UNIT IX: Time, Change, and Motion
Objective
To introduce a range of ideas and practical methods for visually communicating time, change, and motion. To demonstrate the intimate link between these three concepts.
Discussion
All materials and objects--actual and represented-- bear some relationship to the concepts of time, change, and motion. At the very least, the processes of decay and entropy-- while imperceptible to the casual observer--significantly condition our perception of a given object. Consider, for example, the fading of a piece of colored paper hung in sunlight: the process of fading--the physical change in the character of the dyes in the paper--records the passage of time. Or consider the Grand Canyon and its impressive revelation of geologic time. Many conventions and methods exist for conveying a sense of time, change, and motion. Cartoonists have developed a symbolic short hand for suggesting movement. Photographers use slow shutter speeds or panning techniques to accentuate change and motion. Some time-related processes rely on actual physical changes or mutations (e.g., an hour glass); others convey time, change, or motion symbolically (consider the innumerable paintings of the Stations of the Cross with the narrative unfolding as a series of still images; or consider the work of the Futurists who employed multiple, overlapping images within a single frame). The task of this UNIT is to render the largely abstract notions of time, change, and motion as palpable subjects for two-dimensional art.
Vocabulary
TIME: actual time, real time, geologic time, illusion of time, metaphorical. time, viewing time, timelessness; CHANGE (SEQUENCE): additive sequence, subtractive sequence, direction-change sequence, size-change sequence, position-change sequence, metaphoric sequence, distortion/destruction sequence; MOTION/MOVEMENT: anticipated movement, repetition, blurred or fuzzy outlines, multiple image, optical movement, illusion of motion, kinetics, alternating rhythm, progressive rhythm.
Artists/Cultural References
Bernini, Rodin, Duchamp, Boccioni and the Futurists, Muybridge, Eisenstein, Lew Alquist, sun dials Nancy Holt, John Baldesarri, Christian Bysantine art showing the stations of the Cross, cartoon sequences, film, process art, M.C Escher, Trajan's column, Japanese room with alcove that reflects
the changing seasons.
Starting point.
1) Using two or more devices for illustrating motion , communicate visually a sense of change, time, and motion. You may use any media or format.
2) Tell a narrative story using 12 or more steps. It may be objective or non-objective.
3) Illustrate an explosion Variation: illustrate an imperceptibly slow process Combine the two.
4) Generate a list of action verbs. Invent techniques for illustrating particular verbs. Create a composition using three of your techniques.
5) Create a "self-portrait in time" comprised of a sequence of images.
6) Your challenge is to plan and execute a photomontage that both explores a "dreamlike" sense of time and conveys the feelings of a personal fantasy or dream.
7) Your challenge is to plan and execute a mural, cartoon, or animation that uses time, change, or motion to convey an idea about the natural world.
