For your own personal copy of the Visual + Material Archive instructions, just download and printout by clicking on the following link.
personalarchive.pdf
Archive for May, 2009
Visual + Material Archive Download
May 20, 2009Bruce Mau’s ‘Incomplete Manifesto for Growth’
May 20, 2009(psst, this is your first reading!)
Bruce Mau is the Creative Director of Bruce Mau Design, based in Toronto, Canada. In 2003, he founded the Institute Without Boundaries, a twelve-month interdisciplinary postgraduate program that aims to produce a new breed of designer, one who is, “a synthesis of artist, inventor, mechanic, objective economist, and evolutionary strategist. “ Mau is an exemplar of creativity, and in his “Incomplete Manifesto for Growth” articulates his beliefs, motivations and strategies. Excerpts follow.
1. Allow events to change you. You have to be willing to grow. Growth is different from something that happens to you. You produce it. You live it. The prerequisites for growth: the openness to experience events and the willingness to be changed by them.
2. Forget about good. Good is a known quantity. Good is what we all agree on. Growth is not necessarily good. Growth is an exploration of unlit recesses that may or may not yield to our research. As long as you stick to good you’ll never have real growth.
3. Process is more important than outcome. When the outcome drives the process we will only ever go to where we’ve already been. If process drives outcome we may not know where we’re going, but we will know we want to be there.
4. Love your experiments (as you would an ugly child). Joy is the engine of growth. Take the long view and allow yourself the fun of failure every day.
5. Go deep. The deeper you go, the more likely you will discover something of value.
6. Capture accidents. The wrong answer is the right answer in search of a different question. Collect wrong answers as part of the process.
7. Drift. Explore adjacencies. Lack judgment. Postpone criticism.
8. Begin anywhere. John Cage tells us that not knowing where to begin is a common form of paralysis. His advice: begin anywhere.
9. Learn to follow when it makes sense. Let anyone lead.
10. Keep moving. The market and its operations have a tendency to reinforce success. Resist it. Allow failure and migration to be part of your practice.
11. Slow down. Desynchronize from standard time frames and surprising opportunities may present themselves.
12. Don’t be cool. Cool is conservative fear dressed in black.
13. Ask stupid questions. Growth is fueled by desire and innocence. Assess the answer, not the question. Imagine learning throughout your life at the rate of an infant.
14. Collaborate. The space between people working together is filled with conflict, friction, strife, exhilaration, delight, and vast creative potential.
15. ____________________. Intentionally left blank. Allow space for the ideas you haven’t had yet, and for the ideas of others.
16. Work the metaphor. Every object has the capacity to stand for something other than what is apparent. Work on what it stands for.
17. Be careful to take risks. Today is the child of yesterday and the parent of tomorrow. The work you produce today will create your future.
18. Repeat yourself. If you like it, do it again. If you don’t like it, do it again.
19. Stand on someone’s shoulders. You can travel farther carried on the accomplishments of those who came before you. And the view is so much better.
20. Don’t clean your desk. You might find something tomorrow that you can’t see tonight.
21. Think with your mind. Forget technology. Creativity is not device-dependent.
22. Organization = Liberty. Real innovation in design, or any other field, happens in context. That context is usually some form of cooperatively managed enterprise. Frank Gehry, for instance, is only able to realize Bilbao because his studio can deliver it on budget. The myth of a split between “creatives” and “suits” is … a ‘charming artifact of the past.’
23. Don’t borrow money. By maintaining financial control, we maintain creative control. It’s not rocket science, but it’s surprising how hard it is to maintain this discipline, and how many have failed.
24. Listen carefully. Every collaborator who enters our orbit brings with him or her a world more strange and complex than any we could ever hope to imagine. By listening to the details and the subtlety of their needs, desires, or ambitions, we fold their world onto our own.
25. Take field trips. The bandwidth of the world is greater than that of your TV set.
26. Make mistakes faster. Break it, stretch it, bend it, crush it, crack it, fold it.
27. Explore the other edge. Great liberty exists when we avoid trying to run with the technological pack. We can’t find the leading edge because it’s trampled underfoot.
28. Avoid fields. Jump fences. Disciplinary boundaries and regulatory regimes are attempts to control the wilding of creative life. Our job is to jump the fences and cross the fields.
30. Remember. Without memory, innovation is merely novelty. History gives growth a direction.
31. Laugh. People visiting the studio often comment on how much we laugh. Since I’ve become aware of this, I use it as a barometer of how comfortably we are expressing ourselves.
thanks to Mary Stewart who sent this my way!
Technology Guide
May 15, 2009You are about to enter college as an art major! One difference between your selected course of study and others is that you will need to buy lots of equipment, tools and materials over the next four years. It is important that you select new tools and equipment carefully since you will be using these items nearly everyday. In an effort to help you in your search, we have provided this Technology Guide and suggestions for art making technology and related materials.
For your first year of study, we recommend that you bring to school a computer, digital camera, and printer. A flash drive, CD/DVD’s, extra printer cartridges, and a variety of regular and photo paper are also recommended. It is convenient to have them on hand and buying them ahead of time may be your cheapest option. We would suggest that you bring with you any of the following if you already OWN them, but they are not required for coursework: cell phone, ipod, digital recorder and sewing machine. (A note about cell phones: coverage is sometimes spotty in the region. Some carriers are better than others. Check out http://www.alfredwireless.com for discounts on phone service)
You may find that you already own some of the suggested items. If this is true for you, it is perfectly fine to start the year with what you have and see how they work for your specific needs. If you do need to purchase new, we have found that buying from a reputable online business is one of the most effective ways to get the most for your money. These sites also can provide product information and customer reviews that are very helpful in choosing the best model for your needs.
What model you select will depend on your individual needs, what you want to spend, and your areas of interest. For example, if you intend to study Expanded Media you may want to consider a more expansive computer or if you plan to study photography, a SLR or Digital SLR camera. Remember however that you may change your mind about what area of study interests you most!
Computer
You’ll use a computer most days at Alfred, from checking your email (a Foundations requirement) to researching and writing papers, to adjusting images and printing them. A computer is an expensive investment and should be bought according to your needs, so consider several things: where and when will you most likely use it, a Mac or a PC, a laptop or desk model, what level of computer you need, your future goals and how much money you want to spend.
• As a college student you are eligible for an education discount from Mac, Dell and Gateway. To find out more about this check the Alfred University site, go to http://my.alfred.edu/its/index.cfm/fuseaction/other.comppurch.cfm.
• While the university as a whole uses PCs, the School of Art and many artists/designers use Macintosh.
• Many people find that a laptop is the best choice because you can bring it to class, the library or a coffee shop.
• Watch out for incentives, often you can get a printer or ipod with your computer purchase.
Digital Camera
During the year you will be asked to use a camera for visual research and to document your work. Select a camera that fits your needs* and budget. For most a compact model with at least 8 megapixels will work for most people. Since the quality of your images will be important, it is best to buy a good quality brand with the highest resolution you can afford. A couple good choices might be a Canon, Panasonic, Nikon, Olympus, or Sony.
You will find the best selection, lowest prices and most information by purchasing a digital camera online. Following are several reputable sites that faculty members have used over the years. You might start by checking the sites that provide a buying guide and reviews first (http://reviews.cnet.com/) and then look at Bizrate (www.bizrate.com), Epinions (http://www.epinions.com) or Price Grabber (http://www.pricegrabber.com) to see who offers the least expensive price after you have selected the model you desire. With a little research you can find an excellent resolution digital camera for a reasonable price.
You might also want to purchase additional storage for your camera. Most come with a CompactFlash, Smartmedia or other PC card, but usually this is not large enough to store many photos.
*Just a note, if you are planning on taking Photography courses you will need a SLR (single lens reflex) camera for Sophomore Photography and if you elect to take Digital Photography (junior) you will need a Digital SLR. If you do buy a SLR or DSLR you should consider purchasing a protective UV filter for your lens. Of course, these items do not need to be purchased for this school year.
Printer
Many times you will be asked to print out images from your digital camera or the internet and bring them to the class the next day. It is often difficult to find a color printer on campus for this purpose. We recommend that you purchase or bring with you a color inkjet printer that prints at least 8.5 x 11. Printers have come way down in price and sometimes are bundled with a computer purchase. You might also considering purchasing one together with your roommate. Excellent choices would be any inexpensive Canon, HP or Epson printer. For a good guide to printers check out: http://printers.bizrate.com/printers/buying_guides/basics.html
Remember to purchase extra cartridges, they are much cheaper online and you will run out!
USB Flash Drive or Thumb drive
You may find it convenient to buy/bring a flash drive. These small devices make it easy to take your files to a printer or to share images. They hold lots of data and start at about $15 for a 512 MB.
Things to remember
CDs/DVDs
Printer cartridges (online is cheaper)
Inkjet Paper: photo, regular
Extra storage card for your camera
Additional Art-making Tools (bring if you already own)
Cell phone
Ipod
Digital recorder
Sewing machine
Online Purchasing
Alfred, educational discount, (www.alfred.edu/its/index.cfm/fuseaction/other.comppurch.cfm)
Mac (www.apple.com)
Gateway (https://select.gateway.com)
MacWorld (www.macworld.com)
PCWorld (www.pcworld.com)
J&R (www.jr.com)
B&H (www.bhphotovideo.com)
Adorama (www.adorama.com)
Reviews +Price Comparison
Bizrate (www.bizrate.com)
Epinions (www.epinions.com)
Price Grabber (www.pricegrabber.com)
Better Photo (www.betterphoto.com)
Digital Photography Review (www.dpreview.com)
Digital Camera Review (www.digitalcamerareview.com)
Cnet reviews (reviews.cnet.com)
Consumer Reports (www.online.consumerreports.org)
Visual + Material Archive
May 15, 2009A visual + material archive is a resource that can inspire you, provide materials for working and be a starting point when you are faced with a new project. In a way it is like making your self a security blanket.This summer you will need to assemble an archive for your use this fall. Keep in mind that an archive is for your benefit and should contain elements that are interesting or inspiring to YOU. It may contain photocopies of images, drawings, photos, favorite text or poems, small natural or manmade objects, found-objects, old paper or written materials, or other unusual materials. Part of your archive might also be digital and contain files that you saved while browsing online. (*See below for how to create an easy way to bookmark these images.)
To get started you might look around your house, what is interesting? What is available that you may not have at school? You should also go to a library, browse the stacks and look for images that capture your imagination. You can photocopy these images for use later, take notes on your discoveries, or even make reference drawings.
You will need some sort of box or file to keep your archive organized and portable. You might use an old record case, tax file, a wooden or metal box, or even a small suitcase. We recommend that you keep it compact since you will be storing these in your dorm rooms!
Spend some time this summer gathering and thinking about what you find truly interesting and you will build a great foundation for a creative fall!
Following are some things to jump-start your collecting: (List is for inspiration only. You do not have to collect all of these items, just things that you find interesting. Feel free to gather things not found on the list. Remember it is for you to decide what is important, there is no RIGHT answer to what or how much your archive should include!)
Any old paper goods: letters, labels, wallpaper, stamps, photos, books, bookmarks found in library books, newspaper clippings, pop-ups, cut-outs, silhouettes, etc.
Images of all kinds: nature, art, landscape, photos, patterns, tracings, drawings (own or others), printed materials (Japanese candy package).
Do not include: current magazine clippings and personal photos.
Collections of images (one example: Natural and Man-made Homes: from bird nests + beehives, to mobile homes + castles)
Small natural materials: odd stone, wooden sticks, salt, dirt, butterflies, animal bones, etc.
Small objects+materials: broken wooden parts, plastic rings, toy pieces, unusual nails, fasteners, tape, string, etc.
Fabric and textiles: unusual fabric swatches, leather pieces, handmade lace, knit object, felt, old costume /clothing.
Research from subjects that interest you: Artists, technology, folk dancing,
space travel, games, poems, etc.
Digital images and sounds: images from eBay or other image resources, sounds recorded or collected, old cassettes, records.
*Creating a Digital Bookmark: One way to keep your files at your fingertips is to create a del.icio.us list for them. The Del.icio.us list is simply a book-marking system that allows you to easily access and share your images. To take a look at one we used for the Site + Sound workshop last spring, go to http://del.icio.us/sitesound. You can find out more at http://del.icio.us/
Technology Guide Download
May 15, 2009Print out and read the Technology Guide for freshman art students. This will give you a good idea of what you need to bring to school with you this fall! technology-guide
Have a Great Summer!
May 14, 2009Hello Everyone! Just one final note on this blog to congratulate you on a successful Foundation Year! It has been a real pleasure to work with you and we wish you a summer full of fun and inspiration. Check out the flickr site for the new pictures I posted from the Foundation Exhibition! It can be found herehttp://www.flickr.com/photos/alfredfoundations/ or by following the link on the sidebar.
We look forward to welcoming you back to Alfred as SOPHOMORES!
Michelle, Angie and Ted.
