 Like an Onion |
 |
Photographic books have been with us since shortly after the medium’s invention. Anna Atkins’ 1843 British Algae: Cyanotype Impressions and William Henry Fox Talbot’s 1844 salt-prints, Pencil of Nature, initiated the new genre, revolutionizing the fields of Art, Science and Technology, which in turn, revolutionized the core of modern civilization’s forms of communication.
This course tracks the 19th through 21st century history of word & image, its various generations of optical and camera-less devices, its wide range of light-sensitive media and contemporary processes of digital imaging. How do visually constructed languages essentially set free previously framed forms of thought? What role does technology play in moving our perceptions into new realms of thought? How does the interplay inherent in artists’ books allow imagined relationships to be articulated through word and image constructions?
Taught in workshop format, students will choose to refine their conceptual and material skills when initiating unique, ‘one-of-a-kind’ or small edition books or create a series of models, by way of hands-on experimentation with structures introduced in the course. Emphasis is on interdisciplinary experimentation with: non-adhesive binding techniques, application of light-sensitive and digital media using eastern and western papers. Editing and sequencing of image and text into narrative or ‘filmic’ forms of story telling, that are either directly printed or applied to physical forms of the book, will take place as part of the material and methods approach towards integrating language and thought.
3-4 Individual meetings during the semester and frequent group critiques, provide support for technical and conceptual ideas generated by student’s initial proposals. A rich array of critical readings, slide lectures, local exhibitions and guest presentations will further inspire student’s research and development.
