Art 224 Summer: New Media Art

Professor E. Demaray

E-mail: demaray@camden.rutgers.edu

Office: FAB 254

 

This class is dedicated to advancing the conceptual and artistic use of digital media in all areas of studio art. Focused on the nexus of theory and studio-based work in the expanding fields of digital technology, virtual reality, gaming and interactive environments, this course utilizes much of the technology currently available in our day-to-day lives and recognizes that many college students are already new media practitioners.

 

The point of much art is to say things that can’t be simply stated. In this class, you will develop your own work from concept to articulated project. You will also become familiar with the creative output of new media artists both past and present. The strategies we will employ will include brainstorming, generative practices, recontextualization, and crowd sourcing. Every project will be formally presented with a subject-versus-content statement. While these techniques may not come naturally and I plan to stretch you, I know that each of you is capable of excelling in this course.

 

Structure

This class consists of seminar- and studio-based online work. It is not possible to complete the assignments, with a good understanding of the concepts involved, without working outside of class time. I encourage you to go beyond the boundaries of the initial assignments to explore your interests and voice as
an artist.

 

You will produce four creative projects that correspond to four subject areas below. Most of these projects will be broad in scope to allow for maximum personal freedom. Upon the completion of each project, a critique will be held. Everyone is expected to have finished all work by the time of the critique, and to actively participate in the online discussions. You will also give one online artist report, which is a presentation on a specific artist’s canon. These reports will expose you to works that relate to the assignment at hand and will help trace the historical influences that may have led up to a particular project.

By the end of this class, you will be able to:

• Demonstrate an understanding of current and historical techniques in new media as they relate to generative practices, technology, platform and concept.
• Define, evaluate, and use critical vocabulary that facilitates the analysis of artistic form and content in the areas of new media.
• Construct creative and cogent interpretations of the works you produce in this class and the works produced by others.
• Utilize hardware, software and various technologies to author works in new media.
• Exercise creative expression through strategies in new media to author
  works of art.