Second Year Option Studio: ar·ti·fact

Options Catalog Course Description

Options Presentation (10/30/2024)

Be not the slave of your own past.
Plunge into the sublime seas,
dive deep and swim far,
so you shall come back with
self-respect,
with new power,

with an advanced experience
—that shall explain and overlook the old.

Ralph Waldo Emerson

ar·ti·fact: an object made or modified by a human being, typically one of cultural or historical interest.

Archeology tries to understand a culture, history and values of a people through the study of objects left behind that in many cases are from the past. By piecing the found objects, they begin to tell a narrative of those people and the environment they lived in. Architecture has long used artifact making to explore ideas of the built world as a methodology for understanding a design problem or express a social condition. In this studio we will be using artifact making to explore one’s own lived experience to explore the question, “Who are you?” Through a series of prompts, students will be asked to respond by making artifacts based off readings that will introduce them to theories and lenses to explore different aspects of the self. This studio is designed for those who are interested in art practices and social justice work. At the end of the semester, each student will have 10-12 artifacts, a sketchbook and a manifesto on how they've utilized self-theory in creating these artifacts. Students will be limited in the use of technology as class time will be used for making and fabricating. This is not a superficial studio; by choosing this studio, students are willing to participate and contribute to class discussions. By the end of the semester, students will have been introduced and use methodologies for design as art practice – it is an understanding of the importance in self-reflection not only for design, but for doing social justice work in architecture.

Objectives:

• Use theoretical lens to evaluate experiences and test ideas.
• Gain ability to articulate one's own lived experience and your relationship to the world you live in.
• Create artifacts to investigate the lived condition.
• Gain empathy through consciousness.

Prompt:

Each artifact will be situated through a response from a selection of readings. These reading will offer a lens to which the students is to use to investigate their own lived experience through the making of an artifact.

Context:

Using the act of artmaking as a tool to become a more conscientious designer/maker by becoming more self-aware of how you see yourself in the world.

Program:

An art instillation consisting of 7-8 artifacts, a manifesto and sketchbook.

Learning Outcomes:

• Able to use theory as a tool to investigate the world around them.
• Ability to articulate creative ideas.
• Create a process of self reflection.
• Begin to develop own art practice.