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Artist and media theorist Victor Burgin, and philosopher and artist D.N. Rodowick (University of Chicago, Department of Cinema and Media Studies) investigate displaced or effaced histories of architecture and urban space in the near South Side of Chicago through the creation of site-specific audiovisual installations.
Architectural History and Critical Media Practice
Spring 2015
Offered through Visual Arts (26201/36201) and cross-listed in Art History (26201/36201) and Cinema and Media Studies (29004/39004)
Instructors: D. N. Rodowick and Victor Burgin
Course assistant: Sophie Rhee
Meeting times: Mondays 1:30 pm to 4:20 pm in the Gray Center Lab, Midway Studios
Please note that participation in the course will be very time intensive. Throughout the quarter, there will be artists’ talks related to the course held on alternate Mondays at 6.00 pm. Attendance at these talks is mandatory and an essential part of the course. There will also be several site visits and field trips that are required for the course. Students should be flexible with their schedules and willing to devote a great deal of time to class activities.
Description
In this advanced studio course we investigate how creative practice can engage specific architectural sites and explore the erased or disappeared cultural histories, real and/or imagined, inscribed in those spaces. Our focus will be the history of “The Mecca” apartment building on the south side of Chicago. In the face of great protest, The Mecca was demolished in 1952 as part of the expansion of the Illinois Institute of Design according to plans developed by Mies van der Rohe. This site and its Bronzeville environs thus present a variety of opportunities for exploring themes of displaced architectures, competing visions of modernism and utopia, and conflicts in popular and cultural memory. Students are expected to propose and pursue individual projects around this theme and to work experimentally with strategies of research and writing along with still and/or moving image production. Field trips required. Class size limited to 12.
Prerequisites: Prior coursework and/or experience with a camera-based practice (photography, film, video, 3D modeling) is required. Admission to this course is by application and with consent of the instructors.