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VIS STD 185X
SPECIAL TOPICS: WORD AND IMAGE
DUBOVSKY

Songs & Places: The International Edition

What are the connections between song and place—visual, musical, and otherwise? How can we describe these connections—give them form?

Music and place have long been intertwined—and the particulars of place have given rise to some of our most memorable songs. In the fall semester course we explored this question through old American songs ("On the Banks of the Ohio," "Shenandoah" "Red River Valley," "Sweet Home Chicago" along with many others). In this new spring semester course, we'll continue the exploration, ranging farther afield. The International Edition, as it were, concentrating on the folksongs of Argentina (for example, Atahualpa Yupanqui's "Viene Clareando" or Jorge Cafrune's "Zamba de Mi Esperanza") and Russia ("Tonkaya Ryabina"—The Slender Mountain Ash, and Mark Bernes' "Shalandi" ), with a swing through Mexico for some corridos del tiempo de la Revolución (and maybe Cuco Sanchez singing "Cama de Piedra"), touch down in the Nederlands (for a recording of a Dutch country girl calling in her cows), and make at least one gritty stop-over in Kingston, Jamaica ca. 1972... (for Max Romeo's "Every Man Ought to Know," and the Melodians' "Rivers of Babylon"...with Ernest Ranglin on guitar—eight bass notes that in many ways defined an era... And perhaps visit the retreat of guqin master high on Huashan Mountain in southern China... Full itinerary to be confirmed on departure.

Note that this is a seminar-with-projects—a course in which we look closely at the original connection between songs and places—and make images in response. The medium here is open—drawing, painting, collage, writing, recordings, hybrid forms are all acceptable. We'll begin each week by listening to a selection of songs. Studio projects follow (outside of class). Then we reconvene the following week, to sing the songs, look at and discuss the work made by each person in the group. Followed by a new set of songs.

Prerequisites? At least some studio art and music background. Students who speak Spanish and/or Russian will add to the endeavor—and are encouraged to apply. Class size will be limited to 15 students. Open to juniors, seniors, and graduate students.

Application procedures: Send me an email with the following: Your name. Where were you born? Where did you grow up? Your year (junior, senior, grad)? Your Major? Musical background? Art background? Tell me something about your interest in this class... Include 2-4 jpegs of your artwork (identified with YOUR NAME on each jpeg) and send to Anthony Dubovsky at This e-mail address is being protected from spam bots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it .

Painting: Anthony Dubovsky, "After Boudin," oil/cardboard, 2002.

VIS STD 186A
DOCUMENTARY PHOTOGRAPHY
BENTON

(3) Three hours of lecture per week.

Extended Course Description

This iteration of VS 186A will apply the techniques of documentary photography to develop visual narratives concerning the past, present, and possible futures of the southern reaches of San Francisco Bay.
 
I am repeatedly drawn to the exuberant, otherworldly landscape of South San Francisco Bay. There, depending on the mood of a Sunday, I can bring binoculars to bear on the still abundant wildlife, explore diverse halophilic microorganisms with a field microscope, hike out to ponder early engineering interventions scattered across the Bay shallows, or (my favorite) launch a kite-lofted camera to photograph juxtapositions in the landscape from above. And juxtapositions abound ­ dendritic marsh channels as foils for the straight lines of infrastructure; wild openness confronting the confines of encroaching capitalism; salt ponds, vividly colored by the aforementioned halophiles, constrained by subtly hued mud and marsh; derelict, forgotten engineering works faintly echoing their former functions.

Over time my curiosity has become a sustained fascination. For behind the visual richness of these juxtapositions lie the South Bay's interesting history and the active formulation, at this very moment, of bold initiatives for its future. For several years I have taken low-level aerial photographs over the South Bay salt ponds. That these images are often visually compelling is in no small part because they reveal remnants of an enigmatic past. It turns out that aerial images greatly reduce sky reflection from the salt pond surfaces thus exposing colors, textures and information hidden from normal points of view. Furthermore, the views exposed contain elements from a variety of historic layers as though layers of tracing paper on an architect's desk.
 
My most recent work documenting the Bay has occurred in the context of the Hidden Ecologies Project, an effort that involves a collaborative,
geo-annotated Internet-based map as a vehicle for interrogating the Bay landscape from multiple vantage points with the goal of gaining insight into cultural and natural dimensions of place. The project started during a stint as an Artist in Residence at the Exploratorium and represents in spirit the approach that underpins this iteration of VS 186A. The Hidden Ecologies WWW site is worth a look if you are interested in the class as it illustrates our exploration to date of three different locations ­ all tidal marsh wetlands ­ around the San Francisco Bay.
 
http://arch.ced.berkeley.edu/hiddenecologies/

Your class work will not involve flying kites or dangling your cameras in the air (although I would be delighted to demonstrate this technique during a field trip). Instead, I will ask you to frame a topic related to this landscape and initiatives associated with the South Bay Salt Pond
Restoration Project. Funded by federal, state, and private sources, the project is the largest tidal wetland restoration project on the West Coast. When complete, the project will restore 15,100 acres of industrial salt ponds to a rich mosaic of tidal wetlands and other habitats.
 
http://www.southbayrestoration.org/index.html

Opportunities abound to explore documentary photography while serving the South Bay Salt Pond Restoration Project. Under its umbrella you will find compelling threads of activity related to science, wildlife management, recreation planning, cultural geography, and a host of other topics. For instance, the San Francisco Bay Bird Observatory is tracking every single Snowy Plover chick that fledges in the South Bay. The California Department of Fish & Game has recently opened 300 acres of former salt pond to tidal flow to join 300 acres that were connected to the tides in 2006. Closer to home, Berkeley scientists are engaged in an engaging investigation of hydrology and sediment deposition.  On the recreation side of things the SBSPR Project is continually developing and opening new ways of accessing and interpreting the Bay wetlands. The periphery of these same wetlands host a range of stories associated with industry and former interventions in the landscape as well as manifestations of the elaborate dance between development and conservation.
 
You can get a sense of these varied projects from the papers presented at last September's Annual Science Symposium for the South Bay Project.
 
http://www.southbayrestoration.org/science/2011symposium/presentation-poster/
 
The Spring 2012 iteration of VS 186A will investigate photography as a vehicle to develop these stories and connect them to a broader audience. Along the way we will discuss photography in general and documentary photography in detail. The semester will include additional brief exploratory exercises as well as research involving a variety of archival sources (e.g., map library, national archives, reports from non-profits). While students are encouraged to select and apply the still media of their preference, the course should yield both physical (prints) and electronic (WWW) summaries of the semester's work. On the electronic media front, the class will explore collaborative geo-annotation as a vehicle for organizing and disseminating visual narrative. We will cover options for assembling an online portfolio.
 
The course requires off-campus travel to locations around South San Francisco Bay and associated exposures to that rich environment (water, wind, wildlife, muck, trains, salt, detritus, etc.). Note that this VS 186A does not cover basic photographic techniques in a systematic fashion as this coverage is provided by the VS 181 prerequisite. I expect all students to arrive with the capacity to expose, focus, print, and mount a competent 8" x 10" print.
 
Students in all CED photography classes incur expenses related to the production and display of their work. A ballpark estimate for materials is $200/semester.
 
If you are interested in taking the course:
 
I am handling enrollment in the course through Course Entry Codes issued, when appropriate, after a brief interview. My objectives for the interview are to 1) establish that you have completed the prerequisite of an Introduction to Photography class or its equivalent and 2) answer any questions that you might have about the theme of the semester. You may arrange an interview by contacting me at This e-mail address is being protected from spam bots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it . I ask that you bring a portfolio your previous photographic work.

VIS STD 280
ADVANCED VISUAL STUDIES
DUBOVSKY

(1–3) Course may be repeated for credit as topic varies. Fifteen hours of lecture/seminar per unit per semester. Prerequisites: 181, 186. Advanced work in visual studies and photography.

Graduate Seminar in Visual Studies

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.

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 email with a paragraph or two about yourself and your background in the 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 .

Painting: Anthony Dubovsky, "Corinna," polymer/cardboard, 2010.