4.314/4.315 Second Skin / Body Wear: Adv. Workshop in Artistic Practice & Transdisciplinary Research
Fall 2010
Lucy Orta
Professor: Ute Meta Bauer
TA: Matthew Peter Bunza
Class time:
M2-5
(E15-283A)
Lecture Series: M7-9
(Bartos Theater, E15)
Information:
This hands-on workshop examines contemporary art and design as knowledge production that integrates a research component. We explore body wear as body extension and expanded sensorium to serve and support the human body under unusual conditions such as hot and cold climates, living under water, etc.
The aim is to develop prototypes that are transformable or multifunctional and expand the notion of the boundary between the body and environment. What kind of second skin would be required to survive walking through a volcano or to stay a few weeks in a glacier? This involves experimentation with various materials, textiles and technologies.
The class will include research, readings, individual and collective projects and presentations supplemented by screenings, and a lecture series to study the work of artists and designers such as Lucy Orta, Moreno Ferrari, and others. Films ranging from Western Deep by Steve McQueen, Lessons of Darkness by Werner Herzog, Dark Days by Marc Singer, to classics such as Journey to the Center of the Earth or 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea will enhance our discussions. Furthermore, we will investigate research done in MIT labs such as that of Personal Robots, High-Low Tech Group, Aeronautics and Astronautics; Earth, Atmospheric, and Planetary Sciences; and the Institute for Soldier Nanotechnologies.
The class time is organized in screenings and in class presentations or project groups and includes a workshop component and is for enrolled course students only. The class intends to form small teams to research various environments and envisions and develops solutions for those conditions. Each group present research results and for midterm a scenario and “second skin” proposal will be presented, the final result of the class will be a public presentation of research component and a realized project by each team. Group research on topic and shop time to work on realization of the project is required. The recitation is a Monday night lecture series and open to the public. From November the Monday night session is allocated for production of the project.
COURSE REQUIREMENTS:
Attendance at the Monday night lecture series is mandatory.
LAB FEE: A lab fee of $85 will be charged to your account on add date.
GRADING:
Grading is based on: contribution to discussions (class and lecture
series) 10%, attendance (class and lecture series) 10%, assignments
in research and project development 25%, midterm presentation of
project development 25%, final project and presentation 30%.
Announcements
Sewing Room Clean Up
All,I'm pasting an email from Martin below. Please make sure the sewing room gets cleaned up asap.
Thanks in advance,
m
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To all at ACT,
I am imposing a new deadline for removing/disposing of project work, left here in our workshops over the holidays.
All work stored in the Mars Lab, Mold-making room, Sewing room & Welding room must be removed by 1/17/2011.
This is the second and last opportunity for students to claim their work.
Anything left here beyond that date will be disposed of.
Also:
If you have forgotten to clean up your mess at the end of last
semester during the big push for finals, please come in and help
clean up your work areas.
In particular, the sewing room is a DISASTER ZONE, complete with
old sandwich wrappers, empty drink bottles, tools and scraps
covering the worktables and floor. Pretty disgusting really.
Only a small group of students have had use of the sewing room -
you know who you are - respect your work environment & clean up
after yourself!
Work can only be saved from the dumpster by direct communication with me on a case - by - case basis ... You have been warned!
Best,
Martin.
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Announced on 08 January 2011 9:51 p.m. by Matthew Peter Bunza
Receipts
Just want to remind everyone that you need to have your receipts to me by today, so please bring them and make sure your name is on them if you want to get reimbursed!See you all today
m
Announced on 15 December 2010 9:17 a.m. by Matthew Peter Bunza
finals wed december 15th
dear all,we did not see each other after the public presentation.
it was a wonderful evening and you all did a great job, it was fun, interesting and great to see what you achieved in the shortage of one term.
also its great to see the way you adapted to the challenge of a big class.
it worked to our advantage and it was also exciting to me to see the projects evolve.
of course there is so much more material to read, more films we
could have watched etc.
but i was also curious what you produce, without being overwhelmed
what others have done before.
we have some interest from third parties - including an exhibition project with grad schools from all over on wearables in the national gallery beijing next year in collaboration with ISEA 2011 in istanbul titled the weather tunnel.
therefore to have good photos of your projects or of you wearing your prototypes will be crucial.
lightning in cube is perfect, with black background should look
good.
please make sure to document all good as we really would like to
have a great book ready including your final project to support
pages that describe your process.
guys and girls it has been a great pleasure to work with you all
on this class.
and big bohohu to our TA matthew.
heads up, be prepared by one thirty, all installed and all lined
up, so we are done in time.
we have some salmon soup cooked by one of out reviewers nomeda
urbonas waiting for us at the rothschild room right after.
best ute
Announced on 14 December 2010 6:14 p.m. by Ute Meta Bauer
Info for Final Review
Class,Our final presentations are 1:30-4p in the cube this wednesday 12/15. Please be there early to set up so we can be ready to go promptly at 1:30, and so you can get the most out of the reviewers' comments.
The format will be more formal (like the midterms), and each group should be prepared to wear their projects, as there won't be time for each reviewer to try them on individually.
IMPORTANT INFO:
> Wednesday will be your LAST OPPORTUNITY TO GET ME RECEIPTS FOR REFUNDS. Make sure you bring these to the final and make sure to write your name on them!
> Let me know if your group needs a projector for wednesday. I've got some reserved, but last time I ended up with many extra, and I figure groups could probably use the big screen or their own projectors for the final. So, PLEASE SEND ME AN EMAIL IF YOU NEED A PROJECTOR. Otherwise I'll assume that you don't.
> FILL OUT YOUR SUBJECT EVALUATIONS. You have until monday at 9am to do this.
That's all for now. Hope you are all surviving the end of
the term.
m
Announced on 12 December 2010 4:19 p.m. by Matthew Peter Bunza
Re: Assistance from Martin
Class,Sorry for the barrage of emails from me...
One more thing- in lieu of Martin's absence over the next week, Amanda Moore (amm@mit.edu) has a copy of the key to the 'cage' in the media lab. If you require access to the various tools there, you can get in touch with Amanda about getting let in.
Announced on 29 November 2010 10:35 p.m. by Matthew Peter Bunza
