FPA 269 & 369 Course Outline
Instructor: Judy Radul, jaradul@sfu.ca
Teaching Assistant: Steven Hubert, smhubert@sfu.ca
This outline is always being updated, please check back often between classes.
Related Social Media Sites
You Tube Channel: SCAtelevision
YouTube User: SCAtelevision (other log in info avail from Judy)
Tumbler: http://scatelevision.tumblr.com/ (other log in info avail from Judy, login with gmail email name and enter password)
Flickr: login: scatelevision (other log in info available from Judy)
SFU Blog: http://blogs.sfu.ca/courses/fall2011/fpa269-369
Support and Reference Materials:
Readings in Prof Copy Binder in Belzberg Library, 4 hr reserve,
Technical Books and Manuals (online)
Video Technical Info and Tips
Week 1
Thursday Sept. 8
Course Orientation
-get a sense of the technical abilities of participants
-look at some online examples
-discuss differences between: a document; a documentary; a report; a journalistic approach; verité approach; written vs. visual; still pictures vs. moving pictures, etc.
Introduction: Reconsidering the Documentary and Contemporary Art
What did Frankfurt School (Herbert Marcuse or Theodore Adorno) mean by “Affirmative Culture” ? In one sense they talked about how we become duty bound to affirm the status quo in the culture through our participation in its many forms. The question for our course is how can we avoid just confirming the status quo of our social moment, and school reality, in our documents. Very likely we’ll have to admit, that in some respects this is impossible to avoid, however lets think and talk about the implications.
As you’re looking at the old clip of Marcuse below, and also doing your research, also consider the clips aesthetically. What is the difference between watching these clips and reading a text? . What is the difference between seeing Marcuse speak and reading his linked text?
HERBERT MARCUSE from The Aesthetic Dimension
The American Poetry Review
Vol. 7, No. 2 (March/April 1978), pp. 13-16, Published by: American Poetry Review
Stable URL: http://www.jstor.org/stable/27775837
Lets think in essays instead of stories, documents instead of opinions.
For Next Class:
Research and come prepared to discuss the differences between different online publishing options. Websites, Blogs, YouTube (or other) “TV Channels”, ITunes U, etc.
Find a website you like (or you like an aspect of) which focuses on cultural programming/reporting be prepared to show it to the group next class and discuss its relationship to the material covered (see below) and strengths and weaknesses. The links above are a good starting place and feel free to present on one of those.
When I suggest you consider the “relationship to the material covered” I don’t mean to emphasize only the visual layout. More interesting is how does the site approach its topic (or does it have many topics.) For instance, do they show “primary source” documents (images or video of the actual event), do they add something of their own as comment, or do they rather focus on working “behind the scenes” in a rehearsal, or do they interview people connected to the topic, or do they take a journalistic approach giving a context, or do they take the approach of “review” giving an opinion. What kind of graphics music and sound effects do they use? All this can be discussed as expressing their relationship to the material they are covering, we might even think of it as the site or authors ethic.
Also begin research into what SCA events you might like to “cover” during the semester.
A bunch of URL’s which are references to interesting sites, you might start your research for sites to present on here:
Week 2
Monday Sept 12:
Come prepared to present your online examples.
First production meeting hearing about peoples ideas for future postings.
Someone should think about covering the Heavy Industries show at the Audain opening this Friday, Sept. 16 (and also their aritst talk).
Thursday Sept 15
Read and come prepared to discuss: Blake Stimson, “The Pivot of the World: Photography and its Nation”, 2006, from The Cinematic, Ed. David Campany (in Prof Copy Binder)
Marey Films, Body Motion
More Reference images etc. for Pivot of the World essay, click here.
A short introduction of the assignment due in week 6: a presentation on an artist who uses “documentary” form, choose: Hito Steyerl, Matthew Buckingham, Harun Farocki, Luke Fowler, Walid Raad, Allan Sekula, Natasha Sadr Haghighian, Deimantas Narkevicius, Gerard Byrne, Artur Zmijewski,
Several of the artists are in this exhibition http://www.bard.edu/ccs/exhibitions/sites/exhibition.php?g=788086&type=1
For reference a conversation between Steyerl and Farocki
Week 3: Your document in images
Monday Sept 19
To Do’s: upload footage from cameras 1 and 6, to external hard drive, or “computer 1” at front of room (if you leave any files there…please mark the computer with a do not delete sign. Anything on the desk top will be deleted so leave them in a clearly marked folder)
Work with a sequence of photo images. You should come to class with the images already recorded and work in class on sequencing them. You can use photoshop, or other software, or you can print them out and arrange them on the wall or a large paper. For the purposes of this assignment the project does not have to be about a school event, but it can be. Half the class will be given over to in class work on these images
Read ahead and DISCUSS:
Facts of Aesthetics and Fictions of Journalism: The Logic of the Media in the Age of Globalization, Stefan Jonsson, The Green Room: Reconsidering the Documentary and Contemporary Art (Prof Copy Binder)
Thursday Sept 22
-beginning of class going over technical preparations, intro to the Vixia Camera
ATTEND – 7-9pm – Djavad Mowafaghian Cinema – Kai Nagata – Is TV News Journalism Salvageable? (for those documenting arrive by 5:45 to set up)
Week 4: Your document in words
Monday Sept 26:
To Do: Download cams 11 and 4
Come prepared with a Document in word form (thinking about a blog format, or even a video format, or another format but using only WORDS)
In class work with video cameras and sound
Thursday Sept 29: In class work with video cameras and sound
Week 5
Monday Oct 3 : In class work, digitizing video in Final Cut Pro
Thursday Oct 6: In class work with video editing
Week 6
Monday Oct 10: HOLIDAY
Thursday Oct 13: In Class Work
Week 7: mixed media documents
Monday Oct 17: Project 1 Due
Thursday Oct 20: In Class Work
Week 8
Monday Oct 24: Read ahead and come prepared to DISCUSS: Research and Display the Transformations of the Documentary Practice in Recent Art, Jan Verwoert (189-210) Reconsidering the Documentary and Contemporary Art (Prof Copy Binder)
http://www.moca.org/blasts/collection_30_green.php
http://www.e-flux.com/journal/view/89
http://www.cepagallery.org/exhibitions/ruinsinreverse/RIR.2104.gallery.greenvid.html
http://whitney.org/Collection/MarthaRosler
Thursday Oct 27: In Class Work
Week 9
Monday Oct 31: Presentation on an artist who uses “documentary” form, choose: Hito Steyerl, Matthew Buckingham, Harun Farocki, Luke Fowler, Walid Raad, Allan Sekula, Natasha Sadr Haghighian, Deimantas Narkevicius, Gerard Byrne, Artur Zmijewski,
Several of the artists are in this exhibition http://www.bard.edu/ccs/exhibitions/sites/exhibition.php?g=788086&type=1
For reference a conversation between Steyerl and Farocki
Deimantas Narkevicius http://www.kunsthalle-bern.ch/en/agenda/exhibition.php?exhibition=89
Thursday Nov 3: Presentations Cont. if needed
Week 10
Monday Nov. 7 : In Class Work
Thursday Nov. 10: Project 2 and 3 Due
Week 11
Monday Nov. 14: In Class Work
Thursday Nov. 17:
“The only relation to art that can be sanctioned in a reality that stands under the constant threat of catastrophe is one that treats works of art with the same deadly seriousness that characterizes the world today.”
(Theodor W. Adorno) (This quote opens Enwezor’s essay)
Read Ahead and Come Prepared to Discuss: Documentary Verite, bio politics, human rights, and the figure of “truth” in contemporary art, Okuwi Enwezor, (63-102) Reconsidering the Documentary and Contemporary Art (Prof Copy Binder) with special guests artist Sylvian Saily and filmmaker Juan Manuel Martinez Sepulveda.
will will also look at and discuss the work of Jean Rouch. Streaming video avaiable here with SFU library login. http://troy.lib.sfu.ca/record=b5705608
Some notes from Sylvain:
The short documentary that Rouch is re-commenting in the documentary (link you sent me) won the prize of the “Festival du Film maudit” of Biarritz in 1949, presided by Jean Cocteau. The surrealists were in the house. Godard, Truffeau, Rivette were in the audience.
Apparently, Godard wanted to name his first feature film, “Breathless”, 1960, “Me a White” in reference to Jean Rouch.
Here is an interesting interview where Godard is explaining why he thinks it’s better to film Jane Fonda than the workers in factories: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hnx7mxjm1k0
Also, there’s Apichatpong Weerasethakul’s first movie “Mysterious object at noon”. It works like some of Rouch docu-fictions, built while traveling around a country. It’s like the making of of an exquisite corpse. An essay on story-telling I guess : http://vimeo.com/22317555
Related text: http://www.maitres-fous.net/Ungar.html
Documenta 11: http://www.documenta11.de/archiv/d11/data/english/index.html
Week 12
Monday Nov. 21: In Class Work
Thursday Nov 24: In Class Work
Week 13
Monday Nov 28: In Class Work
Thursday Dec. 1: Project 5 & Project 6 Due
Week 14
Monday Dec. 5 (Last Class)
Grading:
Assignments: 20 Assignments as described in class, ie. Presentations on artists, video, text, audio, or photos or a combination thereof.
Projects: 60
Projects : 6 reports/documents/responses to events at the SCA. These can take a range of forms as discussed in class. If you develop a larger, more indepth piece it may count for two projects, lets discuss it. Collaborations are encouraged.
Readings and reading summaries: 20
Fifty percent of your grade in each category is based on your demonstrated relationship to contemporary art and theory. That is not just your creativity, but your engagement with the artists and ideas presented in class and through your further research.
Supplies:
-Students are expected to supply their own headphones for recording and audio editing and in class working.
-Be prepared to supply some mini DV or other video tapes, DVD and other media as needed for your projects-having your own firewire drive to store projects will be very beneficial if not essential, for video projects. If you have a Costco membership apparently you can get a 500 GB firewire drive for about 160.00. Access to a mini DV camcorder would be a great asset for the student as would access to a digital still camera. A thumb drive will also be useful.
READINGS:
José Díaz Cuyás
Afterall: A Journal of Art, Context, and Enquiry
Issue 26 (Spring 2011), pp. 69-75
Published by: The University of Chicago Press on behalf of Central Saint Martins College of Art and Design, University of the Arts London
Stable URL: http://www.jstor.org/stable/10.1086/659297
Books on reserve for 369 (not 269) at BELZBERG, 7 day loan
Title: The Atlas Group (1989-2004) : a project by Walid Raad
Author: Nakas, Kassandra. Schmitz, Britta. Raad, Walid, 1967-
Call Number: N 7276.8 R33 A4 2006
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Title: The truth will be known when the last witness is dead : documents from the Fakhouri file in The Atlas Group archive
Author: Raad, Walid,
Call Number: N 7276.8 A85 A4 2004 v.2
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Title: My neck is thinner than a hair : documents from the Atlas Group archive
Author: Raad, Walid,
Call Number: N 7276.8 R33 A3 2005
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Title: Harun Farocki : one image doesn’t take the place of the previous one
Author: Thériault, Michèle,
Call Number: N 6888 F34 A4 2008
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Title: Archive fever : uses of the document in contemporary art / Okwui Enwezor, [curator].
Author: Enwezor, Okwui.
Call Number: TR 820.5 A73 2008
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Title: Luke Fowler
Author: Ruf, Beatrix
Call Number: N 6797 F678 A4 2009
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Type: journal article
Semester: fall 2011
Journal Title: Labor Studies Journal
Article Title: Showdown in Seattle: Five Days That Shook the WTO
Article Author: Gilman, Herman
Pages: 111-113
Copies: 1
Reserves Location: belzberg
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uploading videos
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Organizing Videos on Your Channel:
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