Syllabus

CS 328 : The Word as Sound & Image
Fall '09 Thurs 4 – 6 pm A217

Instructor:
Mathew Timmons
e: mtimmons at calarts dot edu
ph: 661 253 7716
office hours by appointment

Description:
Artists have long incorporated text into visual work and typogrpahers have taken text beyond simple inscription, while the spoken word has been used by artists like Burroughs and Gysin and composers such as Robert Ashley in ways that go far beyond the page. This class will look at modern uses of text in sound and image, especially in electronic mediums through sound collage and visually in flash and other programmed mediums. Dynamic vispo artists such as Brian Kim Stephans and Jim Andrews and organizations such as the Electronic Literature Organization have pushed beyond the hypertext and net art of the dot.com nineties, into a space less obviously 'cutting edge' and into a time when artists and writers have to seriously consider why something should be on the page and why not andor why on a screen and why not. This class will look into the tropes and techniques of the electronic medium, reflecting on earlier uses of the word as sound and image to discuss how much of the new is in new media and how much of the old. Using more general theoretical/practical texts such as N. Katherine Hayles and Anne Burdick's Writing Machines and Ellen Lupton's Thinking with Type we will situate ourselves and the work we're looking at/listening to in a broader discussion of media and its effects and influences. We will look at anthologies such as the Electronic Literature Collection, Volume One for examples of work to be critiqued/discussed and as models for our own work. Students will investigate the possibilities that flash software and sound editing tools can offer them at even a basic level, and although they aren't expected to be programmers, they will be expected to take risks and see how far they can push a beginner or intermediate level of technical knowledge.

Goals:
To investigate the sound of words as well as their representation in imagery and how representation affects their reception as well as how to bend reception of the word through sound or image, typographically or sonically. We will work in a very practical lo-fi manner in a hi-fi, hi-tech realm and explore how much can be done with an introductory knowledge and general familiarity with available tools.

Attendance:
As this is a workshop/discussion class, attendance is essential and will be accounted for at each class meeting. Each student is allowed three absences. A fourth absence will result in a grade of NX.

Coursework:
Weekly reading/viewing and Artist's Responses handed in and posted to the class blog
(http://wordsoundimage.blogspot.com)
Two Workshop Sessions/Presentations in class
Mid term portfolio project
Final portfolio project


Grading:
10% Class Participation
20% Artist's Responses
20% Workshop/Presentation
25% Midterm Portfolio
25% Final Portfolio

Blog Responses:
Responses to the readings, when assigned, are due by noon on the day of class. Roughly 10 of these will be assigned—you must complete at least 6 to receive any credit. These should be short responses to the work we review each week that focus on a particular aspect of interest to you. Post your response to the class blog (http://wordsoundimage.blogspot.com) and print out a copy to hand in during class. You are encouraged to use the list of Exercises handed out in class as writing guides for these assignments. Also, you are welcome to do 'artists' responses—by posting media work to the class blog, or if you are doing something that isn’t easily presentable in blog format, arrange something with me beforehand and we will figure out a way for you to present work during class.

Workshop Presentations
Each Student will present their work twice during class for comments from class. These presentations should be at most 20 minutes and include 5 minutes for questions and comments from the class. For each presentation you should bring examples of one or two things you have found relevant to your work—you can pull from materials we have gone over in class or from work you have found on your own (if these things can be found on the web please post links to the class blog). All students will be expected to take notes during these presentations and to hand their notes to each presenter at the end of class.

Midterm Portfolio - Due November 5
The Midterm Portfolio is due in class at the Midterm. It is important to turn your portfolio in on time - each week it is late you drop a grade level for the assignment. Turn in a selection of materials you have been working on in the class up to this point in the semester. It is expected that you turn in more than just what you presented during the first round of workshops, but it is fine to turn in incomplete projects you are working on, and you should certainly turn in the original materials you presented in Workshop as well as any changes you made based on feedback from classmates. You are also expected to turn in a 750 word description/discussion of the materials in your portfolio that references at least two other artists we have looked at in class or that you have researched on your own.

Final Portfolio - Due December 17
The Final Portfolio is due in class on the last day of class. There will be no extensions of the deadline. Turn in any projects you have been working on during the semester for this class. You should certainly turn in the original materials you presented in Workshop Sessions as well as any changes you made based on feedback from classmates. Turn in one other project separate from the pieces you presented in Workshop Sessions. You are also expected to turn in a 750 word description/discussion of the materials in your portfolio that references at least two other artists we have looked at in class or that you have researched on your own.