2D/3D Exploration: Physical and Virtual Surfaces


Catalog Code	DDA Special Topics
Course Title	2D/3D Exploration: Physical and Virtual Surfaces
Course Credits	3
Year & Term	2010 Spring
Section	2
Location & Time	ARC, E8, Thu 2:00 - 4:50 pm
Instructor	Claudia Herbst-Tait
Required?	Elective
Prerequisites	Basic knowledge of Maya modeling, lighting and rendering is required.
Department	Department of Digital Arts
Chairperson	Peter Patchen
School	School of Art and Design
Instructor's eMail	cherbst@pratt.edu
Web Site	claudiaherbst.org
Instructor's Office Phone	718-636-3490
Instructor's Alternative Phone	tba
Best times to call	Mon & Wed, lunch
Office Hours	Mon & Wed, lunch
Office Location	ARC F-11c
Syllabus Version Date	January 7th, 2010
Bulletin Description of Course	In this intermediate-level course, students combine 3D lighting and rendering techniques with fiber-based materials and surfaces. Students devise their own methodologies in an interdisciplinary approach to fiber art and digital media.
Detailed Description	In this studio course, students explore fiber-based materials in combination with real and virtual surfaces. Students will merge 3D lighting and rendering techniques with traditional fabric-based materials and techniques, including sewing, weaving, felting, and needlework, et al. The works produced by students may include digital prints, sculptural objects, or mixed media installations. Drawing from the field of fiber arts, the overall focus of this course is on an interdisciplinary approach to surfaces, real and virtual. Students will be introduced to artists working in fiber arts disciplines and discuss and critique their own original approaches to surface real and virtual treatment. While technical assistance will be given, and with a focus on the formal aspects of surfaces, this course is not about technical or craft instructions.
Course Goals	This course explores tangencies between virtual and real fiber-based surfaces and shapes. Students will experiment with transposing shapes and surface attributes, such as color and texture, from the real into virtual spaces, and vise versa. The objective is thus to enable students to negate the barrier of the interface and to consider form, texture and surface as an integral part of the aesthetic experience and conceptual motivation.
Projects, Papers, & Assignments	While this course includes technical assistance, students are primarily expected to work in a self-directed manner and to devise their own techniques to working with fabric, and real and virtual shapes and surfaces. Playfulness and experimentation are an important aspect of this course, as are critiques and discussions. From an overview of existing works, at week four in the semester, the focus shifts to techniques artists in the field of fiber arts have employed in the creation of their works. These techniques include non-traditional, or subversive, weaving and sewing practices, felting, needlework, fiber-based sculpture, etc. Students are subsequently expected to explore and devise techniques of their own and combine fiber-based materials with 3D lighting and rendering techniques. To provide an overview, the works of several fiber artists are reviewed during the first three weeks. Students are also expected to visit exhibits of related works in galleries and museums, including the permanent collection at the Museum of Art and Design. Throughout the semester, there are two assignments: one is due at mid-term (the best works will be selected for display in the hallway); the second assignment is due the last day of class. At mid-term, students will also be asked to submit a one page research paper that explores the Jacquard loom and today's computer technology. At the end of the semester, students will also give a presentation on an artist, or body of work, from the field of fiber arts.
Course Schedule
WEEK 1	Introduction to syllabus & class overview Review of work from within the fiber arts discipline
WEEK 2	Review of work & techniques from within the fiber arts discipline. Discussion of ideas and work in progress
WEEK 3	Review of work and techniques from within the fiber arts discipline. Discussion of ideas and work in progress
WEEK 4	Field trip to the Museum of Art and Design, MAD Students are also encouraged to visit the mid-town fabric district and will be provided with several relevant addresses.
WEEK 5	Discussion of work in progress
WEEK 6	Discussion of work in progress
WEEK 7	Students begin thinking about their second and final project
WEEK 8	Mid-Term: Students present their completed 1st projects as well as ideas/sketches for their second and final project. Critique. Also, the one page research paper is due at the beginning of class.
WEEK 9
WEEK 10
WEEK 11
WEEK 12
WEEK 13
WEEK 14
WEEK 15	Finals: all work is due at the beginning of class. Critique. Each student gives a presentation on an artists working in the fiber arts discipline.
Textbooks, Readings, & Materials	For the research paper, the following book is recommendet: Jacquard's Web: Ho a Hand Loom Led to the Birth of the Information Age, by James Essinger. Oxford: Oxford University Press, 2004. ISBN: 0192805789

Assessment & Grading	Attendance is mandatory: three classes missed will result in a failure; two latenesses of 15 minutes or more are equal to one absence. Evaluation is based on quality of work, positive contribution to discussion and critique, and effort.
Course Policies	It is essential that you back up all materials frequently. The loss of essential material is not an excuse for not meeting deadlines or presenting work.
Institute Policies	ACADEMIC INTEGRITY Pratt Institute considers Academic Integrity highly important. Instances of cheating, plagiarism, and wrongful use of intellectual property will not be tolerated. Faculty members will report each incident to the registrar for inclusion in studentsí files. More than one report to the registrar during a studentís program of study at Pratt will result in a hearing before the Academic Integrity Board, at which time appropriate sanctions will be decided. These may include dismissal from the Institute. The nature and severity of the infraction will be determined by faculty members who can: ask students to repeat an assignment, fail students on the assignment, fail students in the course and/or refer the incident to the Academic Integrity Board. For more details about these procedures please see the Pratt Student Handbook, the Pratt Bulletins, and the pamphlet entitled Judicial Procedures at Pratt. CHEATING If students use dishonest methods to fulfill course requirements, they are cheating. Examples of this include, but are not limited to: Obtaining or offering copies of exams or information about the content of exams in advance. Bringing notes in any form to a closed book exam. Looking at another studentís paper during an exam. Receiving or communicating any information from or to another student during an exam. PLAGIARISM Plagiarism is a bit more complicated, but the rules of documentation and citation are very specific and are tailored to different academic disciplines. Types of plagiarism include: Including any material from any source other than you in a paper or project without proper attribution. This includes material from the Internet, books, papers, or projects by other students, and from any other source. Using your own work to fulfill requirements for more than one course The extensive use of the ideas of others in your work without proper attribution. Turning in work done by another person or a fellow student as oneís own. Please remember that all work must be the studentís own. If it is not, the source should be cited and documented appropriately. If there are aspects of this statement that are not understood, ask faculty members for help.