| Fall 2010 Visual Studies Courses |
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VIS STD 185X VIS STD 185X SEC 1 Songs and Places
Music and place have long been intertwined, and the particulars of place have given rise to some of our most memorable songs: “On the Banks of the Ohio,” “Shenandoah” “Night Train to Memphis,” “Red River Valley,” “Sweet Home Chicago.” Whether the folk lyrics from a Russian village on the banks of the Pripyet, or a single line from a shepherd’s flute in the Carpathian mountains, the songster licks of John Hurt down in Avalon, Mississippi, or a precisely bent blues note on a red electric guitar from Muddy Waters in Southside Chicago—the connection is endlessly evocative. However, we live in a world where traditional places — and the traditional songs that come from them — are rapidly disappearing, inundated by the juggernaut of an international commercial culture which supplants (dis-places/re-places) them entirely. The American hamburger franchise on a street in Venice — or Moscow or Jakarta — is but emblematic, a bit of spindrift on the face of a wave in which much has already been swept away. And regardless of how one views this phenomenon, it will no doubt be remembered as a primary characteristic of our times. In this seminar-with-projects course we will investigate these changes by looking closely at the original connection between songs and places — and by making images in response. The medium will be open—drawing, painting, collage, writing, hybrid forms all acceptable. We’ll begin each week by listening to some songs — and learning to sing them. Together with a selection of visual images. Studio projects follow, outside of class. We then reconvene, the following week, to look at and discuss the work. Followed by a new set of songs. And supplemented by occasional film screenings, on Tuesday evenings, schedule TBA. Topics and Projects (for example): The local—rhythm, melody, color & tone. Place as pattern, color as time. The urban locale—country culture meets the city—Chicago blues. Other places, other times: Russian and Ukrainian folksongs. The Gypsies. Crossover, transition and change: Old songs today. The Songster World: Henry Thomas and Mississippi John Hurt. Chicago Blues: Muddy Waters, Elmore James. A St. Louis Shouter: Big Joe Turner. Appalachia: The Carter Family, Clarence Ashley & Doc Watson. Woodie Guthrie. That Lonesome Whistle: Hank Williams. Nashville: The case of Patsy Cline. The Human Jukebox: Sleepy LaBeef. Memphis Losers: You’re Right, I’m Left, She’s Gone. Roots Reggae, Nyahbinghi and the Dream of Africa. The Red Army Chorus: A Folk Tradition Glorified (and Commandeered). Flamenco Puro: Moron, Utrera, Labrija… Y de seguro, las canciones criollas de Argentina… Film Resources (for example): The Music Room (Satyajit Ray). Latcho Drom (Tony Gatliff). The Harder They Come (Jimmy Cliff/Perry Henzell). Black Orpheus. Straight, No Chaser – Thelonious Monk. A Great Day in Harlem. Say Amen Somebody (Rev. Thomas Dorsey). Muddy Waters: Sweet Home Chicago. Can’t You Hear the Wind Howl: Robert Johnson. Song Catcher. Shadows of Forgotten Ancestors. Tout Le Matins de Jour. Carmen / Blood Wedding (Carlos Saura). Chulas Fronteras (Les Blanc)… Prerequisites: Upper-division or graduate standing. Students should have ENV DES 11A and/or equivalent background in the visual arts, and an interest in music (singing and/or playing an instrument helpful). Majors from outside the CED with at least some studio art experience are welcome. Enrollment Procedures: FILL OUT APPLICATION QUESTIONNAIRE (download questionnaire here). E-mail to Anthony Dubovsky at This e-mail address is being protected from spam bots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it From your questionnaires the instructor will make a list of students to interview at beginning of the semester. Class acceptance will be decided only at that time. Priority goes to students who have completed this application. Говорите /читаете по русски? Этот курс вклуцчает несколько русских песен! VIS STD 185X SEC 2 Art in Public Description to come. VIS STD 186B (1–4) Formerly 186C. Extended Course Description If we see our passage on earth as a theatrical play, what snapshots of our experiences would we wish to share with our contemporaries? At the core of this class is the desire to go deep within ourselves and explore how we can artistically and critically materialize the intimate relationship between our body/mind and the arts. Some of the situated questions we will raise are, for example: What aesthetic principles underlie and inform our practices? How do we see the boundaries between Design, Art, and Photography? What is our relation to light, darkness, and color? How do we acknowledge our construction of reality through our senses and lenses? VIS STD 280 (1–3) Fifteen hours of lecture/seminar per unit per semester. Prerequisites: 181, 186. Course may be repeated for credit as topic varies. Advanced work in visual studies and photography. Word and Image
Note that the hand is important throughout — how the sense of touch becomes a guide. Following this format, the class develops a certain rhythm — a kind of opening. Not just in terms of skill (although skill can play a part), but more in finding the right visual language to give form to one’s feelings about and understanding of the surrounding world. A challenge that carries over into any of the design fields — and beyond… Required: One project each week, made with energy and commitment... Attendance at all class meetings, and a well-crafted book with reproductions of your work, including a short essay about your journey, due at the end of the term. Open to grad students and some seniors from all departments, but limited in enrollment to 15 students. This can be a good place to explore your initial thesis ideas. If you're interested, send Anthony Dubovsky an e-mail with a paragraph or two about yourself and your backgound in he arts, along with 2-3 jpegs of your work. Make sure your name is on each jpeg. Send to this address: This e-mail address is being protected from spam bots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it . VIS STD 298 (1–5) No more than 5 units allowed each semester. Course may be repeated for credit. Special group studies on topics to be introduced by instructor or students. VIS STD 299 (1–5) One unit will be assigned for each 4 hours of student effort per week. Course may be repeated for credit. Individual studies in cluding reading and individual research under the supervision of a faculty adviser and designed to reinforce the student's background in areas related to the proposed topic. |
What are the connections between song and place — visual, musical, and otherwise? How can we describe these connections — give them form? 
This is a class about imagination and ideas. A road trip, perhaps — or a voyage. We begin each week with a theme — often a single word — as point of departure. Each person in the group does a project in response — a drawing, a painting, a collage — the medium is open. In the following class we look at the work, and a conversation ensues. And then, a new word.