Art, Design and the Public Domain

With the beginning of this academic year GSD is introducing a program in Art Design and the Public Domain. This seminar is intended to become an important research, discussion and presentation forum, information resource and a critical laboratory in the development of this program.The course will focus on informed review and discussion in contemporary transformative, analytical, critical, and interventional art and design practice that engages public space and lives of people in our cities.Student interests and instructor suggestions will become a base for assigned readings, research, and presentation projects. Some seminar sessions will be including appearances of invited artists, curators, and critics, as well as film screenings, and site visits.During the seminar sessions, students will have an opportunity learn of programs and projects of such movements and groups as Critical Art Ensemble, Center for Urban Pedagogy, \”N 55\”, Institute Applied Autonomy, Situationist International, Fluxus, Orange Alternative, Guerilla Girls, Women House, Pret-a-Revolter (Guerrilla Fashion Group) and others, as well as of works and projects by Victor Papanek, Marjetica Potric, Michael Rakowitz, Artur Zmijewski, Hans Haacke, Richard Serra, James Turel, Barbara Kruger, Jeny Holzer, Martha Rosler, Georg Kepes, Rachel Whiteread Jennie Pollack, Mierle Ukeles, Andrea Zittel, Robert Smithson, Suzanne Lacy, Chris Csikszentmihalyi, and other artists and designers.In the course of readings, discussions and presentations students will be exposed to issues and notions of Public Space, Public Place, Public Realm, Public Sphere, Public Art, Community Art, Agonistic Democracy, Sacred Place, Memorial, Monument, Collective Memory, Site Specific Art, Performativity, Social Sculpture, Urban Intervention, the Event, the Political, Transitional Object, Relational Aesthetics, Art as Responsive Environment, and others.The course will be developed in the context of programmatic preparations toward the exhibition and conference on Art and Design in the Public Domain planned to happen at GSD in March 2011. Students research, presentation and final publication may contribute to this project.