Natural Histories: Portraying Place
PROMPT
Focusing on a specific place, research many aspects of it—then go even deeper. Follow as many threads as you can, then design a method of distilling the information. "Deep mapping goes beyond simple landscape/history-based topographical works to include and interweave autobiography, archeology, stories, memories, folklore, traces, reportage, weather, interviews, natural history, science, and intuition. In its best form, the resulting work arrives at a subtle, multi-layered and “deep” map of a small area of the earth." (wiki) Take inspiration also from Terry Wheeler’s definition of natural history, “the search for, and description of, patterns in nature” and Tom Fleischner’s definition “a practice of intentional, focused attentiveness and receptivity to the more-than-human world, guided by honesty and accuracy”.
PROJECT GUIDELINES
Work through a number of ideas and create some sketches of how you might approach them to share in class. You may need to create a sort of working prototype for this project. This will allow you to experiment with how you will construct your housing, display, performance or written work, and consider different options. The size, material and method of creating or manipulating your piece is your choice. Perhaps this is an installation, a book, a video or photos showing documentation of a performance, artifacts that must be housed in some kind of container, a bass-relief wall piece, or a free-standing sculpture in-the-round. Be inventive! And remember to pace your work so you have ample time to do the research, experiment and produce the final work. Also, keep in mind that all of your assignments in this class can be approached loosely so that you can maintain a continuity with your larger body of work and/or research. Find inspiration from this prompt, and run with it!
IN-PROGRESS CHECK-INS
2/27, 3/05, 3/19
CRITIQUE
3/26
GRADING
40 points
10 Conceptual development, 10 Composition & design, 10 Craftsmanship, 10 Completion
Focusing on a specific place, research many aspects of it—then go even deeper. Follow as many threads as you can, then design a method of distilling the information. "Deep mapping goes beyond simple landscape/history-based topographical works to include and interweave autobiography, archeology, stories, memories, folklore, traces, reportage, weather, interviews, natural history, science, and intuition. In its best form, the resulting work arrives at a subtle, multi-layered and “deep” map of a small area of the earth." (wiki) Take inspiration also from Terry Wheeler’s definition of natural history, “the search for, and description of, patterns in nature” and Tom Fleischner’s definition “a practice of intentional, focused attentiveness and receptivity to the more-than-human world, guided by honesty and accuracy”.
PROJECT GUIDELINES
Work through a number of ideas and create some sketches of how you might approach them to share in class. You may need to create a sort of working prototype for this project. This will allow you to experiment with how you will construct your housing, display, performance or written work, and consider different options. The size, material and method of creating or manipulating your piece is your choice. Perhaps this is an installation, a book, a video or photos showing documentation of a performance, artifacts that must be housed in some kind of container, a bass-relief wall piece, or a free-standing sculpture in-the-round. Be inventive! And remember to pace your work so you have ample time to do the research, experiment and produce the final work. Also, keep in mind that all of your assignments in this class can be approached loosely so that you can maintain a continuity with your larger body of work and/or research. Find inspiration from this prompt, and run with it!
IN-PROGRESS CHECK-INS
2/27, 3/05, 3/19
CRITIQUE
3/26
GRADING
40 points
10 Conceptual development, 10 Composition & design, 10 Craftsmanship, 10 Completion
NATURAL HISTORIES/DEEP MAPPING ARTISTS