92908 - Exhibitions, New Media and Performance Art

Conoscenze e abilità da conseguire

Students develop the theoretical-methodological and historical-critical tools to understand the evolution of artistic movements with particular reference to New Media Art, Performing Arts and the problems concerning their exhibition. With the critical awareness acquired, students are able to carry out documentary and bibliographic research in paper and digital repertories, and to produce original texts for the research and dissemination of the contemporary artistic heritage.

Contenuti

Edouard Manet apparently said that “to exhibit is to find friends and allies for the struggle”. In this sense, photography’s battles have been particularly intense and have been fought to assert an identity above all of a linguistic nature, and to reiterate a presence and a vital, at times central, role in the representation of reality. Alfred Stieglitz was then to take this further, considering photography exhibitions as a series of “demonstrations”: of an idea, a particular vision, of a way chosen to depict the world or simply a story. In a series of face-to-face meetings as well as in a workshop setting, students will acquire methods and strategies for understanding the genesis, development, and strategies of contemporary exhibition "battles," or if you will, "demonstrations."

Therefore, the course will be divided into two parts: the first one will deal with a historical background on the development and variety of exhibition practices and curatorial practice. This part will be based on face-to-face lectures conducted with the help of documents, texts, essays, and images to study.

The second part will be on a laboratory base in which the student will participate in the creation of a themed exhibition, conceived by crossing different codes and visual languages. It will be an opportunity to identify the characteristics and critical issues of this work facing, in the field, all the problems related to the identification, realization and curation of an exhibition event. From the choice of the theme to the relationship with the context, to the research and selection of materials, to the "arrangement in space," to the emotional path to create, up to the realization of any accompanying and communication apparatus, as didactical texts, invitation, press release, etc.

Testi/Bibliografia

The bibliography consists of a selection of readings that will be distributed during the course. Text n.1 is extended bibliography will be sent at the beginning of the course.

It is recommended to read at least three of the following texts. Text No. 1 is mandatory. The student may choose two other texts from the others in the bibliography:

1- Alessandra Mauro (care of), Photoshow: Landmark Exhibitions That Defined the History of Photography, Contrasto – Thames and Hudson, 2014

2- Hans-Ulrich Obrist, A brief History of Curating, JRP | Ringier Le Presses du Réel, 2018

3- Giuliana Bruno, Public Intimacy: Architecture and the Visual Arts (MIT Press, 2007)

4- Giuliana Bruno, Surface: Matters of Aesthetics, Materiality and Media (University of Chicago Press, 2014)

5- Francesco Casetti, Antonio Somaini (care of), La haute et la baisse définition des images. Photographie, cinéma, art contemporain, culture visuelle, Editions Mimésis, 2022

6- Claire Bishop, ‘Radical Museology: Or What's 'Contemporary' in Museums of Contemporary Art?’, Walther Konig, 2013

Metodi didattici

First part: frontal lectures with presentations of different multimedia instruments.

Second part: laboratorial classes.

Students will be involved in conceiving, designing, and writing a public art project.

Restricted places for incoming exchange students:

Places for incoming exchange students in this teaching activity are limited and are primarily reserved to students enrolled in art related programs at their home university. To check availability, please write to amac@unibo.it

Modalità di verifica e valutazione dell'apprendimento

Attending students: the examination consists of an oral conversation in which the work prepared during the laboratory lessons be evaluated and preparation and study on the chosen texts will be checked. 50% of the final mark is assigned based on knowledge of the bibliography and topics covered during the first part of the course. 50% is based on a final project, which will consist of a paper focusing on the proposal for an exhibition, from its curatorial conception to the quality and type of materials to be used and how to implement it.

Non-attending students: students are invited to discuss the examination methodology by appointment before the beginning of the course.

Strumenti a supporto della didattica

PowerPoint, PDF and video; visits to events and exhibition venues; meetings with key players and professionals in the field.

Orario di ricevimento

Consulta il sito web di Alessandra Mauro