This course investigates how extreme amounts of invested time and manual labor are capable of transforming the ordinary into the extraordinary. Fall 2016 will focus on the structural and aesthetic potential of ash wood, a material that is currently being made alarmingly abundant by an invasive beetle that has killed millions of ash trees across the Midwest that has just arrived in New Jersey. Students will research new and replacement applications for the material based on its sculptural properties, its resiliency, and its high strength to weight ratio. Readings and visiting experts will support in-class research and studio work.
Sample reading list:
Sol Lewitt, Paragraphs on Conceptual Art
Andres Lepik, Small Scale, Big Change
Emily Pilloton, Design Revolution
Reading/Writing assignments:
Bi-weekly readings and/or visiting experts to be discussed. Four studio assignments, three short (two weeks) and one long (six to twelve weeks) in duration, chosen by each student or team of students.
Prerequisites and Restrictions:
Any 200-level VIS studio course OR any 200-level CEE course, PLUS any 200-level ARC, EGR, or MAE course OR 300-level VIS studio course.
