Worldbuilding

GR - Graduate

Historically, "worldbuilding" referred to the art direction choices made by video game designers and large film studios in creating science fiction and fantasy genres. Recently, however, the term has evolved, with artists using it to describe the process of crafting their own internally consistent universes. In this course, students will explore the work of contemporary artists who transcend everyday life to create rich fictions filled with interconnected characters, stories, symbols, and themes. We will examine the installations and films of artists such as Hito Steyerl, Ian Cheng, Shana Moulton, Miwa Metreyek, Nathalie Djurberg, Jacolby Satterwhite, and William Kentridge. Through a series of short assignments, students will experiment with worldbuilding techniques to design their own fictional environments and establish the logic behind them. The course will culminate in a final installation project that incorporates mixed media techniques.