Lexier, Therese Mastroiocovo, Ed Ruscha, Ian Carr-Harris, Melanie Counsell, Michael Snow, Raymond Queneau, Kay Rosen. Or these artists who use language or text in a more sculptural or performative way: Hanne Darboven, On Kawara, Gu Wenda, Xu Bing, Kelly Mark. A useful website: www.thinkingwithtype.com PROJECT 3: SITE-SPECIFIC ART Due: November 10 Choose a place on campus and make a work in such a way that the work is “bound” to this place. Provide the viewer (and yourself) with an experience where at least one of your senses is heightened. You may use any material. This artwork can be installed anywhere on campus outside of the studio. Think about the consequences of your choice of location, i.e. is permission required? Think of this as an “intervention” into the public. Think about the relevance of taking art into the street, into a public arena. Think about the impact of traditional public art versus an intervention. Think about both the obvious political/social significance of your choice, and the more subtle meanings, the subtext. For permission contact Alex Macauley in writing: [email protected]

For permission to use an area in the library, please note that you need to contact the Coordinator of Circulation at least 72 hours in advance. For details see: http://utsc.library.utoronto.ca/guidelines-student-art-projects

Materials you may NOT use: Computer Paper or Garbage Bags. Look at the work of Kurt Schwitters, Judy Pfaff, Daniel Buren, Andy Goldsworthy, Christian Boltanski, Krzysztof Wodiczko, Fluxus, Walter de Maria, James Turrell, Christo and Jeanne-Claude, Mona Hatoum, Rachel Whiteread, Hamish Fulton, Mark Dion, Dan Graham, Sarah Tze, Karen Henderson, Gwen MacGregor, Jean-Pierre Gautier, David McFarlane, Liz Magor, Janet Morton, N.E.Thing Company, Cornelia Parker, Simon Starling, Maya Lin, Cai Guo-Qiang, Santiago Sierra, Pae White, Mark Wallinger, Susan Philipsz, Jeremy Deller. PROJECT 4: PERFORMANCE ART (FOR ONE) Due: December 1 Create a performance work using a piece of fruit (any kind) and an action within a 24 inch/61cm square. Maximum duration is 5 minutes. Your performance may take place inside or outside the studio. Think about the totality of the work. Think about the space parameters and how you will work that restriction to your advantage. Consider the location and how it informs the piece. If you perform outside of the studio, will your choice of location require permission? How

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will the body look in the space? Will it require the addition or reduction of specific clothing and or covering? Think about your choice of fruit. What information does your fruit choice bring to the performance? Look at the work of Rebecca Horn, Coco Fusco and Guillermo Gomez-Pena, Eleanor Antin, Suzy Lake, Stelarc, Allison Knowles, Cindy Sherman, Robert Mapplethorpe, Janieta Eyre, Diana Thorneycroft, Rebecca Belmore, Lucy Pullen, Orlan, Chuck Close, Carla Williams, Martha Wilson, David Buchan, Louise Liliefeldt, Rirkrit Tiravanija, Black Market, Carolee Schneemann, James Luna, Linda Montano and Tsehching Tseh, Marina Abramovic and Ulay, Andre Stitt, Roy Vaara, Alaister McLennan, Shawna Dempsey and Lorri Millan, Margaret Dragu, Sinead O’Donnell, Clive Robertson, Cheryl L’Hirondelle, Julie Andree T, Ester Ferrar, Zhang Huan, Andrea Zittel, Erwin Wurm. CRITICAL RESPONSE writing assignment Due: Draft, October 27 / Final, November 17 Being able to articulate clearly what you think is an important part of being an artist. As a class we will take a field trip to several exhibitions in downtown Toronto. You will see many things that you might not consider art. Using the reading “Art and Difficulty” as a starting point, you will write a 1,000 word critical response to one work that you found difficult on the field trip (how the work is difficult may vary for each of you, BUT this difficulty DOES NOT refer to how hard it was to make the work). The first draft of your critical response will be given in class to another student who will give you editing feedback about your ideas, your grammar and the strength of your arguments. With this feedback and after discussion in class, you will re-write your critical response and hand it in. The objective of this assignment is twofold: to demonstrate an understanding of concepts covered in the chapter by articulating what you see, think and understand about an artwork; and to becomes aware of the fact that writing requires editing and re-writing. You will include in your written response a minimum of three citations (quotes from the reading). Research Sketchbook Size: it must be 8 ½ x 11 inches or larger with 50 – 100 pages. Don’t forget to put your name and email address in your Research Sketchbook. Bring it to class every week. Research is an essential part of the creative process. Each student will be expected to keep a sketchbook that will contain all forms of research relevant to their studio work. Four research problems will be assigned (see below), each specifically designed to help you with your studio projects. The research assignments will be discussed in class, when possible, to give you added feedback on your project ideas. The research sketchbook is where you collect information and work through ideas. This can include all kinds of things that you find interesting: quotations, printed online articles, newspaper or magazine articles, dreams, images, postcards, things you find, etc. It is a place where you can explore, experiment, and take chances. Other things to include in your research sketchbook:

• notes on artists mentioned in lectures • your WHMIS results should be taped into the sketchbook • notes on artwork encountered on the Field Trip • notes on in-class student critiques – during class, take iphone photos of classmates’ artwork; after class, print

out and describe two projects by students, one that you feel is successful (describe why) and the other that you feel needs to be further resolved (describe how you would resolve it)

• a paragraph or two about each visiting artist: what you liked about the work, what you learned, etc. Research Sketchbooks are due to be handed in several times during the term. Check the Week-by-Week Calendar below for those due dates.

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Research Assignments For each research assignment (there are 4), students will:

• research 20 different works of art by 20 different artists • this work should be relevant to the focus of the corresponding research project • glue an image of each artwork in your sketchbook (minimum size 4 inches by 5 inches) • note the artist’s name, year artwork was created, title of the work, dimensions and any other specific

information about the handling of material and/or process • note your sources using proper MLA bibliographic formatting: http://www.utsc.utoronto.ca/twc/using-and-

citing-sources-0 • use at least 3 different kinds of sources (exhibitions, exhibition catalogues, magazines, books, Internet) • from this list of 20 artworks, pick one that you like and one that you did not like • write four sentences about each artwork explaining why you like/dislike them

Research Assignment 1 Modular Materials Due: September 15 • List 100 materials that can be used for making art works. Think outside the box; be inventive.

・ Choose one manufactured material on your list and make three drawings. ・ Each drawing should demonstrate how the material could be combined into a modular sculptural form. ・ Each drawing will use the same basic material but the sculptural form that it creates (a basic cylinder, sphere, cube, cuboid, cone, triangular-based or square-based pyramid, triangular or hexagonal prism) will be different in the three drawings. ・ Use one full page per drawing. • Research 20 different works of art by 20 different artists who use one or more of the 100 materials. (see above for details on the parameters for notation) Research Assignment 2 Text as Image/Language as Art Due: October 20 • Research 20 different works of art by 20 different artists who use text in their practice.

・ Document one work by each artist (choose artists not designers) (see above for details on the parameters for notation) • Select 10 words from a song (or songs) that you like. Each word must begin with a different letter. ・ Draw each word by hand, using a different typeface/font/style/stencil. ・ Experiment with size, letter spacing, kerning, bold, italic. ・ Draw the letters of each word no smaller than 1 inch/2.5 cm. ・ Each word should be on one page in your notebook. ・ Think about composition, repetition, omission, transparency, colour, etc. • Take 10 or more different pictures of interesting typography that you find around you in real life, examples include on milk cartons, billboards, signs, book covers, make up containers, gas stations, etc.

・ Print these pictures in hard copy and glue them into your notebook. ・ Indicate where you found this typography and why you found it interesting.

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Research Assignment 3 Site-specific Art Due: November 10 • Site-specific art considers dichotomies of the natural versus the built environment, indoors versus outdoors, a space with people activity versus one empty of people, etc. Closely observing a site is an important first step in researching a location for your site-specific piece. ・ Choose a site outside your home and off campus. Observe this site from the beginning of the semester until the Research Assignment is due. The goal is to record the evolution of a site over time. ・ After you choose your location, describe it in detail: where is it? what is it? · You will then make written notes about the changes that have occurred at that site over time, as well as visually documenting those changes. · There must be a minimum of 5 written notations (4 sentences each) and 5 visual documents (printouts of iPhone photos). · Glue onto 5 pages of your sketchbook. ・Next, take photos of 20 sites on campus, both indoors and out. ・Pick 5 sites and document each with 5 images that create a visual narrative. ・From these 5, choose your favourite site. Write a description of why you are drawn to this site. Consider this for the site of your project. • Research the work of 20 professional artists who use site. • Document them in your sketchbook. These site-specific works must not be in a gallery setting. A work in a gallery or museum does not qualify as a site-specific artwork. However, any other interior space could qualify. (see above for details on the parameters for notation)

Research Assignment 4 Performance Art (For One) Due: November 24 • Research the work of 20 performance artists and document them in your sketchbook. (see above for details on the parameters for notation) ・ For research on all kinds of contemporary art, including performance, sound, and film/video, these are indispensable sites: http://www.infraction.info/en/archives/performance-now.html http://www.performanceart.com http://www.ubu.com/ http://www.lilithperformancestudio.com/ ・ Be very detailed and thorough in your descriptions. This must be original writing. Do not borrow or plagiarize from online sources. ・ Attach your responses into your sketchbook alongside the printouts of the images.

• Choose one performance artist whose performance you liked. Write about what you liked and why (150 words). • Choose one performance artist whose performance you didn’t like. Write about what you didn’t like and why (150 words).

NB: Performances take place throughout the term at various galleries and institutions in and around Toronto. Upper level Studio students also create and participate in performance art.

Take the time to research what is going to be happening this term.