Communitas // Thesis Beginnings: Initial Abstract + Annotated Bibliography
Thesis R+D // Venezky, MacFadden, Thorpe
I am interested in exploring the concept of community through the means of interactive and participatory art in the built environment. 2D work will be the basis of my exploration.
Aldersey-Williams, Hugh, Lorraine Wild, and Daralice Boles. Cranbrook Design: The New Discourse. New York: Rizzoli, 1990.
This has become a crucial resource in my library of design books. As the visual elements of my thesis explorations will be rooted in 2D work, I hope that the Cranbrook Discourse can offer inspiration and suggestions for new modes of making. Above all, it serves as a reminder not to become self-conscious of the work I create based on what is “current” or trendy, but to create work that is fresh, exploratory, and informative.
Andersen, Paul, and David Salomon. The Architecture of Patterns. New York: W. W. Norton & Company Inc. , 2010.
From a visual standpoint, I am interested in how pattern-making and geometry influence a viewer’s behavior and response. There are some fascinating insights in this book regarding pattern as it relates to the natural and built environments as well as marketing.
Bowditch, Rachel. On the Edge of Utopia: Performance and Ritual at Burning Man. Chicago: University of Chicago Press, 2008.
This book explores the festival, Burning Man, as a rehersal of utopia from the standpoints of politics, religion, economics, sociology, architecture, and art. The concept of utopia is important in understanding my interest in community and my desire to generate a sense of community within my thesis explorations. Art is at the root of my explorations, and this book examines the impact art has had on the festival.
Brand, Stewart. Whole Earth Catalog. Fall, 1968.
The Whole Earth Catalog is an excellent example of sharing tools and resources within a larger community. One of the catalog’s goals was to empower individuals by providing these tools and resources to facilitate sustainable D.I.Y. building and education among other things. In empowering individuals, there is a direct effect on a larger community. Brand’s emphasis on sustainability and general human awareness in the publications generates a sense of community through shared goals.
Dalrymple, Theodore. “The Architect as Totalitarian.” City Journal. 19.4 (Autumn 2009): n. page. Web. 20 Feb. 2013. .
Design has an incredible power to influence behavior. This article examines Le Corbusier’s Plan Voisin as an example of how design can produce an outcome different from the intentions from which it was concieved. I want to be fully aware of this in my research and making. Even with the purest of intentions, expressions of utopia risk homogenous and even totalitarian outcomes.
Daly, Matt, dir. Visualizing ISAM. Dir. Jason White, and Prod. Chad Hutson. Leviathan, 2011. Web. 25 Sept 2012. .
I am not exactly sure how the visual portion of my thesis will manifest itself in terms of a medium, but I am certainly inspired by this piece and curious about projection mapping. This video was created by one of the design firms behind Amon Tobin’s recent performance piece, ISAM. The piece was comprised of sound responsive visuals sympathetically mapped onto a dynamic surface. I could see my 2D explorations being translated into this form to create an interactive enviroment that fosters participation.
Debord, Guy. Society of the Spectacle. New York: Zone Books, 1994. (accessed September 8, 2013).
As a group that sought alternative life experiences to consumer culture, Guy Debord and Situationist International’s ideas and expressions serve as one of the bases from which my visual and theoretical explorations can grow. I would like to incorporate some of their methods including derive, psychogeography, and detournement in my visual and written making processes.
Joselit, David. After Art. Princeton: Princeton University Press, 2013.
Understanding imagery and iconography with relation to technology and communication is helpful in directing my visual explorations and making processes. As technology and the internet advance, the dissemination of visual information speeds up exponentially. I am interested in how I might be able to use this to my advantage, especially in terms of the concept of community.
Kaplan, Geoff. Power to the People: The Graphic Design of the Radical Press and the Rise of the Counter-Culture, 1964-1974. Chicago: University of Chicago Press, 2013.
Power to the People is an excellent resource in terms of how graphic design has been used in recent history to inspire change, make powerful statements, and ilicit responses outside of branding and advertising. In terms of my thesis, this is one of the challenges I am exploring as a graphic designer seeking to make a positive impact on the world around me.
Kehoe, Kara Leeann. “‘Burning Man was Better Next Year:’ A Phenomenology of Community Identity in the Black Rock Counterculture,” (Master’s Thesis, California State University, Sacramento, 2008). .
This Master’s Thesis examines the psychology of community in the context of a counter cultural movement. Kehoe’s focus on psychology in terms of community, especially within a context with which I am familiar, is what makes this resource valuable for my thesis explorations. Her bibliography also contains sources which will likely be useful for my research.
Krausse, Joachim, and Claude Lichtenstein. Your Private Sky: R. Buckminster Fuller: The Art of Design Science. Zurich: Lars Muller Publishers, 1999.
Buckminster Fuller’s designs and ideas have been profoundly influential in terms of design, architecture, science, sustainability, and technology. This book is a catalog of his works and journals with additional editorials by friends and colleagues of Fuller. I am interested in gleaning insights from Fuller’s revolutionary ideas and applying them to my thesis explorations when and where relevant.
Nichols, Bill. Ideology and the Image. Bloomington: Indiana University Press, 1981.
The question of how imagery and media can liberate or manipilate viewers is seminal as an artist and graphic designer. Often I question what real power a graphic designer can posess in terms of making a positive impact in the world, especially in a day and age when we are overly saturated on a daily basis with imagery and information. As I attempt to explore how to draw people together in shared experiences, I must understand what types of challenges and decisions might present themselves to me.
The Cacophony Society, “How To Primer.” Last modified Jan 17, 2012. Accessed April 11, 2013. .
Similar to Situationist International, the Cacophony Society is a group of randomly gathered individuals seeking alternative life expereinces to “mainstream consumer culture”. This page of their website lays out the group’s tenents and objectives. This is interesting reference material as some of the group’s objectives are in line with how I desire to design around the concept of community.
Turkle, Sherry. Alone Together: Why We Expect More From Technology and Less From Each Other. New York: Basic Books, 2011. Print.
The powerful impact of social media and new advancements in technology give us the ability to be more connected than ever. Turkle argues that the consequence of this kind of connectivity is that we are more isolated than ever before, reaching out to others and networking in solitude behind various screens rather than sharing real human moments. Thus this technology merely provides a guise of connectivity. I am interested in how we might be able to use technology to promote and influence real human experiences.
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