UNIT EIGHT: WRITING IN THE AGE OF THE IMAGE

ABOUT BARBARA KRUGER

ABOUT HER WORK

RESPONSE #1WHAT DO YOU THINK KRUGER IS TRYING TO SAY IN THIS PIECE?DOES THE IMAGE SUBVERT OR REINFORCE THE WORDS? EXPLAIN.HOW DO YOU CHARACTERIZE THE RELATIONSHIP OF WORDS TO ILLUSTRATION IN THIS IMAGE?

RESPONSE #2:1. WHO IS THE POSTER ADDRESSING?2. WHAT IS THE “BATTLE” TO WHICH KRUGER IS REFERRING?3. HOW IS DUALITY REPRESENTED HERE?4. WHAT DOES THE USE OF THE “NEGATIVE” SPACE BRING TO THE WORK?

RESPONSE 2 CONTINUED….

RESPONSE #3 : SEE HANDOUT ENTITLED “THE ART OF BARBARA KRUGER”1. HOW DOES THE HAND “HOLDING” IT REFLECT THE IDEA KRUGER MIGHT BE PORTRAYING?2. IS SHE MAKING A STATEMENT, OR IS THE IMAGE AN ADVERTISEMENT IN ITSELF? SUPPORT YOUR RESPONSE.

RESPONSE #4 : SEE HANDOUT ENTITLED “THE ART OF BARBARA KRUGER”1. WHY IS THIS WOMAN CRYING?2. HOW DOES THE MIRROR REFLECT THAT?3. HOW DOES THE WORD “NOT” PLAY INTO THE PIECE?

RESPONSE #5 : SEE HANDOUT ENTITLED “THE ART OF BARBARA KRUGER”1. WHAT DO YOU “SEE” WHEN YOU LOOK AT THIS IMAGE?2. HOW DO YOU THINK HE FEELS, AND WHY DO YOU THINK THAT?3. HOW IS THE TEXT INTEGRATED INTO THE PIECE.? DOES IT REINFORCE THE CONCEPT? EXPLAIN.

ASSIGNMENT: TEST GRADE!!!!•CREATE YOUR OWN CONCEPTUAL PIECE OF ART BASED ON WHAT YOU SAW TODAY.•EXPLORE AN IDEA THAT IS MEANINGFUL AND DEFINES SOMETHING ABOUT “YOU.”•COLLECT IMAGES.•CUT AND PASTE LETTERS OR WORDS TO EXPRESS YOUR THOUGHTS ON THE SUBJECT BY MEANS OF TEXT.•TRY TO FIND BLACK AND WHITE PHOTOS; USE COLOR AS A LAST ALTERNATIVE.•REFER TO NOTES AND KRUGER’S WORK FOR EMULATION PURPOSES.•REFER TO RUBRIC: CONCEPTUAL ART

JOURNAL #1: CHOOSE ANY TWO PIECES BY BARBARA KRUGER, AND ANALYZE HOW THE IMAGE AND THE INCORPORATION OF TEXT IN EACH PIECE WORK TOGETHER HARMONIOUSLY TO CREATE A STATEMENT.

ASSIGNMENT:READ ROBERT PINSKY’S POEM ENTITLED “ON TELEVISION.” SEE HANDOUT.

RESPONSE #1: PINSKYCONSIDER THE PHRASES PINSKY USES TO REFER TO TELEVISION: “WINDOW ON THE WORLD,” “BOX,” “TUBE,” AND “TERRARIUM OF DREAMS AND WONDERS.”

IDENTIFY THE DIFFERENCES AMONG THESE METAPHORS. WHAT CULTURAL FUNCTIONS DO THEY SUGGEST ABOUT TELEVISION?

RESPONSE #2: PINSKYSTUDY THE FOLLOWING PICTURES FROM THE SIMPSONS.” WHAT DO THE IMAGES SAY ABOUT THE POSSIBLE ROLE FOR TELEVISION IN DOMESTICATED LIFE ACCORDING TO MATT GROENING’S CARTOONS?

RESPONSE #3: PINSKYWITH YOUR GROUP MEMBERS, WRITE DOWN AS MANY ALLUSIONS THAT YOU RECOGNIZE IN THE FOLLOWING IMAGES…

RESPONSE #3 (MORE ROOM IF NEEDED)WITH YOUR GROUP MEMBERS, WRITE DOWN AS MANY ALLUSIONS THAT YOU RECOGNIZE IN THE FOLLOWING IMAGES…

JOURNAL TOPIC #2REFER TO HANDOUT ENTITLED “ANALYZING TELEVISION IN CONTEMPORARY AMERICAN CULTURE.”

IN A SENSE, TELEVISION HAS BECOME A FOCAL POINT, AS WELL AS A VEHICLE, FOR ANALYZING CONTEMPORARY AMERICAN CULTURE. BECAUSE PEOPLE OFTEN WATCH TELEVISION TOGETHER, IT CAN SERVE AS A SOCIAL EVENT. IT CAN ALSO SERVE AS A SHARED CULTURAL REFERENCE. DRAFT A JOURNAL IN WHICH YOU ANALYZE NOT ONLY HOW BUT ALSO THE EXTENT TO WHICH TELEVISION SHOWS HAVE BECOME PART OF OUR CULTURAL LANDSCAPE.

Response #1What does Giltlin mean when he talks about “information”?Where, and how, do you see the word used in similar or different situations?

RESPONSE #2RE-READ PAR. 2. WHAT EVIDENCE OF THIS CHARACTERIZATION DO YOU SEE AMONG YOUR PEERS? WITHIN YOURSELF?

RESPONSE #3GIVEN YOUR EXPERIENCE AND THAT OF YOUR PEERS, IN WHAT AREAS ARE ENTERING STUDENTS NOT WELL PREPARED? WHY OR WHY NOT?

ASSIGNMENT: SEE HANDOUTREAD “SINCE WHEN DID USA TODAY BECOME THE NATIONAL DESIGN IDEAL?”

RESPONSE #1: MICHAEL ROCKLOOK AGAIN AT PARAGRAPH ONE. WHAT DOES “ACCESSIBLE” MEAN? ACCESSIBLE TO WHOM? HOW DOES THE LOOK OF USA TODAY SHIFT THE EMPHASIS FROM NARRATIVE TO IMAGE IN CONVEYING CONTENT, AND HOW DOES THIS SHIFT PRODUCE WHAT ROCK CALLS “THE DESIGN EQUIVALENT OF THE VIDEO SOUND-BYTE”?

RESPONSE #2: MICHAEL ROCKIN WHAT WAYS, THEN, DOES READING USA TODAY RESEMBLE WATCHING TELEVISION?

JOURNAL # 3SEE HANDOUT ENTITLED “A DESTRUCTION OF TRADITIONAL NARRATIVE IDEALS.”

ROCK ARGUES THAT THE DESIGN OF USA TODAY AFFECTS CONTENT AND “REPRESENTS A DESTRUCTION OF TRADITIONAL NARRATIVE IDEALS.” DRAFT A JOURNAL ENTRY IN WHICH YOU DEFEND OR CHALLENGE ROCK’S ASSERTION THAT THE TREND IN TYPOGRAPHY “IS CLEARLY TOWARDS A DESTRUCTION OF NARRATIVE TEXT, WITH IMAGES INCREASINGLY RESPONSIBLE FOR CARRYING THE CONTENT.”

ABOUT DAVID CARSON…

DEFINITION:GENERATION X

RESPONSE #1: DAVID CARSONWHAT DOES CARSON GAIN OR LOSE BY SEEMING TO VIOLATE THE RULES AND CONVENTIONS OF GRAPHIC DESIGN? HOW MIGHT YOU ACCOUNT FOR THE ENORMOUS APPEAL OF HIS DESIGNS AMONG READERS DESCRIBED AS MEMBERS OF GENERATION-X?

JOURNAL #4CHOOSE ANY FILM OR MUSIC VIDEO THAT IS CONSIDERED TO BE IN THE “GENERATION X” CATEGORY. ANALYZE THE FILM OR VIDEO IN RELATION TO THE VALUES OF A GENERATION AND/OR DECADE.