GMU:Appropriation within Digital Worlds

Lecturer: Jörg Brinkmann
Credits: 6 ECTS, 4 SWS
Date: Thursdays, 17:00 - 20:30
Venue: Performance Platform, Digital Bauhaus Lab (Room 001)
First meeting: Thursday, April 12th 2018, 17:00

Appropriation in art is the use of pre-existing objects or images with little or no transformation applied to them. The use of appropriation has played a significant role in the history of the arts (literary, visual, musical and performing arts). In the visual arts, to appropriate means to properly adopt, borrow, recycle or sample aspects of human-made visual culture. A notable example are the Readymades of Marcel Duchamp.

But when is appropriation a homage, when is it art and when is it just plain plagiarism? And what are the effects of technology on this ongoing appropriation? Now that boundaries of authenticity and originality are even more blurred, artists (indeed anyone) can recycle and re-upload images, text and audio material more quickly and easily than ever before. Sampling, remixing and mashups proliferate online, and allow people to even adopt a social media profile that appropriates or parodies a well-known persona.

In this course we will look at contemporary artistic strategies of appropriation. We will discuss artforms like Post-Internet art that embraces meme-culture, or music styles like Vapourwave that appropriates 1980s and 1990s styles of mood music.

We will investigate, question and challenge modern and historical concepts related to the topic and create artistic works that can be presented in the form of live performances, video works or installations. The course supports and excercises independent, self-motivated work. Together, we will create an environment in which students can produce and discuss their own subjects related to the matter.

CRITERIA FOR PASSING
In order to successfully participate you will have to develop and document your own project that can be in the form of a performance, video work or installation for example. Also, regularly attend to the sessions and participation is mandatory.

LANGUAGE
The course will be in English, unless all participants are speaking German.

PROJECTS

DATES

12.04.2018

Introduction

19.04.2018

history of appropriation in art

03.05.2018

Post Internet Art

24.05.2018

Vapourwave kids youtube grime

12.07.2018

Summaery Exhibition