Class 10 - Homework - February 14th

Note Pertaining to the assignments below:

Read Assignments 1 and 2 before completing either. Complete them in the sequence which makes the most intuitive sense to you.

Assignment 1– Collecting Parts for a New Composition

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Time Estimate: 2 hours

Due: Tuesday, February 19th 1:00pm

Format: 3d and 2d imagery/objects that exist in real space. Bring these with you to class.

• select objects and materials which reference aspects of your topic and direction of choice in regard to said topic and bring them to class next time

• bring more of the above than you think you need because the process is experimental

• use the next assignment (below) as a means to help identify potentially useful image components

• bring a bare minimum of 12 items

• 3D elements are usually more helpful than 2D

• 2D elements work well as backgrounds

• 2D elements can work well as foreground materials if you back them with cardboard and make a stand for them

Collect objects, images, materials, and other visual imagery that connect with your idea and direction to use for making experimental compositions during the next class. If you would like to create a three-sided-room-like component or bring a backdrop to use, feel free. The in-class composition exercise (next class) is not about planning every whole image beforehand. Instead, the focus of the Rapid Idea Sketching (RIS) strategy (at this stage) is about collecting image parts and pieces based on content and potential meaning. The RIS exercise on this coming Tuesday will be your opportunity to play and experiment actively with composing images based upon combinations of pre-considered meaning and reference. Being open, ready, and responsive will help you profit from this next exercise. Valuable experimentation requires trust and flexibility.

At this point in the semester, your collection of visual parts may be clichéd and strictly representational imagery. Given that your ideas cannot be sustained or developed using obvious imagery alone, strive to add a variety and large quantity of resources that extend beyond simple literal reference (consider symbolic or metaphoric reference). Quantity and quality will matter. Therefore, gather a wealth of 2D and 3D components. Ask yourself whether or not your choices are flexible enough to go beyond linear story telling or illustration. Even if the associations you are trying to build seem unclear, give them a try. In the end, you can't have too many items to work with.

Assignment 2 – Comparative Visual Associations: A List

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Due: Tuesday, February 19th 1:00pm

Format: Print the Goals, Images, and Associative Meaning worksheet and complete its two pages. Staple into the Idea Logbook and index. Be ready to show the list in class if asked.

• download and print the Goals, Images, and Associative Meaning Worksheet (use the blank one in the course documents section). You can download and print the model worksheet if you find it helpful.

• fill out the two sheets of the worksheet in accordance with the directions below

• use this process to help you pick things and evaluate things for Assignment 1 (above)

Use the Goals, Images and Associative Meanings Worksheet to consider images, objects, materials and contexts you might use in in class for our experimental compositions. Include all of the objects that you bring to class and fill in the blanks for each column. You may need to make multiple copies of the worksheet to include all of your objects.

We are asking you to compare visual associations of future image parts in an attempt to strengthen your awareness of how the parts might be used to speak visually. In engaging with this assignment you will be recording your own visual associations, and testing your intuitive knowledge against research, as a means to anticipate how others might read the same imagery. When filling out this worksheet, consider how others different from you might interpret the object (ex. a different age, gender, culture, etc.).

At the top left hand corner you will find two slots. One asks for topic and the other asks for direction. Direction is your informed perspective on an aspect of your topic. In defining this for the worksheet, please remember that it will be okay to change that direction later on if you think of a more interesting angle or if you get excited about a new direction altogether after completing this exercise. Additionally, if you have more than one direction you would like to try, that extra effort will pay off when we look at your logbooks and when you get stuck and decide to pursue a different facet of your idea.

Your direction does not have to be the same one used for the virtual project nor does it have to be the one you plan to use for the One Hour Exercise. However, if you would like to use either of these, feel free. Look at the model Goals, Images, and Associative Meanings Worksheet as a model.

Completing this worksheet should help you in collection of objects for Assignment 1. You may already have appropriate objects or you may find meanings that inspire you to seek out a particular object.

Assignment 3 - Equipment for Studio Exercise

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Due: Tuesday, February 19th 1:00pm

Format: Physical items you bring to class

In addition to considering and collecting image-making materials (Assignments 1 and 2) you should consider bringing, as individuals or as groups, the following items to aid you in Tuesday's in-class exercise (if you have them on hand).

• tape - masking, scotch, duct, packing

• poles (could bring brooms or mop ends), booms, stands, tripods (something to balance your camera while taking photos)

• hot glue

• fishing line

• poster gum

• multiple lights

• flashlights

• backgrounds/fabric to use to shoot your materials against. Something with at least 3 walls that can stand alone

• filters - glass, plastics, mirrors, and other translucent and/or reflective materials

• cameras, laptops, card readers, flash drives

• cardboard, foam core

• extension cords, power strips

Please share with others if you have the means to do so. Also, write your name on EVERYTHING and be conscious of where your equipment is at all times!