Classes

This course focuses on the production of artistic experiments catalyzed by research in art, with art and through art. Conceptually it deals with new modes of artistic production that shifts the discussion on artistic research towards critical engagement with the new climatic regime. Titled Climate Visions, the workshop positions artistic intelligence as a way to contribute with aesthetics and criticality to climate science, suggesting new visioning, that is in dialectics with scientific one. Oscillating between pragmatics and fiction this course will probe new perspectivism that enables future narratives of cohabitation with more-than-humans. The workshop will engage the MIT laboratories as a site where utopias for the future forms of environmental citizenship and new climate commons will be prototyped. In conversation with scientists the participants will develop hybrid projects of art and science suggesting an artistic instrumentarium for ecological repair, envisioning, speculation and probing of alternative perspectives, that catalyze a different climate for the future.

A multitude of concepts will be engaged with during this workshop: hybrid habitats and milieu, critical zones and new climatic regime, shadow biosphere and feminist fabulation, sympoiesis and composibility, cohabitation and commensality. Readings related to this subject include those by Bruno Latour, Donna Haraway, Anna Tsing, Gilbert Simondon, Catherine Malabou, James Lovelock, Michel Serres, Georges Canguilhem, Scott F Gilbert, Maria Puig de la Bellacasa, Andrew Pickering, Isabelle Stengers, Vinciane Despret, Eduardo Viveiro de Castro, Elizabeth Povinelli, Jakob Johann von Uexküll, TJ Demos, and others.

Visits to the class and the field trips may include Diane Borsato, Marjetica Potrč, Fernando García-Dory, Pelin Tan, Alexandra Daisy Ginsberg, D-Lab, MIT Earth, Atmospheric and Planetary Sciences.

The class is structured with the help of the three conceptual lenses through which participants will look into the artistic project: The Manifesto, The Score and The Instrument. As such these conceptual lenses would (A) connect with pressing concerns on climate crisis — making bridge between community / injustice / climate change, and (B) help to un-earth the underlying (autochthonous) landscape in the city, affected by an extractivist economy and colonization.

In addition to lectures, discussions, crits and individual studio meetings there will be visits to the labs organized facilitated by guest interlocutors, and designed to catalyze explorations and probe what “landing on Earth” (Latour) means in practical terms.

The class will meet as a group on Mondays 9:30 am – 12:30 am for main input: lectures, visits from guest artists, designers and scholars, and discussions of readings, with a Lab work scheduled on Wednesdays 9:30 am – 12:30 am, when individual meetings and/or studio visits and desk crits with the instructor (and guest artists) would be organized. Wednesdays time slot would also be reserved for workshopping of students' ideas, and/or library/archival research.

Students will engage in (3) phases and modalities of work: MANIFESTO, SCORE, and INSTRUMENT.

UG: 4.332, G: 4.333

Students create art projects that interact with participants and/or environment using a variety of code and hardware-based solutions including MAX/MSP/Jitter, a graphical object-based coding environment, and Arduino physical computing technologies. Students use sensors or generate data to control or interact with lights, speakers, video, audio, motors and much more. Students will create a Final Project that will be presented in “n/tr.ACT”, an Interactive Art show in the ACT Gallery. 

4.341 U / 4.342 G

PPPPP is a studio course and ongoing research seminar about understanding the ways photography is and has been defined by its socio-technical contexts. In this course we will think about photography as an unstable site of contradiction that is best understood through serial negotiations between photography and other concepts, forces, and disciplines.

Course content includes lectures, readings, screenings, workshops, and creative projects, and will culminate in a self-directed project of students’ choosing.

Additional work required of students taking the graduate version.

4.341 Syllabus (Membreno-Canales; MIT Certificate Protected)
4.341 Syllabus (Aasen: MIT Certificate Protected)

4.341 U / 4.342 G

1/24/23: Note schedule change from MW 9:30-12:30 to MW 2-5.

Introduces history and contemporary practices in artistic photography through projects, lectures, artist visits, group discussions, readings, and field trips. Fosters visual literacy and aesthetic appreciation of photography/digital imaging, as well as critical awareness of how images in our culture are produced and constructed. Provides instruction in the fundamentals of different camera formats, film exposure and development, lighting, black and white darkroom printing, and digital imaging. Assignments allow for incorporation of a range of traditional and experimental techniques, development of technical skills, and personal exploration. Throughout the term, present and discuss projects in a critical forum. 

Additional work required of students taking the graduate version. 

4.341/4.242 Syllabus (MIT Certificate protected)

4.341 U / 4.342 G

Introduction to Photography & Related Media offers an overview of the photographic medium and related media as tools for artistic expression. The word ‘photography’ was created from the Greek roots φωτός (phōtos), genitive of φως (phōs) and γραφή (graphé), together meaning ‘drawing with light.’ Since its invention, photography has constantly evolved technically as its role in society has become more impactful. Through readings, lectures, workshops, in class discussions and critic sessions, the course introduces students to the history of photography and the use of images in contemporary art practices. It fosters, both theoretically and practically, visual literacy and an understanding of photography from analog to digital imaging technologies. Throughout the semester, students receive practical instructions for various camera formats and instructions in digital imaging (essentially Photoshop). Readings, film screenings and assignments addressing specific topics challenge students to experiment with a range of techniques while discovering iconic visual artworks. Students explore the photographic medium and other related media while developing critical awareness of the cultural and technological production of images. Assignments are continuously discussed in a critical forum. Students present a topic at the end of the semester. Students from various disciplines welcome however enrollment is limited to 15. 

Additional work required of students taking the graduate version. 

4.341/4.342 Syllabus (Baladi) — MIT Certificate Required
4.341/4.342 Syllabus (Membreno-Canales) — MIT Certificate Required

4.341 U / 4.342 G

Introduces history and contemporary practices in artistic photography through projects, lectures, artist visits, group discussions, readings, and field trips. Fosters visual literacy and aesthetic appreciation of photography/digital imaging, as well as critical awareness of how images in our culture are produced and constructed. Provides instruction in the fundamentals of different camera formats, film exposure and development, lighting, black and white darkroom printing, and digital imaging. Assignments allow for incorporation of a range of traditional and experimental techniques, development of technical skills, and personal exploration. Throughout the term, present and discuss projects in a critical forum. 

Additional work required of students taking the graduate version.

Note: section taught by Ryan Aasen is digital photography only

Syllabi (MIT Certificate protected):

• R. Aasen (coming soon)
• H. Membreno-Canales (coming soon)
• J. Willis

Introduces history and contemporary practices in artistic photography through projects, lectures, artist visits, group discussions, readings, and field trips. Fosters visual literacy and aesthetic appreciation of photography/digital imaging, as well as critical awareness of how images in our culture are produced and constructed. Provides instruction in the fundamentals of different camera formats, film exposure and development, lighting, black and white darkroom printing, and digital imaging. Assignments allow for incorporation of a range of traditional and experimental techniques, development of technical skills, and personal exploration. Throughout the term, present and discuss projects in a critical forum.

Additional work required of students taking the graduate version. 

4.341 U / 4.342 G

Introduces history and contemporary practices in artistic photography through projects, lectures, artist visits, group discussions, readings, and field trips. Fosters visual literacy and aesthetic appreciation of photography/digital imaging, as well as critical awareness of how images in our culture are produced and constructed. Provides instruction in the fundamentals of different camera formats, film exposure and development, lighting, black and white darkroom printing, and digital imaging. Assignments allow for incorporation of a range of traditional and experimental techniques, development of technical skills, and personal exploration. Throughout the term, present and discuss projects in a critical forum. Additional work required of students taking the graduate version.

Advanced Photography and Related Media is a studio seminar course which addresses Historical Memory and the Politics of Representation. The course is designed for students who wish to explore photography and related media as tools for artistic practice. Students are encouraged to explore analog, digital and new technologies while researching and studying visual strategies used in photography, film, art and visual culture at large. 

Through lectures, readings, film screenings, student-driven projects, guest lecturers’ presentations and critique sessions, students experiment with a range of artistic strategies. Throughout the semester they engage in cross disciplinary research and work on a project individually or collaboratively. On a weekly basis, students discuss theoretical texts related to various artistic practices, cutting across a range of media and various historical contexts. 

Students are encouraged to work with a diversity of media and formats including film, video, sculpture, multimedia installations etc., providing images/photography remain central to their projects. Students from various disciplines are invited to enroll. 

This course is open to all students with a background in photography or any related media - Introduction to Photography or the equivalent. Students from various disciplines are encouraged to enroll and submit a portfolio of 15+ images of previous works. 

Note: 8/16/23 - schedule change from M 2-5 to W 2-5

4.344 U / 4.345 G

PHOTO FUTURES is a hybrid seminar-studio course looking at potential futures of photography. Divided into three “post”s--post-photography, post-truth, and post-human--we will work with both “traditional” ideas of image making and “emerging” methods of reproduction such as photogrammetry, 3D printing, and projection mapping. Emphasis will be placed on the politics of representation and art making.

Course is centered around developing individual projects of students’ choosing. No prior experience in photography is necessary, and students from all disciplines are encouraged to apply.

Additional work required of graduate students.

4.344/4.345 Syllabus (MIT Certificate Protected)

4.344 U / 4.345 G

Advanced Photography and Related Media is a studio seminar course that addresses Historical Memory and the Politics of Representation. 

The course is designed for students who wish to explore photography and related media as tools for artistic practice. Students are encouraged to explore analog, digital and new technologies while researching and studying the history of photography, film, art and visual culture at large.

Through lectures, readings, film screenings, student-driven projects, guest lecturers’ presentations and critique sessions, students experiment with a range of artistic strategies. Throughout the semester, they engage in cross-disciplinary research and work on a project individually or collaboratively. 

On a weekly basis, students discuss theoretical texts related to various artistic practices, cutting across a range of media and various historical contexts. Students are encouraged to work with a diversity of media and formats, including film, video, sculpture, multimedia installations etc., providing images/photography remain central to their projects. 

Additional work required of students taking the graduate version. Equipment available for checkout.

4.344/4.345 Syllabus (MIT Certificate Required)

2/8/23: Note room change to E15-283A

Introduces advanced strategies of image and sound manipulation, both technical and conceptual. Covers pre-production planning (storyboards and scripting), refinement of digital editing techniques, visual effects such as chroma-keying, post-production, as well as audio and sonic components. Context provided by regular viewings of contemporary video artworks and other audio-visual formats. Students work individually and in groups to develop skills in media literacy and communication.

Additional work required of students taking the graduate version. 

4.352/4.353 Syllabus (MIT Certificate protected)

Introduces advanced strategies of image and sound manipulation, both technical and conceptual. Covers pre-production planning (storyboards and scripting), refinement of digital editing techniques, visual effects such as chroma-keying, post-production, as well as audio and sonic components. Context provided by regular viewings of contemporary video artworks and other audio-visual formats. Students work individually and in groups to develop skills in media literacy and communication.

Additional work required of students taking the graduate version. 

UG: 4.354; G: 4.355

Introduces advanced strategies of image and sound manipulation, both technical and conceptual. Covers pre-production planning (storyboards and scripting), refinement of digital editing techniques, visual effects such as chroma-keying, post-production, as well as audio and sonic components. Context provided by regular viewings of contemporary video artworks and other audio-visual formats. Students work individually and in groups to develop skills in media literacy and communication. Additional work required of students taking the graduate version.

4.354/4.355 Syllabus (MIT Certificate Protected)

Examines the technical and conceptual variables and strategies inherent in contemporary video art practice. Analyzes structural concepts of time, space, perspective, and sound within the art form. Building upon the historical legacy of the moving the image, students render self-exploration, performance, social critique, and manipulation of raw experience into an aesthetic form. Emphasizes practical knowledge of lighting, video capturing and editing, and montage. Presentation and critique of student work, technical workshops, screenings, and reading discussions assist students with final project.

Additional work required of students taking the graduate version.

4.356 U / 4.357 G

Explores ideas and contexts behind moving images through a multifaceted look at cinema's transmutations, emergence on local and national levels, and global migrations. Examines the transformation caused by online video, television, spatial installations, performances, dance, and many formats and portable devices, as well as the theory and context of film's categorization, dissemination, and analysis. Presentations, screenings, field trips, readings, visiting artists, and experimental transdisciplinary projects broaden the perception of present cinema. Additional work required of students taking the graduate version.

4.356 U / 4.357 G

What do the words “cinematic” and “migration” evoke? What does the conjunction evoke? How is “cinematic” being defined here? How is “migration” being defined here? How are both being thought in relation to each other?

Desire for cinema perhaps existed before its creation. Questions regarding this speculation and the variety of ways this longing has been addressed in the past and present form the basis of inquiry in this workshop.

The course explores how cinema has been transformed in and by online video and television, spatial installations, performance and dance, and an expanding range of formats and portable devices, as well as the theory and content of how cinema is categorized, disseminated, and analyzed. This workshop is meant to stimulate further experiments in transdisciplinary forms and to broaden students’ perception of cinema in the present.

The workshop will include explorations of the emergence of cinemas on local and national levels that have migrated through the world to varying effect. Readings will include philosopher Gilles Deleuze’s Cinema 1: The Movement Image, and Cinema 2: The Time Image. We will be screening and discussing films by film makers and artists such as: Apichatpong Weerasethakul, Chris Marker, John Akomfrah, Harun Farocki, Chantal Akerman, Lucrecia Martel, Ousmane Sembene, Jia Zhangke, Agnes Varda, Trinh T. Minh-ha, Theresa Hak Kyung Cha, Renee Green and Yvonne Rainer. Students are encouraged to produce time-based work in forms adapted to their interests.

Additional work required of students taking the graduate version. 

4.356/4.357 Syllabus (MIT Certificate protected)

Focused on the practices of varied practitioners — film directors, artists, musicians, composers, architects, designers — whose writings relay a process of thinking and feeling integral to their forms of material production. Testing various ways aesthetic forms and their shifts — historic and contemporary — have relations to still emerging contemporary subjectivities (felt emotion in a human body), the class studies productions created by participants and case studies of varied producers, and generates new work individually and/or collaboratively via diverse media explorations. Includes reading, writing, drawing, and publishing, as well as photographic, cinematic, spatial, and audio operations and productions. Activities include screenings, listening assignments, and guest visits, in addition to readings, discussions, and presentations.

4.359 Syllabus (MIT Certificate protected)

Focused on the practices of varied practitioners — film directors, artists, musicians, composers, architects, designers — whose writings relay a process of thinking and feeling integral to their forms of material production. Testing various ways aesthetic forms and their shifts — historic and contemporary — have relations to still emerging contemporary subjectivities (felt emotion in a human body), the class studies productions created by participants and case studies of varied producers, and generates new work individually and/or collaboratively via diverse media explorations. Includes reading, writing, drawing, and publishing, as well as photographic, cinematic, spatial, and audio operations productions. Activities include screenings, listening assignments, and guest visits, in addition to readings, discussions, and presentations.

Focused on the practices of varied practitioners — film directors, artists, musicians, composers, architects, designers — whose writings relay a process of thinking and feeling integral to their forms of material production. Testing various ways aesthetic forms and their shifts — historic and contemporary — have relations to still emerging contemporary subjectivities (felt emotion in a human body), the class studies productions created by participants and case studies of varied producers, and generates new work individually and/or collaboratively via diverse media explorations. Includes reading, writing, drawing, and publishing, as well as photographic, cinematic, spatial, and audio operations and productions. Activities include screenings, listening assignments, and guest visits, in addition to readings, discussions, and presentations.

4.359 Syllabus (MIT Certificate protected)

UG: 4.368; G: 4.369

Focuses on the production of artistic interventions in public space. Explores ideas, situations, objects, and materials that shape public space and inform the notion of public and publicness, with an emphasis on co-production and cooperative ethics. Examines forms of environmental art in comparison to temporal and critical forms of art and action in the public sphere. Historical models include the Russian Constructivists, the Situationists International, system aesthetics, participatory and conceptual art, contemporary interventionist tactics and artistic strategies, and methods of public engagement. Students develop an initial concept for a publicly-situated project. Includes guest lectures, visiting artist presentations, and optional field trips.

Additional work required of students taking graduate version. 

4.368/4.369 Syllabus (MIT Certificate protected)

UG: 4.368; G: 4.369

Focuses on the production of artistic interventions in public space. Explores ideas, situations, objects, and materials that shape public space and inform the notion of public and publicness, with an emphasis on co-production and cooperative ethics. Examines forms of environmental art in comparison to temporal and critical forms of art and action in the public sphere. Historical models include the Russian Constructivists, the Situationists International, system aesthetics, participatory and conceptual art, contemporary interventionist tactics and artistic strategies, and methods of public engagement. Students develop an initial concept for a publicly-situated project. Includes guest lectures, visiting artist presentations, and optional field trips.

Additional work required of students taking graduate version. 

4.368/4.369 Syllabus (MIT Certificate protected)

How can insights from choreography inform more just and equitable ways of urban planning? In what ways can choreography help us to decolonize the urban landscape? How can choreography make us attentive to a community’s emotional, cultural and corporeal memory? How can dance, as a three-dimensional bodily practice, help us to move beyond scripted spaces and codified routes? These are the questions we tackle in Choreographing the City, a course developed with Theatrum Mundi, prof. Richard Sennett and CAST-supported MIT visiting artist and choreographer Dr. Adesola Akinleye.

Both choreography and planning organize time and space to shape movement; both emerge through practice and experience; and both have physical and social outputs as well as constraints. Looking at the interdependencies of these terms, this class will generate an interdisciplinary dialogue between choreographic and spatial practices. Through readings, group discussions and creative practices, the class participants will mobilize choreography as an epistemological tool in order to 1) expose the colonial remnants on which the city rests, 2) emphasize the climate-induced changing structures of the city, and 3) open up pathways towards a decolonized and fair urban commonwealth.

Additional work required of students taking graduate version.

4.373 U / 4.374 G

The intricate qualities of an object's color, luster, and texture are created by its nanoscale properties, including taste, smell, stickiness, transparency, and many other facets of a unique object design. These characteristics can be tailored and exquisitely shaped by influencing the nanoparticles. In this process, visualization and conceptual imagination play a pivotal role, with decisive microscopes and computer simulations becoming crucial for forming and visually interpreting a novel way of observing the uncovered knowledge.

Through this class, ACT (Art, Culture, and Technology program) and MIT.nano, driven by imagination and investigation, intertwine nanoscience and nanotechnology with toolsets and visualization methods that manipulate matter at an atomic and molecular scale to extend the bounds of what art and culture exploration can lead us to. MIT recognized this unique overlap between art and science a long time ago. The CAVS (Center for Advanced Visual Studies at MIT), founded by Professor Gyorgy Kepes in 1967, brought artists to collaborate with MIT scientists and engineers in probing "vision in motion" – new ways of imagining a fast-changing world altered by the proliferation of new technologies. This class is determined to set a milestone for reviving this collaboration for a new era.

After the first two weeks of introductory lectures and tours of Nano facilities and affiliated labs, the students will collaborate closely with two dedicated TA scientists to gain access to knowledge necessary for their individual or collaborative projects. The class plans to collaborate with two labs. We will provide a list of scientific papers related to the lab research and schedule training on specific lab equipment. Some spaces and equipment will be accessible to students directly and some through dedicated TAs. The art students' goal will be to understand a lab environment and the scientific methods used in the lab’s day-to-day work. On top of this understanding, the students will be asked to develop their own proposals for art projects which will be displayed in an exhibition at the MIT Nano building in the Spring 2023 semester.

Additional work required of students taking graduate version. 

4.373/4.374 Syllabus (MIT Certificate protected)