Summary

The camera arts are relatively new mediums to the world of art, but their contributions are perhaps the most significant of all. They are certainly the most complex. Like traditional mediums of drawing, painting and sculpture they allow creative exploration of ideas and the making of objects and images. The difference is in their avenue of expression: by recording images and experiences through light and electronics they, on the one hand, narrow the gap between the worlds of the ‘real’ and the ‘imagined’ and, on the other, offer us an art form that can invent its own reality with the inclusion of the dimension of time. We watch as a narrative unfolds in front of our eyes. Digital technology has created a whole new kind of spatial dimension: cyberspace.

Activity

Film The film industry is a major part of many economies and, like other artistic mediums, it reflects and anticipates the culture surrounding it. Now, independent films (those made outside of well-established studios) are having a larger effect on audiences because they can examine themes and ideas beyond what the big studios decide to finance. Respond to the following questions: How often do you see films? Do you view films in a theatre or on other digital media? *What genre/kind of films do you like? Comment on the role of films to entertain and inform. What is your favorite film of all time? Why?

Assignment

Assignment 2, Part B: Meanings of Photographs (5%) Photographs (or digital images) freeze a moment in time, encapsulating an idea and the narrative surrounding it. View the following three photos: Brassai’s Prostitute from “Paris at Night” William Eggleston’s Miami Annie Leibovitz’s Meryl Streep Using the interpretive skills taught in this course, describe the form and content of each of the three images. In your journal, respond to the following questions: What is the subject matter in each image? What do you think the photo is ­­­­­­expressing? How do formal considerations contribute to your interpretation of each photo’s content? Using the Resources links or any other resources or links of your choice, find two more examples and answer the same questions about them.