Photography, Subject and Studio

Over the semester students will develop a
photo-based project rooted in 1) portraiture and
2) the studio. We will use the dynamics of
portraiture to explore the photographer's studio
as a site of social, political, aesthetic and
material exchange. The class aims to open up
historical models of the darkroom and studio
toward an expanded idea of medium, time, and
community. We will consider the studio as
artist's self-portrait, as a place of accidents,
and as a site that condenses, frames and sharpens
the outside world through each work. Projects
should explore the possible limits of the studio,
how it is inhabited and permeated, how it is
represented in pictures. We will inquire into, to
quote Brian O'Doherty, "the relationship between
where art is made and where it is displayed."
Readings and lectures will open discussions on
the personal and critical histories of
photographers to their studios, and studio-based
exercises and assignments will introduce students
to the tools, processes and working methods to
explore the medium in a fresh way. Class time
will be split between discussion,
presentation/critique and workshop, although
students will be required to work on their
projects on their own time. Critiques will focus
on the conceptual, relational and material
approaches of each student to their project.