ARTS226 - Video / Installation

Year

Credit points

Campus offering

Unit rationale, description and aim

Video has become a pervasive medium in contemporary art and makes an appearance in many different contexts that span from the most experimental exhibition settings to the gallery and museum venues.

In this unit, students will undertake a studio-based approach to the production of video artworks, including video installation. Underpinning the practice-based tasks is an emphasis on critical thinking and research of historical and theoretical contexts studied concurrently with this unit and Australian and international artists working in this genre. Students will complete a series of project-based works that incorporate video skills to document site-specific, temporal, ephemeral or performance-based work. Video may be used as a component in the final art installation or as an individual video artwork related to this genre.

The aim of this studio-based unit is to focus on concepts, skills and knowledge about video and installation practice and how this intersects with contemporary society.

Learning outcomes

To successfully complete this unit you will be able to demonstrate you have achieved the learning outcomes (LO) detailed in the below table.

Each outcome is informed by a number of graduate capabilities (GC) to ensure your work in this, and every unit, is part of a larger goal of graduating from ACU with the attributes of insight, empathy, imagination and impact.

Explore the graduate capabilities.

On successful completion of this unit, students should be able to:

LO1 - Identify skills and concepts related to practice in a range of 3D, 4D and object design forms (GA4, GA5, GA9, GA10)

LO2 - Reflect on their own practice in relation to contemporary contexts and understand the importance of ethics in the making of video and installation work (GA2, GA3, GA4, GA5, GA6, GA9)

LO3 - Critically evaluate the relevance of historical and theoretical contexts to their studio-led research practice; (GA4, GA5, GA9)

LO4 - Produce a video installation/final project which considers the inter-disciplinary nature of video and its potential to intersect with contemporary society (GA4, GA5, GA9)

Graduate attributes

GA2 - Recognise their responsibility to the common good, the environment and society

GA3 - Apply ethical perspectives in informed decision making

GA4 - Think critically and reflectively

GA5 - Demonstrate values, knowledge, skills and attitudes appropriate to the discipline and/or profession

GA6 - Solve problems in a variety of settings taking local and international perspectives into account

GA9 - Demonstrate effective communication in oral and written English language and visual media

GA10 - Utilise information and communication and other relevant technologies effectively

Content

This unit furthers the students' knowledge of the art historical contexts and inter-disciplinary skills necessary for many forms of contemporary practice in video and installation art. Although students will be fulfilling the requirements of a range of project-based exercises, they will be encouraged to move towards self-initiated practice which reflects an emerging, individual approach to practice. This studio-based unit also develops students’ skills and techniques in temporal, ephemeral and performance based video works as well as (and/or) installation works which develop concepts and skills related to 3D/4D art forms. There will be a focus on Workplace Health and Safety for the professional artist and ethical approaches to filming in the public sphere.

Learning and teaching strategy and rationale

This unit uses an active learning approach to support students in the exploration of the essential knowledge associated with video and installation methodologies. Students are able to explore the essential knowledge underpinning video and installation art studio through a series of lectures focusing on various international and Australian installation and video arts that contextualise each assessment task. The workshops and feedback tutorials are based on constructivist theories of learning where the student becomes actively involved in the primary construction of knowledge and studio techniques through participation. This rationale encourages students to develop multi-layered methodologies and solutions to video and installation techniques.

Students are also required to attend and present work in progress to the class where they discuss concepts, process and produce their own works systematically as their knowledge develops. This approach is designed to appeal to students with a preference for learning within a physical social environment and allows for essential skill development with expert support.

Assessment strategy and rationale

The assessment tasks have been designed as a means to scaffold learning of specific learning objectives. The assessment strategy used allows students to progressively develop their knowledge and skills to the level of sophistication where they are able to produce their own self-directed project. In order to develop this level of creativity, students first demonstrate knowledge in a series of documentation exercises, further develop their understanding through synthesising this knowledge in a research proposal and presentation and apply their understanding through the design, development and demonstration of sophisticated video/installation in the final assessment task.

Overview of assessments

Equivalent tasks may also be used

Representative texts and references

Akers, M. (Director). (2011). Marina Abramovic: The artist is present [Video]. Kanopy Streaming Videos.

Balsom, E. (2017). After Uniqueness: A history of film and video art in circulation. Columbia University Press.

Hatfield, J., Littman, S. (2015). Experimental film and video: an anthology. John Libbey Publishing.

Marsh, A. (2014). Performance, ritual, document. Macmillan Art Publishing.

McMillan, U. (2015). Embodied avatars: genealogies of black feminist art and performance. New York University Press.

Perkins, M. (2014). Video void: Australian video art. Australian Scholarly Publishing.

Adajania, N. & Ellegood, A. (2009). Vitamin 3-D: New perspectives in sculpture and installation. Phaidon.

Summerhayes, C., & Moffatt, T. (2007). The moving images of Tracey Moffatt. Charta.

Westgeest, H. (2016). Video art theory: A comparative approach. Wiley Blackwell.

Young, J. (2008). Cultural appropriation and the arts. Wiley-Blackwell.