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)

4.344 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)

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)

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

4.314 U / 4.315 G

Examines artistic practice as a form of critical inquiry and knowledge production. Offers opportunity to develop art as a means for addressing the social, cultural, and ecological consequences of technology, to build bridges between industry and culture, and to challenge the boundaries between public and private, and human and non-human. Provides instruction in evaluating models of experimentation, individual research, and collaboration with other disciplines in the arts, culture, science, and technology. Supports the development of individual and collective artistic research projects. Additional work required of students taking the graduate version.

4.314/4.315 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.

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.

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. 

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.