Workshop
1 : Foundations of graphic communication
Students in this
workshop will engage in activities designed to remove some of the “veils
of technology” that obscure our understanding of how people in
the distant past may have thought and how they might
have seen their world. Although it is impossible to know what Paleolithic
peoples “meant” by their drawings on cave walls and sculpted
items , the existence of these works indicates the probability that
communication was central to their design. But if this is the case,
how does meaning arise? How does any work come to mean anything?
In order to grasp
the relationship between meaning and design, students
will proceed as follows:
1. Using any magazine
or web source, locate a photograph
(not a drawing) of a natural object which
evokes some sort of meaning to you, the viewer. The image can be of
animal, vegetable, or mineral origin, but it must be as little
affected by human contact or modification as possible. In
the philosopher Wilhelm Dilthey’s terms, it should not be “mind
affected.” For example, choose a tiger rather than a house cat
if possible, or a simple rock rather than a marble sculpture, a wild
prairie rather than a garden. Think about what the object can
mean, what it might symbolize: lion=courage, rock=strength,
etc. Think about the intrinsic qualities of the object as well: size,
shape (form), volume, weight, texture.
2. Create
an image of the object which attempts to communicate the
symbolic and/or intrinsic meanings you have identified. Do so using
the principles of design you have already learned, as well as your
understanding of how early human beings created their images. Keep
the restrictions of medium and tool in mind; think about how it would
be to create your image on a rock wall using natural pigments and
hollow tubes, simple brushes, burnt twigs, etc.–or even Michel
Lorblanchet’s chewing-and-spitting technique. It helps to imagine
that you're creating this image on a cave wall, but don't feel that
you have to.
The completed
workshop (to be submitted at the beginning of class week 2) consists
of a copy of the reference image and the
image you created on the paper provided (for full credit).
Make sure your name (first and last) appears on both.
This assignment is worth up to 5 points.
Workshop
2: The origins of written communication
Note: Before
you even get started, make sure your first and last names are written
on the back of the card. Even though you're working on your first name,
I still need to be able to award a grade--and my files are alphabetical
by surname.
Modern life depends
heavily on communication through the written word; it is certainly possible
to argue that writing is the most important technology ever developed
by human beings. It is also being argued that contemporary media are
coming to depend more and more often on visual images rather than on
written text to communicate their messages. Whether or not this is the
case, the importance of writing in the history of human communication
is undeniable.
But writing itself
has visual roots. The early Sumerian tokens “stood for”
such items as sheep or units of grain. The letter A derives from an
early pictograph for the word/object “ox.” This
workshop will explore the symbolic relationship between word and image.
How do symbols
derive their meaning? How do strings of symbols connected
to make words come to communicate?
In order to begin
to understand the relationship between writing and meaning, students
in this workshop will explore the shape, sound, and meaning of their
own names.
1. Using a name
dictionary (a few online sources are listed below, and I will bring
several books to class), look up the meaning of your given name. It
helps to look up names in more than one dictionary, because baby-naming
books tend to romanticize some names. “Brandon,” for example,
comes from the verb to brand, and connotes “stinking
hair.” But name books usually give it a somewhat more glamorous
meaning. “Candace” is frequently translated as “shining
white” and said to have come from the Latin. In actuality, it’s
simply a Greek term that denotes an Ethiopian queen and has no other
significance. Note if your name comes from a specific place, or has
particular religious or cultural meaning. If your parents invented
your name, try to find out why, and what they wanted to accomplish
by doing so. Write down a meaning or explanation of your name
on the 5 x 8 inch card provided. The completed workshop is worth up
to 5 points.
Behind
the Name: The etymology and history of first names (defined
according to regional/language origin)
Dictionary
of Baby Names, Meanings, and Origins (the information's ok,
but be prepared to be bombarded by popup ads--some really annoying)
Chaucer
Name Dictionary: A Guide to Astrological, Biblical, Historical,
Literary, and Mythological Names in the Works of Geoffrey Chaucer.
This may seem a bit specialized, but Chaucer wrote about a considerable
number of characters. If your name is of European or Biblical origin,
try this for some scholarly information.
Chinese
Names: this is a nice place to find a Chinese character that
reflects your name as an ideographic symbol. So if your name means
"beauty" or "love" or some such concept, try
this site for the appropriate sign in a variety of calligraphic
styles.
2. Transliterate
your name in one or more alphabets or syllabaries from one of the
source books or websites included on this week's slide list. If possible,
create a rebus that reflects the sound
of your name. Compare the shapes and graphic qualities of the name
in the different forms. Ancient
Scripts is a comprehensive web page on writing systems that includes
alphabets and syllabaries from all over the world.
For example, here's
a cuneiform transliteration engine from the University of Pennsylvania:
Write
Like A Babylonian. Or try this Egyptian
hieroglyphic "translator" from Discovering Egypt.
3. After experimenting
with sound, create (on the other side of the card) a visual
interpretation of your name's meaning or associations. This
can be accomplished by making a collage, either by pasting images
onto the card provided, or by manipulating images in PhotoShop. Or,
you can develop a personal logo. The object here is to play with your
name's visual associatons. Be as creative as your
available materials allow.
Some names are much
more difficult to deal with than others–why is this so? If your
parents constructed your name, how does that affect your ability to
complete this assignment? What kinds of consequences follow from divorcing
naming from cultural meaning? Why does naming seem to play a relatively
minor role in American society–different, say, from the Babylonian
era in which Gilgamesh ruled, and was--significantly--called by name
"from the day he was born"?
Workshop
3:Geometry in/of design
The purpose
of this workshop is to emphasize the importance of Islamic art and design
in the development of the Western tradition.
As we will have seen from the slides, geometric patterns embellished
the great Moorish palaces and fortresses in Spain, as well as in mosques
and other public buildings throughout the world. As we will see in the
Renaissance, the impact of these designs will continue to be felt for
centuries.
In order for students
to gain some concrete experience in non-Western design traditions, the
following small-scale design problem will require you to develop
a pattern based on Islamic design principles (especially as
used on decorative tiles), and the associated concept of tesselation--which
M. C. Escher explored in his designs. I've listed several websites below
which will augment the material presented in class. The completed design
is worth up to 5 points.
On the sheet
of grid paper supplied, do one of the following:
1. Recreate
a connected sequence of tile patterns from one of these buildings:
The
Alhambra (Granada, Spain); the
Alcazar (Seville, Spain); the Friday
Mosque (Herat, Afghanistan); the Dome
of the Rock (Jerusalem; here are some public
domain photos of the mosque), or the Great
Mosque (Cordoba, Spain). Use a compass, protractor, and/or ruler.
Do not simply photocopy the design. You may choose a simple design
if necessary, or a small section of a larger design, but draw it yourself.
More points will be awarded for complex designs, but simpler examples
will earn basic points.
Do not
simply draw the design you're copying; use the grid to help
you understand the geometry of the design, using the squares
on the grid to guide your replication. Obviously, a geometric pattern
will be much easier to reproduce than a floral pattern (arabesque).
2. Designs must
be executed in color, using any practical medium
(including markers, colored pencils, or even crayons--but no pastels).
Points will be earned on the basis of effort as well as success, but
primarily on how well the design embodies the principles discussed.
Points will be deducted for deviations from the instructions.
3. Include a copy
of the reference image you used, and be sure the name of the building
and your own name (first and last) appear on both the design and the
photocopy.
Tiling
and Islamic Design
Here's a .pdf
file of a handout on Construction
of an Islamic Pattern.
Tiles
of the Alhambra (from a BBC Radio page): seven different patterns.
Note: a number
of visitors to places like the Alhambra have posted albums on the
web. An image search like "Alhambra tile" will turn up some
suprisingly good photographs for inspiration.
Workshop
4: Manuscript Illumination
The object of this
exercise is to provide experience in the process of illumination, and
to demonstrate its relationship with modern design. It will also act
as a worksheet that includes the major components in an illuminated
manuscript, and will help you understand the meanings of important terms.
1. Choose a short
poem, song, or a prose passage on a topic of interest to you. The
amount of text should be small enough to fit on the template distributed
in class, leaving room for embellishments. Print out the text you
will use.
2. Using the text
as an inspiration, choose one or two artworks (paintings, drawings,
or prints) that measure no larger than 2 inches by 3 inches, preferably
in color. One may be larger than the other, but both should have something
to do with the text you have selected. For example, if you choose
a passage about astronomy, small copies of Vincent van Gogh’s
Starry Night and a print by William Blake featuring the heavens would
be appropriate images. You may draw your own, but hand skills are
not necessary for this task.
3. Analyze the
content of the text, and decide what could be emphasized, illustrated,
or decorated in order to accomplish a few of the purposes of illumination—such
as structuring the text, explaining or illustrating
it, or simply embellishing it in order to
add value (well, at least imaginary value). Be able to explain why
you have used each element to illuminate your text.
4. On the template
provided, arrange and illuminate the text you have chosen, following
the examples of those shown in class. You do not have to follow the
template exactly--you may construct your own design--but make sure
your illumination contains the following:
- A body of
text (this may be divided into separate sections)
- One historiated
initial
- Two or more
decorated and/or emphasized initials
- One or two
miniatures (the images you chose for step 2 above)
- A border
- A signature
or a catchword (or a catch-phrase)
- Additional
elements that fit the content of the text, such as rubrication
or drolleries
You will need scissors
and glue or tape, and possibly markers or colored pencils/pens to complete
this assignment. The finished “manuscript” is due week 7.
Don't forget to include your full name on the back of your template
or design.
Workshop
5: Conducting effective research and building bibliographies
Note: Some
of the materials for this workshop are linked on the Schedule under
"assignments" but a complete packet will be handed out in
class for discussion. The
workshop itself is worth 10 points, and will be reflected in the score
you earn for your annotated bibliography. 5 points will be earned for
attending the workshop; the remaining 5 will be assessed on the basis
of the quality of the bibliography you submit with your design solution
and process essay.
1. You will need
to bring to class the packet of readings distributed during the week
6 lecture on manuscript illumination.
2. In addition,
you should have chosen the text you will illuminate and be prepared
to locate resources on the text itself, the process
of illumination, the period in which the text was
originally composed (or during which it was widely distributed), the
author, if known, and appropriate designs
and letterforms to be used or adapted. Be familiar with the
requirements of the assignment before you begin.
3. Using the information
on effective research handed out in class, locate at least
five different sources in at least two
different media that will help you interpret your text and
approach the design aspects of the problem. Please note that this
is not a maximum, but rather a minimum number! The minimum number
of sources and media will earn the "C" level score ("competent").
4. Using the "Flintstones
Bibliography" or a 2009 MLA style guide (such as that provided
by the Perdue
Online Writing Lab), write down the sources you find following
the pattern demonstrated for each kind of source (book, website, journal
article, work of art, film, etc.). If you locate helpful sources through
a database, print out the article to include in your final problem
packet. Whenever possible, choose "full image" (.pdf) files
over "full text," because they will look exactly like the
original artical did in the journal in which it appeared. If you locate
magazine articles from Library holdings, copy the article for further
reference, and for inclusion in your final packet.
5. Since you are
required to annotate your bibliography, be sure to
take notes on how you use each one of the sources you locate: how
does the information it contains contribute to your understanding
of the passage you have chosen to illuminate--or the actual process
of illumination itself.
6. If you have
any trouble at all figuring out how to cite particular works, be sure
to ask me, or consult the link above or one of the websites included
in my Research
Resources.
7. Before signing
out at the end of class, consult with me about what you plan to do,
and discuss the sources you've located. Throughout the class period
I will be stationed near the Library computer lab; fee free to ask
for advice or clarification.
If you fail to attend
class week 7, you may obtain copies of the materials in person during
office hours, but you forfeit the 5-point workshop-attendance points.
The full 10 bibliography points will still be available to you, depending
on the quality of what you submit with your solution and process essay.
Attendance at the workshop usually helps students produce better bibliographies.
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07.19.11 |