Session One
1 of 8
(Left to right) Banksy, Banksy, Banksy, Gemeos, Barry McGee, Shephard Fairey, Shepard Fairey, Barry McGee, Shephard Fairey, Banksy
Enrichment
Hang posters of prominent street artists to visually introduce the concept(s) of street artwork, activist artwork, the use of stencils in printing, the poster and wall as the dominant medium of street art, installation artwork as a genre.
Community Connection: Ingrid Schaffner, ICA Curator
Ingrid Schaffner, as guest speaker, introducing the concept of installation artwork in connection to Philadelphia’s ICA exhibit, Barry McGee’s artwork in connection to Boston ICA’s exhibit; Schaffner has opportunity to connect directly with less avid patrons of the arts (connection to marketing void essay #1)
Conversation Topics & Learning Objectives:
- Touch on the elements of the artwork can evoke emotion (i.e. the violent disconcent of the student throwing the eraser) (Figure 1.2);
- Introduce context clues and symbolism as a way of accessing the author’s message (symbolic connection from eraser to school; emotional cue of anger) (Figure 1.2);
- Discuss how street art can abstractly discuss or make comment on social issues (What political comment might the imagery of a student angrily throwing an eraser attempting to discuss?) (Figure 1.2);
- Acknowledge that general symbolism in artwork can provoke topics of local concern (connection from universal concept of student discontent/revolt to local, personal concept of Philadelphia public school district and the students’ role as self-described “rebels”) (Figure 1.2);
- Discuss the social phenomenon crossover of Shepard Fairey’s Andre the Giant image from guerilla art to identity of the Obey clothing brand (a streetwear brand sure to be recognized by the students) and offer this specific case as an example of the interplay between guerilla arts and entrepreneurship… the art sphere and the work sphere… art sector and private sector (Figure 1.3);
- Note Barry McGee’s decision to print faces on two different mediums and dimensions: 2-d paper and 3-d glass bottles and acknowledge the role of medium in shaping product message and emotional associations (Figure 1.4, Figure 1.5);
- Introduce the previous thought pattern an example characteristic of “interaction design work”… discuss what “interaction” means in the context of between artwork and the viewer … connect to career preparation by referencing the burgeoning field of digital experience design with apps, video games, etc. (Figure 1.4, 1.5);
Urban Engagement: Field Trip:
- Place-conscious and civic-minded engagement with the city
- Material connection to YUMM project
- Introduction to ethnographic research (agile strategy)
Site A: Supreme Shop n Bag: 4301 Walnut
Observe packaging design and aesthetic at a budget-oriented grocery store in West Philadelphia
Site B: Grocery: 101 S 13th St
Notice how the look, mood, and complexity of the packaging changes at a boutique grocery store in Center City
Site C: Whole Foods: 969 South St
Observe how the product displays and packaging change at a store that now values nutrition and natural ingredients — note those qualities that they would like to evoke in their own brand identity design
Ethnographic Research (Agile Strategy)
What is it?
This is a means to observe potential customers in action in their natural environment and, eventually, engage in a bit of role play and act as a customer yourself.
Why do it?
It helps you gain firsthand experience and a true understanding of your customers’ motivations and behaviors when buying your product and competitors’ products.
When to do it?
Ideally, do it at the beginning for the project because you want the results of the research to inform your design solutions and projects.
How to do it?
- Observe a customer: Identify your target customers. Go and watch them do their thing in the granola bar aisle at the supermarket or at the bakery stand at the farmers market. Join in. Explain politely you’re doing research and ask what drew them to one product over another. What are the things they like about the wording or graphics on a given package?
- Be a customer: To understand the customer experience, become a customer and check out what other products are out there. You can do this in-person at the grocery or gardening store or online if you want to stay put. What do different company’s choose to highlight in the little space they have for words on the packaging? What designs do you like or dislike? Does there seem to be a trend in the marketing? Jot notes on a notebook, translate to sticky notes back at the classroom, and pin up on the board.
The agile flavor
Get as many team members involved as possible. Divide into small groups and try one or all of the approaches above. The more people who understand what the customer experience or what you experienced as the “customer”, the less you have to waste your time explaining yourself or justifying a design suggestion.
Walking Scavenger Hunt
- Cultivate aesthetic mindfulness and wakefulness when exploring the urban terrain
- Begin discussing the the interaction between environment and emotion; discuss the dimly-lit, ruinous setting of Figure 2.4 and how that affects the tone of the artwork
The following is the first of a two part reading-aloud of texts in the common vernacular that introduces Dewey’s concept of aesthetic mindfulness, without actually referencing Dewey so as not to overcomplicate—merely cultivating awareness of the theory and skill for fostering immediate engagement and transaction with their urban environment
Modern culture with its overwhelming wealth of advertising, mass media, and mass communication often teaches us to tune out, or disconnect, because there is a limit to how much information we can process on a given day. In many cases we have no choice about the quality or quantity of what we take in. In an urban environment it becomes necessary to form a direct connection wth the landscape, with aspects of the natural world, or with a greater community. Creating street art is one way to foster that connection. By adding to the landscape I am reclaiming it as my own—I am now an active participant in how it operates and a partial creator of its complex language.
Maker’s Project: Block Poster
Community Contact: Shira Lewinsky
Students conduct a vote amongst poster on display during the opening enrichment activity for which best captures the “Rebel spirit.” The plurality vote is that which the students be shown how to upload to BlockPosters.com, input a final installation size, and the piece printed in 8.5 x 11 puzzle pieces.
While overseeing the assembly of the block poster, guest facilitator Shira Lewinsky conducts a casual but didactic discussion with the students about the mural medium and the Philadelphia Mural Arts Program, specifically, and what opportunities for further engagement that may provide.
Key Concepts:
- introduce mural as an activist art form; discuss the intense relationship between place and piece with a permanent (painted) mural and how that contrasts the temporary installations of a block-poster or flyer post
- introduce arts as a viable social method of to beautify blighted areas and a viable fiscal and political community development tool in terms of maintaining the cosmetic and curb appeal of a commercial district or avenue suffering from an overabundance of vacant storefronts
- discuss the entity of a community development fund, facade improvement programs as examples of public-private partnerships
- connect with Shira Lewinsky, an valuable human resource within the artistic community and the Penn community
Application Activity: “Point of Interest”
Community Contact: Gwendolyn DuBois Shaw
Taking the reigns from Shira, Gwendolyn would then instruct the students how to geo-tag the location by whatever name they so desire—a name that will then come up automatically amongst the top choices when someone wants to post an instagram to their photo map or a geo-sensitive mobile upload to Facebook.
This would provide the opportunity to share how Instagram and mobile photography was utilized in her summer “Arts in the City” academy and disseminate scholarship information well before the upcoming Spring enrollment window.
Key concepts:
- Articulate the interconnectivity of mobile, social technology and street art culture; opportune time to revisit concepts of “interaction design” and “experience design”
- Introducing the concept of placemaking as well as urban reclamation through the ‘literal’ place-making approach of geo-tagging the location as a Rebel Point of Interest
- Discuss the multiplier effect of public artwork in the context of people now seeing that flyer en route to work each day, etc.
Shira would conclude with a word on the value of impermanence from The Guerilla Art Kit author Keri Smith. The following is the second of a two part reading-aloud of texts in the common vernacular that introduces Dewey’s concept of aesthetic mindfulness
“What is the point of a piece that is meant to be temporary? Work that is impermanent reminds us that nothing in life is permanent, that every state is temporary and transitory. Contemplating this concept teaches us to embrace change in our life, instead of working against it. When others notice a piece that is there one day and gone the next it creates a certain kind of energy excitement within the community. It allows viewers to partake in the experience as a kind of detective, wanting to uncover the mystery (Smith 17).
Creating work that is impermanent helps us release our own attachment to the final product and lets us focus more on the process. I challenge you to make pieces with the idea of impermanence in mind (for example, creating a piece that changes in an interesting way when dampened by rain) (Smith 18).
