SITE SPECIFIC INSTALLATION ART (Spring 04) DMS 608
Wednesday 6:00 – 9:50, 232 Center for the Arts

In this graduate production course students will devote the entire term to the realization of artwork conceived specifically for the 25th floor of City Hall in downtown Buffalo. The site is the highest floor reached by the elevator and affords panoramic views of the region. Artworks may encompass a broad range of media and the $100 lab fee makes available the equipment and resources of the Department of Media Study (although it is the individual student’s responsibility to insure that all necessary equipment is indeed available and, if not, to secure it from an outside source). It is also possible for students to collaborate with one another. Emphasis will be placed on exchange between artists and, consequently, student should be prepared to both give and receive critical feedback. At the semester’s end, there will be a brief exhibition (for which everyone must assume responsibility). Everyone is responsible for organizing all details of the exhibition, including publicity, installation, refreshments, documentation, and security. Additional requirements include presentations on artists working within site-specific art and readings and short written assignments throughout the semester. It is also possible that we will go on several fieldtrips.

Regular, on-time attendance and full class participation is mandatory.

Grading policy: artwork, including student’s role in the exhibition (50%), presentations (30%), additional assignments and participation in critiques and other course activities (20%)

Required texts (available from Talking Leaves): Erika Suderburg, ed, Space, Site, Intervention: Situation Installation Art (U. of MN, 2000)
*Please note that this is a tentative class schedule. If there are any changes, you will be notified in class and/or on email.

1) Jan 14: Introduction
Defining “site-specificity” and installation art.” Who are contemporary artists working within this category and what is the (art) historical context? What draws you personally to this way of working? What are the venues exhibiting site-specific installations?

2) Jan 21 : Initial Site Visit & Dinner
We will tour open parts of the building, including the 25th floor exhibition site, with Butch. Meet promptly at 6PM in the City Hall lobby. Enter building in front (Niagara Square entrance); note that the only unlocked door will be the one farthest to the left. Parking is free after 5PM in the Ramp (parking garage on the southern side of City Hall). We will then go to Pearl Street Grill for dinner and/or drinks.

3) Jan 28: Presentations of Past Work
Class participants show past work and give artists’ talks articulating the inspiration, concepts and methods of their work and how it relates to their interest in site-specificity. Arrange tech requirements beforehand.

4) Feb 4 :Lab Day @ City Hall
Meet at the 25th floor site. Bring appropriate documentation tools (i.e. cameras, audio recorders, notebooks, laptop computers, etc.). Plan to spend time simply allowing the site to make an impression on you. Isolate the details and characteristics that you find curious and meaningful Determine the sense that you feel is the most important to convey through your site-specific artwork. Brainstorm different ideas. Make notes about what areas you would like to research. Interact with others in addition to meditating alone. It is not necessary for you to have a concrete idea immediately. When no longer at the site, what stays most on your mind about it?

5) Feb 11: Keith Sanborn, NYC-based media artist, theorist and translator.
Presents Situationist films by Guy Debord; Part of “Writers Making Film” curated by Caroline Koebel and hosted by “Wednesdays @4” CFA 112 4 PM! We will go to dinner with Keith following his presentation.

6) Feb 18 : Group Presentations of Selected Readings @ UB
In groups of three present a reading –an article or a chapter-out of the assigned course text Space, Site, Intervention: Situating Installation Art or a source of your choice. Be sure to address the following: Why did you choose the particular article or chapter?, What are its main points?, What questions does it raise?, How is it purposeful for our aims?. It is the presenting group's responsibility to foster and facilitate dialog about the reading. You are encouraged to include visual aid in your presentations (i.e. slides, websites, videos), but it is not essential (arrange tech requirements beforehand). Hand out photocopies of reading to be presented and issues that you would like everyone to think about in preparation for discussion by/on February 11th. It is mandatory that everyone complete the readings for all of the presentations.

7) Feb 25: Meet Gerald Mead, artist, collector, and Burchfield-Penney education curator
For tour of downtown Buffalo exhibitions, including “Photographic Process from Pictorialism to Postmodernism” at M & T Bank. *Unless otherwise indicated, meet at CEFP Gallery at 6PM.

8) Mar 3: Lab Day (Caroline in NY)

9) Mar 10: Proposal Critique @ City Hall
Email individual and collaborative proposals to class by March 3rd at the latest. Proposals should be 500 words and should crearly illustrate the conceptual basis of the artwork, as well as the tools, working methods and expectations of audience interaction. Read everyone else’s proposal and come to class prepared to discuss not only your own, but all the proposals.

Spring Break

10) Mar 24: Individual/Group Research Presentations of Selected Artists @ UB
Present artist or collective. Be sure to include art magazines, journals & websites in your research. Include some kind of visual/aural aid (arrange tech requirements beforehand). Submit a hard copy of presentation to the instructor.

11) Mar 31: Lab Day @ City Hall

12) Apr 7: Work-In-Progress Critique @ City Hall

13) Apr 14: Exhibition Set-Up & Exhibition

14) Apr 21: Final Critique