A course on “Thinking with Images”

2005

The idea with this course was to use the digital camera as a way to quickly construct images. Images were either fabricated by the students or were of real world ‘events’.

Students collected images of subjects that they were interested in. As the course progressed students were asked to ‘evolve’ there imagery by photographing ‘variations’ of the images they found most interesting and appealing. The class ended with an original ‘final project’ of the students own creation. The following is some of the course content.

VISUAL THINKING :: KEAN U FA2300 :: SPRING 2005 :: MONDAY 12:30 – 3:30

instructor:
mark edward grimm
mgrimm@kean.edu
meg156@columbia.edu
megrimm.net
917-319-8286

class list-serve / mailing-list via email for internet-based discussions and written assignments:
art@papaya.fruit.za.net

REQUIRED TEXT
stewart, m. (2002). launching the imagination.mcgraw-hill.

REQUIRED MATERIALS
sketchbook
digital camera

KEAN FINE ART DEPARTMENT ATTENDANCE REQUIREMENT: TWO MISSES = GRADE DROP BY ONE LETTER GRADE.
LET ME KNOW VIA EMAIL OF EMERGENCIES
BE ON TIME TO CLASS

PARTICIPATION:: 40%
HOMEWORK :: 20%
SKETCHBOOK :: FINAL PROJECT :: 40%

catalog description
This course emphasizes the six main components involved in the creation of art and design – design principles, problem solving, subject matter, communication, visualization, and creativity. Emphasis is on expanding the student’s perceptual and conceptual skills, creative range, and use of various media as they relate to these components.

my description
Visual Thinking is about thinking in images. As opposed to “linguistic thinking”, thinking visually requires one to think in a non-linear manner, meaning, multi-directional. Thinking in this way allows one to take in complex information quickly and process it individually and creatively. Visual thinking can be used as a problem solving technique in order to ‘sketch’ out complex ideas and issues and as a research method in developing one’s own personal ideas.

This course will examine ways in which we can begin the process of thinking in a visual way rather than a traditional ‘linguistic’ way. We will explore our personal interests as images and pictures and begin to develop a critical lens in which to focus new explorations and directions in image-based though.

During the semester we will use a ‘sketchbook’ to build and archive these ideas on a specific personal topic. These images will begin to evolve as new interests in these images begin to emerge. A 50 image minimum is required. This sketchbook will eventually materialize into a FINAL PROJECT to be discussed and determined on an individual basis as the class progresses.

Lectures will be given to be followed by class discussions. ALL are required to participate.

Other source materials such as DVD, Slides, Books, Magazines will be used in our discussions. All are welcome to bring in additional materials relating to your and/or others projects during class.