This is the first online project by the Milliseconds group 2008/2009. The work curated in the categories above exhibits Level One, BA (Hons) Contemporary Art Practices students’ responses to The Manual.
The ‘manual’ is a document of questions and tasks intended to help the students form an understanding of contemporary practice and introduce them to strategies, methods and approaches for making work.
This manual is a collection of notes for you to work from throughout the first semester, until Christmas.
The questions and proposals are intended to help you form an understanding of contemporary practice and introduce you to strategies, methods, and approaches for making work.
You are not required to address all of the parts that ask you to make work, but you should try and follow up all of the references and questions. Keeping notes and files of your findings would be useful.
You should attempt at least 6 of the ideas over the semester but feel free to tackle as many as possible. Intepret these things in your own way but think about what you are being asked to do. Discuss what you are doing with staff, and each other.
Use the 6th floor workspace as much as you can and remember this is about resourcefulness and creativity. Over this first period of the semester you will have access to photography, digital print, computer suite and video / sound editing facilities. After the health and safety inductions you will have access to the 3-D workspace on the ground floor, and some of its resources. There is an audio / visual loans facility in the learning centre where you can loan video equipment, playback
equipment and other useful things. It is important you take equipment back on time as there are fines imposed.
The course has a few good digital cameras, projectors, speakers etc, for use in the 6th floor workspace.
From weeks 1 – 7 we will be working towards a display of work in the studio and an online catalogue that will accompany it. The display needs to be completed by 3rd November. We will be discussing this in more detail throughout the first 7 weeks.
The display will be a selection from what you have all produced, made through discussions between staff and students.
There are 2 formative assessment points this semester, one on week 7 when you will receive feedback on your progress up to that point and an indicative grade. Then there is a second feedback point after Christmas, where you will get a grade and feedback for your performance throughout the whole of the first semester.
Take a large piece of paper
Draw a diagram of the universities structure on the paper
In the schematic include administration, facilities, schools/subject areas and courses of the University.
Attempt to name as many staff as possible in the universities administration, facilities, schools/subject areas and courses.
Attempt to photograph the above named people and include them on the diagram.
Please work collectively on the above
Each person in the group should write a brief paragraph on what they believe an art school to be and add this to the bottom of the diagram.
Who recently made the contemporary version of ‘The Golden Calf’?
How much did it recently sell for?
Where was it sold?
Why was this different from the traditional approach to selling art?
What do you think the relationship between art and money is? Is this important?
Attempt to make your own version of ‘The Golden Calf’ out of Monster Munch.
Try and sell your Monster Munch sculpture.
What is Biodynamic agriculture?
Do you think this should be the way forward?
Buy or grow something that has been produced in this way.
Don’t eat/drink it, make it into art.
Present this alongside your above above text.
Get on the 9.05 train heading towards London.
At every stop take a photograph through the carraige window.
Write a short story that relates to the photographs you have taken.
Record yourself reading out the story.Edit the recording and the images together.
Present the completed work through a digital projector.
Make a giant arrow.
Point it towarsds the sky.
Take a photograph.
The group should organise to present their photographs together.
Dig a hole.
Bury some thing that is important to you in it.
Write a brief descripition of the thing you have buried. Do not use the name of the thing you have buried.
Describe the location. Do not use the name of the location in the desripition.
presennt this as typed text on printed onto an A4 piece of paper.
Organise a gathering on the 6th floor.
As a group make a jelly field in the studio.
Invite other students to the 6th floor to experience.
Without refering to ANY books/printer matter or the Internet:
Draw a diagram that explains how the planets including the sun orbit one another.
Explain day and night
Present these findings on an A3 piece of paper.
Don’t cheat.
Without refering to ANY books/printed matter or the Internet.
Draw a map of the world.
Present these findings on an A2 piece of paper.
Don’t cheat.
Take a metre long piece of rope
Video yourself tieing a Bowline in the piece of rope.
Place a musical composition over the top of your film.
Present
Buy a newspaper. Cut out a picture from page 6 and combine it with a picture from page 23. Enlarge it. Then reduce it.
Buy a newspaper. Go to page 16 and cut out the first thing that catches your eye. Enlarge it. Then reduce it.
Go into your local newsagents and buy something that is pretending to be something else, such as sweet cigarettes. Present it on a plinth and make a label about deception.
Go into your local newsagents and buy a ‘specialist’ magazine. Copy one of the illustrations in (a) pencil (b) felt pen.
Go into the library and locate a book with the word ‘library’ in it—borrow it and bring it into the studio.
Go into the library and locate a book with the word ‘book’ in its title—photocopy it and then do something with the photocopy
Go into a shop and pick up a leaflet for an event that is going to happen. Make your own leaflet in the same style for an imaginary event to be held in Leeds on Friday 13th February 2009.
Buy a cheap white t-shirt. Write a big bold word on the back of it in permanent black ink. Give to another student to write a big bold word on the front of it. Wear it to a presentation.
Buy a cheap white t-shirt and attach a household item to it so that you can (a) still wear the t-shirt without the item falling off and (b) still use the item
Buy a lab-coat, cleaning apron or football top and get angry on it. Document this process and bring the garment into the studio.
Make a one minute video about a book you have read recently.
Please stick to 60 seconds including titles.
Do not use any actors.
Research the origins and the definition of the word ‘art’.
Find out the word for ‘art’ in as many different languages as possible.
Make a new word and definition of ‘art’ from your findings.
Find a 1 minute scene from a film of your choice.
The scene must have dialogue between 3 characters.
Edit out the sound and re edit with subtitles for the scene.
Write your life story using the style and format of a press release.
This must be no more than 250 words.
Found out who was your parents favourite band when they were your age.
Design and make a collection of costumes for this band based on what they tell you.
Transform a valuable procession into a non valuable object.
Transform an everyday object into an object of desire.
Remake the opening title sequence of a disaster movie from the 1980’s.
Do not use live action.
Use paper, cardboard, scissors, glue, pens and pencils.
Make 10 pieces of work dedicated to the person who is closest to you.
Give these pieces to the people who are physically closest to you.
Document this process.
Where is the first Unite d’ Habitation?
Who designed it?
Research and write a short lecture on the term ‘collective’. Upload this lecture on the course website.
Get a map of the world. Research and find each of the following in as many countries as possible:
• an example of modernist architecture
• a street with an English name
• a statue of a political figure
• a call centre
• a ‘closed’ or ‘sensitive’ location or site.
• a film which is still or has been banned.
Remake the map of the world using the information you have found and present this as a ‘coffee table’ style book.
What is a stock photographic library? How do they work?
Who is Richard Prince?
Find a magazine for each of the following years, 60’s,70’s,80’s,90’,00’s. Choose images from each to make 3 photographic series about alternative lifestyles.
What is the Vkhutemas?
Where is it?
Who was Alexsander Rodchenko?
Make four A3 collages about H Building. Two using just red and black, two using just green and black.
Watch John Smith’s ‘Girl Chewing Gum’.
Watch it again without sound
Listen to just the audio without the live action.
Find an instruction manual/leaflet and make a demonstrational film about the product.
What did Walter Benjamin mean when he referred to ‘mimetic faculty’?
Research the history of H Building.
Share this information with all staff and students via the course website
Get into groups of 5 people.
Each pick a daily newspaper.
Read the entire contents of a daily newspaper (including the Business & Finance section).
Meet at the end of the day to discuss the similarities and difference between the way stories are handled.
Return to the same spot each day for a week and make a drawing.
Do the same with a camera.
Compare the difference in subject between the things you photographed and the things you drew.
Take a photo of a celebrity from Hello!, ideally, a close-up of the face.
Screw it into a tight ball, and then unscrew it again, spreading it flat on the table.
Then look at it through a powerful magnifying glass.
Go out of your way to speak to people with clipboards doing surveys in the street—those selling mobile phones, doing charity work or recruiting for the army in shopping centres: people you might normally avoid.
Listen to them patiently, until they get bored.
Later, write a report comparing the delivery of their sales pitches, their uniforms and so forth.
Are there any similarities between what they have to say?
Find out what Conceptual Art is without using the internet.
If you like, invent your own idea of what it might be first, without consulting any books, by making something.
Then head straight for Lucy Lippard’s book ‘Six Years: the Dematerialisation of the Art Object’ (MIT Press: 1973) to see whether you were ‘right’.
This book is an inventory of conceptual projects done from 1967-73.
Read JG Ballard’s short story ‘The Assassination of John Fitzgerald Kennedy Considered as a Downhill Motor Race’, in the book JG Ballard: The Complete Short Stories.
Think about how current events could be told differently.
Choose a current news story and re-tell it.
Invent a new sport.
This could be done conceptually, as a set of rules and diagrams, or it could be done by physically demonstrating it and filming the activity
Conduct your own public survey.
Is there any information you would like to know about the public that doesn’t seem to get covered in existing surveys? Your questions could be trivial or profound, but try to do it seriously, with clipboards, visibility vests and specially prepared questionnaires.
That tune you try and play when brushing your teeth in the mornings—try varying it occasionally.
What is an experimental film?
Watch three experimental films in the library and describe what you think they are about in three sentences.
If you prefer do you own version as a remake.
Make a piece of work and set it on fire afterwards.
Film the burning process and choose a sound track to go with it.
Go and find out everything about the Henry Moore Institute.
Who are the founders?
Write a story about how these people came together and started the foundation.
Take 10 photographs of street art around Leeds.
Make a piece of work out of the photograph and reintroduce them into the public space.
Do you think it is possible to create a living artwork?
If so, what could it be?
If it is possible to realize, do so.
If not, create a document which will convince everybody that it should be realized.
Use three different materials to make the same piece of work.
Take one picture of the 3 pieces and photocopy it three times on an A3 format.
Interview 3 people of the course about their favourite artists.
Who is it and why?
Make a sound collage out of it.
Dedicate a piece of artwork to your favourite politician.
Find out their address and send a picture of the piece to him/her. (You might want to send a covering letter)
Make a piece of artwork which you can “exhibit” on public transport, without getting into trouble. But you might want to hang around and watch people’s reaction.
Make a functional object from unusual materials such as an abacus made from pickled onions or a small voodoo doll of Goldie Hawn made from black pudding
Make of list of ten things you think Art has to have.
Produce a PowerPoint presentation to your group to prove your theory
Find 20 examples of the best ‘bad’ art ever made and make a small book explaining your viewpoint
Find 20 examples of the biggest idiots of our times and make a series of beautiful drawings of them
Bring together a series of boxing matches between people you would like to see in the ring together.
Produce a boxing style poster to advertise this event.
Make 20 beautiful photographs of 20 examples of bad graffiti
Take 20 photographs of the hardest looking person you can find
Don’t talk for 3 hours and make 20 drawings
Research your tutors own work and assemble a critique of their strengths and weaknesses. Make a PowerPoint presentation to support your research
Draw 20 clouds from life. Model your 5 favourites out of clay.
Make a pair of shoes out of inappropriate materials. Make a ceremonial robe to match. What is the ceremony?
Photograph 10 things you think will be obsolete by 2018.
What is a panopticon? How would you turn the sixth floor studio into one without using cameras? Make a model to demonstrate how it would work. Watch the film “The Conversation” (1974, Francis Ford Coppola)
Do you have a favourite museum? Have you been to Leeds Art Gallery? Which work intrigued you the most? Write about it.
Analyse the FTSE 100 index from one day this week. Does it describe a world you recognise? Use the data to create an artwork. Wait a week. Repeat the process.
Redub a scene from a film using your own dialogue. Reshoot the scene using the original soundtrack.
Learn a conjuring trick. Practice till its perfect. Show it to a friend. Ask someone to photograph only your face as you perform it.
Make a map of yesterday. Try making one for tomorrow.
Make a video about you, in which you don’t appear.
Try thinking , then try not thinking.
Find a hidden or secret place in Leeds town centre.
Then buy some art from a supermarket.
Then spend the day curating the art from the supermarket in the hidden space.
Re-make a piece of work by Les Incoherents (1882-1895).
Were they artists?
Fill in the blanks.
The World = Art = The World.
Discuss over a picnic.
Go to the City Art Gallery with 2 friends, and each decide what is the worst piece of art there.
Make your own currency and find a way of getting people to want to use it.
Who was Aleister Crowley?
What was Electronic Voice Phenomenon?
Make your own recording.
What is the distinction between magic and religion? (See The Occult Tradition by David Katz).
Look online at the exhibition Strange Powers:
http://www.creativetime.org/programs/archive/2006/strangepowers/site/index.htm
What piece of work would you contribute to the show?
Form your own secret society and write a manifesto.
Was Emma Kunz really a visionary artist? Was William Blake?
What was the relationship between Kandinsky, Klee and the Theosophical Society?
See every exhibition on Vyner Street.
Shoot a 3min Super 8 film and present this unedited to the group.
Make and wear 3 Parangoles (colored capes) based on the work of artist Helio Oiticica.
Listen to 3 tracks by Fela Kuti whilst creating a poster for 24th March 2015.
Enact and document 3 performances by Allan Kaprow
Read or see 1 play by Berthold Brecht.
Create a soundtrack for 24th March 2015
Make a Penguin Donkey
Answer a question to something you’ve always wanted to know.
Read the S.C.U.M. manifesto
Find and photo 3 locations from films shot in Leeds
Watch a film by Akira Kurosawa
Read ‘Towards a Situationist International’ by Guy Debord, 1957 (extract from Participation: Documents of Contemporary Art, Edited by Claire Bishop. Whitechapel/MIT press)