Today's Class- Having concluded the basic drawing and design portion of the semester, today we moved onto the creative problem solving aspect of the class. Today's topic was constraints and structures as part of the artistic process. I read some examples of constraint fiction (books in which the authors give themselves special rules to follow) and discussed how many ancient and modern written languages were originally derived from visual symbols. I also discussed and showed slides of art that used structures and systems to organize or even generate visuals, as in the example above. After that we spent the rest of the class working on the first graded project of the semester, the creation of a symbolic language and a system to use it to make a piece of visual art.
How to make this up- For our purposes, a symbolic language is a series of at least 10 symbols that do not literally refer to items that they may resemble, but represent other objects, conditions, or concepts. In the above example (an artwork of mine from many years ago), prints of arm and hand shapes are arranged with different orientations, colors, and combinations to represent words, and the words expressed specific concepts. None of the words or concepts have anything to do with arms or hands. Similar symbols were used to create other words in the "language" that were used to make a sentence.
Your 10 or more symbols can be derived from images of objects, or be completely abstract shapes, but there should be a visual relationship between them. I recommend making the symbols simple shapes, as you may need to reproduce it identically many times. You also need to create a system that would determine how these symbols will be distributed on the paper. The formula would dictate the specific symbols and the order in which they appear. Anyone who knows the formula and has a key to translate the symbols should be able to determine the conditions that created it in the first place. My example was based on language, but some of the ideas students were exploring today included systems where symbol order will be determined by such things as weather patterns, state lottery drawings, and stats in specific sporting events. Today we were working in the small sketchbooks, but the final piece will be done on your 18" x 24" paper. You have a choice of designing the final piece using just black and white (markers) or using color in your symbols (paints, etc). In grading the project I'll be considering the design of the symbols, use of a standard system, and the overall composition of the final artwork.
Homework- This symbolic language graded project is due at the beginning of class on March 18, 2013. We will hold a group critique of the pieces, and they will be collected for grading. I recommend starting it before our next meeting on March 4th, so I can check your progress and let you know if you're on the right track.
For next class 3/4/13- We will start a new graded project, based on images of personal symbols of your choosing. If you have not yet completed the homework assigned on 2/11/13 (sketches of 10 personal symbols- objects you own that are symbolic of your life and interests), get it done before our next meeting. Bring your sketchbook, 18" x 24" pad, pencil and eraser.
