Site Specificity

Catalog description

This course explores what it means to be situated in a particular Site. Do places have a spirit and identity? What causes an artist to respond to a place in a particular way? Light, landscape, sound, climate, all inform the artifacts created by the 'makers' in different cultures and time periods. Powerpoint presentations, readings, site and museum visits will help the students explore fundamental questions about the impact of Site on artists, objects, architecture and performance. Students will be presented with a series of challenges, or problems, where they are asked to respond to a specific site. We will read texts written by visionary thinkers and artists such as Rosalind Krauss, Nancy Holt, Robert Smithson. We will also delve deeply into site specific artworks produced by artists in the last 100 years, with a focus on Land Art, Performance and Urban interactions.