Courses

This course explores contemporary time-based art through basic techniques of movement and kinetics. Various methods of motion are explored, including mechanical devices and motors, natural sources such as wind, and manual or man-driven operations. Demonstrations provide the technical and material expertise necessary to complete related projects such as automaton, flying devices, and Rube Goldberg machines. Advanced students will demonstrate mastery of techniques and materials related to time-based construction. Discussions, readings and slide lectures will focus on examples of kinetic art and time-based art through recent art history, with emphasis on conceptual and visual concerns of moving objects; not just how they function physically, but how they are interpreted in the context of our fast-paced, post-industrial culture. In addition to completed projects, advanced students will be expected to lead an in-class demonstration on a material or technique they have mastered, complete a research paper on a public artist, and present their research in an oral presentation. Prerequisite: Introduction to Sculpture and any 200-level studio art course