October 20, 2003
concept, form and context: perception
ART 131 at the University of Michigan School of Art and Design. An excerpt from the syllabus:
COURSE DESCRIPTION
This studio course will focus on an investigation of human perception within a range of contexts-physiological, cultural and technological. Through a series of studio projects, readings and discussions, and perceptual experiments, we will enhance our understanding of the mechanics of perception and our awareness of the relationship between sensing, perception, understanding and interpretation. In particular, we will consider how these understandings can inform the very nature of creative work.
Over the course of the semester, students will complete assignments in which they conceptually develop, design, and implement projects that use space, time, and the body as their primary focus.
Over the last 40 years, creative work in the visual arts, technology, design, and architecture have increasingly addressed the perceptual needs and desires of its audiences and users. People desire and demand "smart" devices and environments (with user recognition, emotional intelligence, wireless networks, etc.), the flexibility of choice, convenience, and interactive selectivity (non-linear narratives and games, "design-your-own X" (shoe, house, car), interactive film/tv, etc...) as well as "experiential culture and entertainment" (video/interactive installations, VR games, wearable and portable technology, art that can only be understood through a BODILY experience). This increased hunger for perceptual devices, experiences, and interactions calls for a cultural "worker" who is learned in perceptual problem-solving.
