NEW THINGS – years 1, 2 and 3 – reading week acivities

hi all

to be clear……….YOU ARE NOT EXPECTED IN COLLEGE THIS COMING WEEK (22ND-26TH OCT) BUT…………

you need to have completed the following tasks during reading week – these are not optional and we will be feeding what you do into the various modules you are working on as part of the research component so yes this will be marked -

but apart from that which sounds a little like a moan this is a fantastic opportunity to see and do and experience new things that will inform your work and help you to become better and more interested artists, designers, animators and illustrators so don’t waste the chance and crucially enjoy it

this is what we want you (all year groups) to do…..

1 register for the reading week forum
here

2 exhibitions – see the suggestions here
you are to visit 2 of the exhibitions in this list plus one other not on the list that you find yourself and write a 200 word response to each in a new thread in the exhibitions section or if a thread already exists for it then add to the thread
think about the following -

• would you recommend it to other people?
• what do think is going on in the work?
• is there a conversation going on here between you and the work or are you just receiving?
• what about the medium used? is it important to the message of the work?
• do you like it?
• is it a visual aesthetic experience or is it an intellectual experience?
• is it difficult to get to grips with?
• are you uncomfortable viewing the work? why?
• how does it relate to other
• and anything else you choose to add

ps – make one of your choices the seduced exhibition at the barbican if you can face it – it brings up lots of issues

3 books
choose one (or more – I really recommend the neal stephenson ones) of the books from this list – buy it ( do not buy online as they will not come in time – these are easily and cheaply available in local bookshops), read it this week and write a 200 word response to each in a new thread in the exhibitions section or if a thread already exists for it then add to the thread

neal stephenson – snowcrash
neal stephenson – the diamond age
neal stephenson – cryptonomicon
william gibson – neuromancer
william gibson – virtual light
bruce sterling – zeitgeist
richard k morgan – thirteen
philip K. Dick – Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep?

4 film
choose one of the films from the films at the nft list provided by andy in the earlier post – and write a 200 word response to it in a new thread in the films section or if a thread already exists for it then add to the thread
or consider going to the roundhouse (camden) on wednesday 24th to see daft punks – electroma – advance tickets sold out but you can turn up on the night
also you should see one film this week that was made before 1970 (that is back in the day I believe) TV is fine for this

• are there ideas in the film that might be relevant to your work now or in the future on the digital arts course?
  • are there visual ideas/styles/compositional ideas that might influence what you do on the course?
  • are there any interesting technical issues worth noting?
  • how does the film you chose relate to other work by

5 music
take an A3 sheet of paper and a black fine line pen – then tune in to classic FM or radio 3 – there should just be some classical music (that more than likely you are not used to listening to) and just doodle and draw as you listen – do not try to do a picture and do not try to draw anything in particular just listen to the music and doodle – bring the a3 sheet in to college and put it on the wall
listen for 30 minutes and aim to only use one sheet – do not worry what it looks like

write a 100 word response in a new thread

• was it easy to listen to something new?
• did you hate it?
• was your drawing in any way related to the music and the act of listening?

6 material gathering
while you are out and about have camera with you (phone camera is ok for this) and collect 10 face on images of one of the following themes

1. graffiti tags
2. peeling billboards
3. stickers
4. signs in windows
5. shop fronts
6. distressed wall surfaces
7. things set in to floors – ie manhole covers etc
8. doors/gates
9. autumn leaves
10. rusty things

we want to use these as the basis for textures in 3d so bear this in mid when you take the pictures so if you are able take them in such a way that makes it easier to isolate what you want from them then all the better
and vitally – try to leave messages in the messages section of the forum and let everyone else know who is going to see what and when and try to meet up with people OUTSIDE your group – this week is meant to be about new things

and E N J O Y it