New York City: A Laboratory of Modern Life
Monday and Wednesday 6:30pm, Instructor: Gabriel Barcia-Colombo email: gabebc.itp@gmail.com
It is the inherent social nature of people and of creativity that makes New York City so important to the arts. Whether it's high-brow or low-brow, high culture, or street culture, New York City remains an important international center for music, film, theater, dance and visual art. This workshop focuses on creating mixed media art inspired by and created for New York City. Over the course of the session, students study the "cultural economy" of the city, through an in depth examination of current New York based photographers, filmmakers, and installation and performance artists. Students will then create four unique pieces of their own, inspired by these artists and energized by the social nature of the city. These pieces take the form of photography, audio art, documentary video, and site specific public installation. Class time is devoted to lectures, guest speakers, field trips and critique. Basic video and audio editing will be covered in lab sessions.
Resources:
ITP Video Help page
itp-video@forums.nyu.edu
Work:
Students should keep an online blog of their individual work created
over the summer semester, as well as observations and questions raised
in class. This blog must be updated every week with new and fascinating
material! Get your free blogs here: Tumblr (very simple blogging) WordPress (preferred)
Assignments:
Each week, students will create a new art assignment. These assignments
include photography, audio podcasts, and narrative/documentary pieces
and performance art. Assignments will be critiqued in class on the week
they are due.
Grading:
Grading will be determined as follows:
Assignments and maintaining online journal/blog 60%
In class participation 10%
Final Project 30%
Class Guidelines/Policy:
Students are expected to come to every class and engage actively in
discussion. If for some reason you have to go to a wedding or bar
mitzvah or a tornado hits your apartment please let me know before the
missed class.
Pay attention during class. Laptops may be used to take notes but not during student presentations.
Class Readings will be distributed online or during class as print outs. These readings include excerpts from "The Warhol Economy," "The Death and Life of Great American Cities" and "Take the F" and Rem Koolhaus' Delirious NY
Class 1: July 6th
Class Introduction
Photography and New York City: From Weegee to Arbus and On.
In Class /Out of Class Photography assignmentNYC PHOTO BLOGS
Assignment #1: Capturing the City
Due Class 2: Meet someone new in the city. Interview them and present us with 10 photos that depict their life and relationship to the city itself. These photos can be taken via cellphone, digital camera, polaroid...get creative.
Class 2: July 11th
Review Assignment #1: Capturing the City
Sounds of the City: Audio Art in New York City
Janet Cardiff's Audio Tours of Central Park, David Byrne's "Playing the City,"Assignment #2: Tour De Force
Due Class 4, Audio samples due Class 3
Create an audio podcast tour of washington square park.
Class 3: July 13th
Audio Editing techniques
Go on Chinatown audio walk
Review Audio samples from initial recordings.
Assignment: Continue working on Assignment #2Export and upload final audio tour to your blog.
Class 4: July 18th
Public Art: Madison Square Park, PLOP art and the PAF Christo, Anish Kapoor, Louise Bourgeoise, Olafur Eliasson
Coney Island's Parachute Jump, Dubuffet's Groupe des Quatre Arbes, James Carpenter's Ice FallsAssignment: Read Jane Jacobs' "The Death and Life of Great American Cities" Excerpts
Class 5: July 20th
Go on Audio Tours.
Discuss Jane Jacobs
Assignment: Design and prototype a public art installation. Create a model, video or photo montage which illustrates how this art installation would interract with the public. Due Class 7
Class 6: July 25th
Graffiti Subculture: Wildstyle and the Warriors
Zoo York and the central park zoo tunnel.Assignment: Continue to work on Public Art Installation. Due Next Class
Read Bombing Modernism
Read Handout from "The Warhol Economy: How Fashion, Art and Music Drive New York City" by Elizabeth Currid
Class 7: July 27th
Review Public Art Installation
Performance Art in the City: Vito Aconci, Marina Abramovic, Tehcning Hseih, Improv Everywhere, Laurie Anderson
Assignment: Create a performance piece designed to be executed in public. Perform and document your piece to be screened in class on Class 9
Read Coney Island Chapter of Delirious New York by Koolhaas
Class 8 : August 1st
The Big City in Popular Culture
Sophisticated New York: Film & the Early Days of Big City Celluloid
Chaos and the Urban Jungle: Taxi Driver, French Connection, Midnight Cowboy
Clean & Friendly: The New York of Seinfeld and Friends
Assignment: Read "Scenes From the City: Filmmaking in New York, 1966-2006" by James Sanders
Class 9 : August 3rd
Present Performance Pieces
Guest Speaker: Andy Maskin and his New York Walks
Assignment: Create a short film based on or inspired by New York City film/video artists. Due: Final Class
Class 10 : August 8th
Field Trip: TBD
Class 11 :August 10th
Screen Dailies for final film project.
Guest Speaker: TBA
Class 12: August 5th
Screen Final Projects.