PracticalMakingIsConnecting
Contents
Making is Connecting
Introduction and Justification
Artists, Designers, Hackers, we must to return to the crafts! By reflecting upon the origins of the Arts & Crafts movement to today's DIY movement facilitated by networked culture, it is clear to that the philosophies of craft go further than a handcrafted 'thing'. Craft is personal. Craft is social. Craft is political. In this quarter you will explore the urgency of craft, the reaction against and embracement of machine production, the tension between conservatism and innovation, and the popularisation of DIY as a social, political and economic practise. Making is Connecting is the Q7 theme. Making is Connecting deals with: establishing historical and contemporary discourses of craft; studio visits of professional practitioners, hands-on exploration of traditional craft practices (through newer tools and technologies); the development of a personal statement through the production of a tangible artifact; And the formation of a community of artists and designers as digital craftsman.
The purpose of this quarter is for you to orientate yourself within the thematic of the Digital Craft programme as a whole. You will develop valuable skills and conceptual tools for you to make as well as frame your work. Making is Connecting deepens the general introductions given in the electives. The quarter provides time to master chosen fabrication technology and bridges an essential link towards Q8 – The Expanded Toolbox – where more dynamic and complex tools and media will be introduced.
Content Summery and Methods
Making is Connecting is comprised of two main components: Research and Studio Practice. Each component provides a different entry to the understanding and potential of craft practises in times of electronic, digital and networked media. Each week you are required to read, reflect, make and discuss (each week a theoretical text is assigned and discussed, and each week you are expected to experiment in the workshop!). Aside from in-class hours, you are also required to plan and carry though your own independent study by sourcing your own relevant reading material, further your making skills connect to communities, workshops, exhibitions or excursions.
The following is a summery of each component of the course:
Research
In Making is Connecting Research you will focus on making connections between historical and contemporary discourses and your own position towards craft. You will look back to the medieval craft guilds and the call of their revival through the writings of John Ruskin and William Morris, as well as explore contemporary and cross-cultural manifestations and debates within craft. You will examine the explicit, nuanced, and sometimes contradicting stances on technology and machine production throughout from Arts and Crafts to the Bauhaus movements. You look at the more recent democratisation of knowledge and tools through online and offline communities – such as FabLabs and Makerspaces. You will explore and position contemporary concepts craft in DIY, hacking, and haute couture. The first four weeks you will explore and discuss these various perspectives through key texts. In the last four weeks you will reflect upon your own motives for making in the in the final assignment "Why I Make" through a written reflection, statement, or manifesto that is also richly embedded in a personal crafted artefact.
The goal of the research component of digital craft is to ground your production as part of a wider debate, to support your formation of sound concepts, and to facilitate the translation of your concepts as tools to apply back into practice.
Studio Practice
In Making is Connecting Studio Practice you will explore existing craft practices while applying new techniques, experimental approaches, and pushing the limits of your tools and media. You will be given carving, printing and drawing, fusing and bonding, or stitching as a technique and departure point.
In carving, you will make woodcuts, engravings, sculptures and moulds by exploring subtractive fabrication technologies and mastering the CNC milling machine. In printing and drawing you will survey traditional printing methods, invent your own printing and drawing tools, explore with reactive media (conductive/sensitive inks) and animation techniques. In bonding you will deepen your knowledge different additive fabrication and 3d printing technologies, their different materials and bonding processes, and search for the craft in an industry that markets itself as fast and cheap. In stitching you will produce samples of machine embroidery and knitting, research small-scale textile production and tinker with electronic textile techniques. Your first five weeks will comprise of deepening your knowledge and exploring possibilities within your given craft practise and producing a total of 5 samples to be published on the wiki and presented as part of your assessment.
Deliverables
The five examples must connect with the following list. 1-4 will be carried out independently, while number 5 (shared example) will be carries out as a group facilitated by a workshop mentor.
1. A historical example -experiment with an traditional/older technique/tool/process, as well as research its origins and impact it has had.
2. A comparative example-within one experimental example, compare a range of techniques/tools/ or materials.
3. An example of a new skill-try out something you have never done before and identify your position on a learning curve.
4. An example of a material pushed to the limit-choose a tool and material and search for its potential — try to find the boundaries of the possible.
5. A shared example -follow a shared workshop resulting in an communally-shared, co designed artefact.
The last four weeks challenges you to integrate your acquired theory on craft and your hands-on experimentation in the final assignment Why I Make. Here you will produce a tangible and communicative artefact that is representative of your own statement or manifesto on making.
Learning goals
The objective is that through research, experiment, critical reflection, creation, design and manufacturing, connected to the three projects in Quarter 9, you will gain new knowledge, insights and a critical stance towards digital culture. Following from this you will learn to translate your point of view, your discoveries, into a concrete project.
Assessment criteria
- The student has shown profound knowledge of their given craft/making process (both a historical and contemporary context).
- The student has demonstrated a rigorous approach to experimentation, which has been reflected upon and framed in a coherent manner.
- The student has defined a clear and critical statement, which explicitly connects taught theory with his or her design/artistic/craft practice.
- The student has conceptualised and executed a high quality personal work that appropriately embodies his or her statement.
- The student has consistent attendance and has actively participated and discussions, feedback and workshop sessions.
- The student has effectively documented and communicated their process/results through use of the course wiki.
Unravel the Meme – the undervalued power of internet farts
keywords: imitation, transformation, replication, participation, sharing, user-generated, dissemination, appropriation, remix, pop culture, subculture ...
Context
A meme is "an idea, behavior, or style that spreads from person to person within a culture”. The term was introduced by Richard Dawkins in his book The Selfish Gene. He defined memes as small cultural units of transmission (similar to genes), which are spread from person to person by copying or imitation. His examples include melodies, catchphrases, fashion, but also abstract beliefs. Many memes are competing for attention, however only some spread succesfully while others die out. Online the internet meme has become a widespread phenomenon. It can take the form of an image, video, picture, website or hashtag. It may be just a word or phrase, including intentional misspelling. These spread from person to person via social networks, blogs, email, or news sources. They can evolve and spread extremely rapidly, sometimes reaching world-wide popularity within a few days. More often than not, we associate memes with mindless fun and entertainment. More often than not, we associate memes with mindless fun and entertainment. However when you take a deeper look at them they can potentially be a powerful digital artefact influencing public opinion, consumer behaviour and culture world-wide.
For this first project you will take look at particular given memes and analyse them.
Formulate your own questions in order to dissect, interpret, assess, the meme. For example:
What characterizes your meme? How is it used? How widespread is it? Where did it originate from? What are keywords that you would attach to it? What is it’s effect? What are it’s components? What does it link to? What is your opinion of this meme? How is it transformed? How would you categorize it’s iterations? What story might you want to tell about this meme? And how would you visualize this story?
Ultimately your findings will be displayed as a mini-exhibition during the Wereld van Witte de With.
Deliverables
- a comparative visual research on your given meme, its wider theme and significance (per duo)
- a new visual work (graphic, film, object...) which encapsulates your given meme within a chosen theme (per duo)
- a visual display including key findings and new work under chosen theme (per group)
- a visually coherent mini-exhibition presentation for the Wereld van Wittle de Width festival (per class)
- documentation of project process and research on personal wiki page (per student)
- documentation of projects and event as wiki post titles "Unravel the Meme" under "Projects and Courses"(volunteer)
Planning
| Date | Time & Location | Content |
|---|---|---|
| Sept 1st | 13-16h @ Interaction Station | intro - meme research |
| Sept 3rd | - | group brainstorm / mini-exhibition proposal |
| Sept 8th | 13:00-15:15@ Interaction Station/15:30-16:00@Location | discussion, mentoring, exhibition planning |
| Sept 10th | 10-17h "on location" | exhibition set-up |
| Sept 10th | 18:00-21:00 "on location" | lecture by Roel Abbing - presentations - BYO BORRRRRRRRREL |
| Sept 11-13 | Wereld van Witte de With Festival |
