School of Art Digital Literacy/Semester 2 Weeks 7-12

The following list provides the content for Semester 2: Weeks 7 - 12 of Digital Literacy as taught by the Electronic Arts section in the School of Art, Otago Polytechnic

Timetables and Content

School of Art Digital Literacy - Mainpage
Semester 1: Weeks 1 - 6
Semester 1: Weeks 7 - 12
Semester 2: Weeks 1 - 6
Semester 2: Weeks 7 - 12

Philosophy of weeks 7 - 12. These weeks will introduce students to working within a culture of remix. Firstly you will work with photoshop to manipulate found images both aesthetically and conceptually. You will then work with digital illustration tools: paths, bitmaps, vectors. We will then move into the spaces of digital materials, experimenting with projectors and screens. In groups you will establish 5 screening spaces for final presentation (eg) a projector mounted on a ceiling pointed at the floor, a screen in a corner, a monitor in a corridor. We will introduce you to the methodologies and tools of open source software and give you time to develop a short work to be installed in one of the screening spaces. This is worth 45% of your semester's work.

ASSIGNMENTS SEMESTER TWO

Assignment C. Flick Flack

In week 6 submit your final loop with sound design to an online video site, and link to your blog. 45% of final grade.

Assignment D. Remix

By week 12 install your work in one of the 5 screening spaces. 45% of final grade.

Workbook

10% of final grade. Either a digital or hardcopy workbook - maybe continue your blog...or return to paper. The workbook must document the conceptual and technical development for each week and distinct documentation of each assignment.

Week Seven - Remix

Lecturer week 7-8 Rachel Gillies Rachel Gillies

Lecture: Remix Brief (Rachel)
Download the brief for this project here

The first step in creating a mash-up is... to have an idea... Though it is certainly possible to simply start intercutting and overlaying two favourite tracks, you have to ask yourself "why?“ http://www.paintingbynumbers.com/bootcamp/

Workshop: Photoshop 1 (Kieran)

• selection tools
  
• blending tips and tricks
  

In this session you will work with stock images and shown how to use different tools to select areas in an image. Once selected, you will learn how to edit or change those areas, blending them together.

Deliverables: Research and Gathering

Assignment

choose an image that is in a 2D format – research at least two works similar to this first one you have found and scan them before next week’s classes (before week 8) consider how you can change one of the images by adding an image(s) of your own, or bits of an image from another source consider how you can change the work by adding/removing text draw/sketch (in whatever medium suits you) a plan of how you would subvert your chosen image take digital photographs or scan something of your own (i.e. it must be your own work!) that you want to add to the image

NB All research, idea brainstorming including choices made, should be recorded in your workbook for assessment purposes.

Resources and Links
AMV Example from Lecture
Political Cut-up example from Lecture
Wikipedia Mash-up Definition
Wikipedia Remix Definition
Talk: Lawrence Lessig: How creativity is being strangled by the law
Cory Arcangel Website
Illegal Art Website

Week Eight - Remixing the remix

Lecture: Digital Manipulations (Rachel)

Workshop: Photoshop 2 (Kieran)

• colour corrections

You will work in this workshop selecting and cutting together parts of your photographs with your scanned image and be shown some extra skills in Photoshop. This workshop will largely be spent working on your own images with Photoshop support.

You should bring: (deliverables from last week)

• a scanned image from your chosen artist
• your own (digital) photographs to add to the image

Deliverables: Remix Image – finish up

Assignment

By the end of this week you should have one finished 2d Remix image. You should continue to work on your remix image until it is suitable for presentation. write an analysis of your process, an evaluation of your final outcome and record all this in your workbook.

Resources and Examples
Cottingly Fairies
Martha Rosler Website
Introduction to Photomontage: Website

NB All research and choices made, including your final resolution should be recorded in your workbook for assessment purposes.

Week Nine

Lecture: Vector Art (Rodney)

Workshop: Illustrator (Kieran / Rodney)

Introduction to the application of Vector Art for artists and designers Illustrator.

The exercise this week will introduce students to the creation of vector art using the pen tool. This is not an assessable exercise but it may be integrated in your current remix image or into a new image for your final presentation.

Assignment

Experiment with the pen-tool in illustrator. Complete vector self portrait

Resources and Examples
Face illustration tutorials

n.DESIGN STUDIO
Tracing faces

AiBURN: Art + Illustration on Fire
Drawing your self portrait

Week Ten - The Art of Presentation/ installation and export to DVD

Lecture: The Art of Presentation (Rodney)

Workshop: Setting up (Rodney)

Week ten will look at some of the methods and technologies that Digital Art utilises for best practice in an exhibition situation. Practical sessions will be a continuation of weeks 7 and 8, and a look at some of the equipment discussed in this week's lecture. By the end of this week students will understand how to set up:

• data projectors
• screens
• audio equipment
• DVD players
• computers

In this week students will establish 5 installation 'environments' and learn how to export their moving image / still images to DVD.

Assignment

In small groups set up an installation based on material provided in the workshop.

Note: Students will not be required to set up installations for the final presentation. Presentations will be undertaken as a group screening and final works will be burnt to DVD for display.

Week Eleven - FLOSS (Free Libre Open Source Software)

Lecturer for week 11: Leigh Blackall

FLOSS (Free Libre Open Source Software) | This week will introduce you to some alternative software platforms that enable you to work with FREE SOFTWARE to achieve all of the tasks already covered throughout this paper. Practical sessions will remain self-directed completing your Presentation Assignment. By the end of this week participant will have an understanding of:

• the term FLOSS
• alternative software packages such as Gimp, Open Office, Scribus, Blender, Google Apps - (not strictly FLOSS, but free)

Assignment

You should be spending this week's tutorials finishing off your work and burning it to DVD in preparation for week 12. Download this pdf which explains presentation information for next week.

Workshop Sessions: with Kieran Smith
During this session you should arrange yourselves into groups, based on the installation set up that you prefer to show your work in (from week 10).
Each group will work together to burn a DVD with ALL of your final images on it.
note: if your final work is not ready yet, you must co-ordinate with your group in order to burn your work to DVD BEFORE week 12

Week Twelve - Finish up

Finish Up | Present your work as a group screening.
Download this pdf which explains presentation information for this week.

You will decide on one of your finished Remix works from this semester to be presented in one of the installation methods outlined in week 10, and will prepare this work for presentation.

Students will not be required to set up installations for the final presentation but must prepare their own work and install it on the set up for presenting. Presentations will be undertaken as a group screening and final works should be burnt to DVD in groups for display

Students will present their finished work to the rest of this class and lecturers in this last week. All work should be ready for assessment by then end of this class. (i.e. it should all be on your blog, and any development should be there or in a hard copy workbook that you hand in for assessment.)

Assignment

9am – 10am – No Lecture. During this first hour you should work within your groups to ensure your DVD is working correctly on your chosen installation set up. Workshop Sessions and Presentations: with Rachel Gillies in Room 104 During your normal workshop sessions you will be expected to make a short presentation about the Remix brief: - Introducing your image - a short description of what you did - and what you’ve learnt. All students must present in order to be assessed for this component.