Undergraduate Course: Body As Artistic Material (ARTX08072)
Course Outline
| School | Edinburgh College of Art |
College | College of Humanities and Social Science |
| Credit level (Normal year taken) | SCQF Level 8 (Year 2 Undergraduate) |
Availability | Available to all students |
| SCQF Credits | 20 |
ECTS Credits | 10 |
| Summary | This course explores different approaches to the body in the context of current post-media practice, informed by earlier forms of convergence between visual arts and performance practices, such Neo-Dada, Performance Art in USA and Live Art in the UK. The course will be delivered through a combination of lectures and workshops, and students will be expected to produce practical projects supported by critical documentation.
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| Course description |
When artists such as Vito Acconci started using their bodies as part of their artworks halfway through the 20th century, an important change took place in visual art practices. Artists' bodies became a type of artistic material equivalent to paint, stone etc, and new opportunities opened up for the role of the body, both in visual and performing arts. Since 2010, there has been a renewed curatorial interest in this area, evidenced in a series of exhibitions about performative practices in major venues around the world (such as the Hayward Gallery and Barbican Centre in London, ZKM in Germany and Tramway in Scotland), which encourage new and more radical explorations of the body as artistic material.
In this course, we will approach the body as artistic material through experiments informed by:
* Key artistic contexts and groups which addressed the body as material in their explorations during the 20th century (such as Black Mountain, Fluxus and Judson Dance Theater)
* New concepts of the body as introduced by artists/theorists (such as Yvonne Rainer and Robert Morris), curators/theorists (such as Andre Lepecki) or philosophers (such as Brian Massumi)
* New approaches to art historical narratives informed by an emphasis on cultural issues (such as the role of multiculturalism in British Live art)
* New curatorial concerns and possibilities as evidenced in current artistic work about the body presented in major festivals (such as Documenta and the Venice Biennale)
The course will be delivered through lectures, seminars, workshops and individual research leading to project proposals, followed by a period of supervised project development and production leading to exhibition of works exploring body as material. Students will be encouraged to use the course content and practical workshops in order to explore their interests through engaging with any medium (and combinations of media). Students could work both collaboratively and individually. In both cases they will be expected to produce high quality documentation in online research journals. Finally students will be participating in some form of workshop every week, alongside the lecture and will be receiving informal feedback about their work during the weekly workshops and also in relation to their weekly postings in their online research journals.
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Entry Requirements (not applicable to Visiting Students)
| Pre-requisites |
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Co-requisites | |
| Prohibited Combinations | |
Other requirements | None |
| Additional Costs | Students are expected to pay for Art Materials and Equipment. Specific materials and equipment costs will vary depending on students' individual choice of method of production. |
Information for Visiting Students
| Pre-requisites | None |
| High Demand Course? |
Yes |
Course Delivery Information
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| Academic year 2017/18, Available to all students (SV1)
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Quota: 22 |
| Course Start |
Semester 1 |
Timetable |
Timetable |
| Learning and Teaching activities (Further Info) |
Total Hours:
200
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Lecture Hours 10,
Seminar/Tutorial Hours 6,
Supervised Practical/Workshop/Studio Hours 10,
Fieldwork Hours 10,
Feedback/Feedforward Hours 3,
Formative Assessment Hours 3,
Summative Assessment Hours 4,
Programme Level Learning and Teaching Hours 4,
Directed Learning and Independent Learning Hours
150 )
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| Assessment (Further Info) |
Written Exam
0 %,
Coursework
100 %,
Practical Exam
0 %
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| Additional Information (Assessment) |
Formative assessment:
Students will be expected to prepare and present proposals for personal or group work including contextual material presented to staff and peers. Verbal feedback will be provided for this work, but there will be no grades.
PRESENTATION DAY: Week 5 (Place, date and time to be confirmed in Course Handbook)
Summative assessment:
Coursework 100% (practical work 50% and digital portfolio 50%). Students will be expected to present the following:
A) Practical work: installation of their object-based work in a physical space for assessment, or presentation of performance work in an appropriate space, plus a statement (between 300 and 400 words) to be read out during the presentation. This can be individual works or collaborations. Note: If the work is collaborative then the statement is expected to be collaboratively written.
PRESENTATION DAY: Week 11 (Place, date and time to be confirmed in Course Handbook)
B) Digital portfolio: this will be submitted on Learn as a single PDF file with three subheadings covering the following:
1: Evidence of research into current and historical practice centred on The body as Material.
2: A report outlining your engagement, intent and reflection on your realized work. (Maximum of 1,000 words)
3: Evidence of production of realized art work based on proposal at formative assessment.
Note: If the work is collaborative, individual students are expected to submit individual portfolios which provides evidence of their personal engagement.
SUBMISSION DATE: Week 13 (Date and time to be confirmed in Course Handbook)
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| Feedback |
Formative assessment will take place in week 5. Students will receive verbal feedback.
Summative assessment will take place towards the end of the course, with studio presentations in week 11 and final submission (on learn) in week 13. Students will receive written feedback. |
| No Exam Information |
Learning Outcomes
On completion of this course, the student will be able to:
- Present evidence of research and investigation into current and historical responses to the body in creative practice.
- Present evidence of having engaged in a range of working methods articulated through personal practice.
- Present a resolved work that articulates a personal response to the subject.
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Reading List
Gareis, Sigrid et al (ed)(2013), Moments: A History of Performance in 10 Acts, Exhibition Catalogue (bilingual), ZKM, Karlsruhe, Germany: Verlag der Buchhandlung Walther Konig
Goldberg, RoseLee (ed) (2009), Everywhere and All at Once: An Anthology of Writings on Performa 07, Zurich, Switzerland: jrp/ringier
Rosenthal, Stephanie (2010) Move. Choreographing You, Exhibition Catalogue, Hayward Gallery , London, UK: Hayward Publishing
Yee, Lydia et al (2011) Laurie Anderson, Trisha Brown, Gordon Matta-Clark: Pioneers of the Downtown Scene, New York 1970s, Exhibition Catalogue, New York: Prestel
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Additional Information
| Graduate Attributes and Skills |
* Development of observational and analytical skills
* Development of abilities of planning and resolving a personally motivated project, as well as collaborative practice of working
* Development of research skills, library and location based and through the use of a variety of personal and institutional resources
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| Keywords | Body,movement,performance,Fluxus,neo-dada,intermedia,post-media,experimental dance,Live Art |
Contacts
| Course organiser | Dr Sophia Lycouris
Tel: 0131 221 6291
Email: |
Course secretary | Miss Ellie Mccartney
Tel: (0131 6)51 5879
Email: |
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