The Crucible of Modernity:Vienna 1900

Catalog description

Vienna 1900 was many things: the political center of the Austro-Hungarian Empire; the center of German-language music and theater; the birthplace of Zionism and of psychoanalysis; the home of cafe culture and the waltz; the city of baroque urban palaces and squalid backyard tenements; and the showcase for historicism. And while the story of Vienna's cultural and political turmoil is interesting, it probably would not command our attention today were it not for its role as the birthplace of Modernism. The class explores Vienna before the collapse of the Austro- Hungarian Empire in 1918. We will be looking at a huge and at times confusing canvas, which by necessity includes almost every aspect of culture. From history and politics we will move on through art, architecture, psychoanalysis, literature, music, and philosophy. We will be looking at art nouveau buildings and furniture, reading literature, viewing films, and listening to recordings. Using an enhanced historical map of the city as a digital interface and an interactive learning tool, we will add a crucial visual component to the course and research the connections between urban and architectural space and the intellectual activity that took place in it. You will work in teams with students from other disciplines. You will research networks of intellectual and artistic activities and create 3D models of the spaces, from public squares to cafe interiors, in which these intellectual activities took place. You will create and expand a growing collection of records, photos, archival materials, as well as artwork, music and other media in an effort to reconstruct the dialogue among the arts and the cultural debate of this key moment in the passage to Modernism. No previous knowledge of 3D modeling software is required, software instruction and tutoring will be provided. The language of instruction is English with a…