syllabus

Prior to the first session, participants will receive an initial email with a reading assignment and a writing assignment.

Week 1: SEEING THE FAMILIAR AGAIN
In this first session we consider the assumptions that we make about our everyday world, and what we ignore, avoid, overlook, or forget to see.
Introduction to workshop. Participants introduce themselves. Discussion of reading.
Group exercise that focuses on your immediate (indoor) surroundings. Writing assignment.
Discussion of exercise. Reading assignment.
Prompt for public action to complete by the second session.
 

Week 2: SUBTLE ALTERATIONS TO YOUR LOCAL ENVIRONMENT
In this second session we discuss participants' experiments in making subtle changes, alterations and modifications, to the physical environment, with a focus on playful improvements.
Discussion of reading.
 
Participants report on what they learned about their environment from their first prompt. Writing assignment.
Discussion of exercise. Reading assignment.
Outline of final project assignment.
Prompt for public action to complete by the third session.

Week 3: VISUAL ACTIONS IN PUBLIC
In this third session we discuss participants' experiments in crafting non-interactive visual actions in the environment, with a focus on absurd, out of context apparitions.
Discussion of reading.
Participants report on what they learned in creating visual images for their third prompt. Writing assignment.
Discussion of exercise. Reading assignment.
Outline of final project assignment.

FINAL PROJECT: COVERT ACTIONS THAT ENGAGE THE PUBLIC
Participants will design and execute a secret public action that engages the viewers. Possibilities include scavenger hunts, anonymous gifts, or cryptic messages.
INDIVIDUAL MEETINGS ONLINE WITH ARSEM ABOUT FINAL PROJECT:
We will discuss the design and parameters of your project, how you will document it, what constitutes success, and how you will evaluate it.
 

Week 4: COVERT ACTIONS THAT ENGAGE THE PUBLIC
Participants will have uploaded documentation of their final projects in advance of the session, so that everyone can review the works before this final meeting.
This last session is a discussion of the different approaches that the participants took in designing their actions.
Discussion of projects. Questions and observations. Discussion of reading.
Final writing assignment.