Thirteenth International Conference on The Arts in Society

Abstract

In an era of increasing pressures to be interdisciplinary, Blatter and Ware examine the intersection of faculty research in the collaborative classroom and its impact on student learning and discourse. Through collaborative coursework, students learn to build infrastructures for their own partnerships, processes, explorations, and discourses. Using emerging technologies, new media, and online cultures as impetus, they examine three courses where faculty research and technology overlap: RVArts Cultural Passport (John Freyer, Photo/Film & Jill Ware, Dance) is an experiential learning course that is part art appreciation and part community engagement. Built around a student curated online public calendar and the RVArts artist in conversation speaker series, the course is designed to help students understand discourse, discipline specific language, and context. Beyond the Rectangle (John Henry Blatter, Sculpture & Matt Wallin, Communication Arts), is a course where students expand their understanding and experience of the moving image beyond the traditional rectangular screen. Through a series of studies, experimentation and lectures, students investigate new technologies in various immersive multimedia experiences through the use of technology including: 360 degree projection, Oculus Rift, Google Cardboard, multi-channel audio and others. Media + Movement (John Henry Blatter, Sculpture & Jill Ware, Dance), is a collaborative course between an installation and a movement artist exploring the melding of performing and visual practices through a series of studies, experimentations, and lectures. Students investigate the refinement of human motion, light, and sound through video and animation using 3D motion capture, sound design, light design, movement performance and movement generation.