Folio 5: Bringing it all together: A review of Final ART 1604 Projects 2016-Present

In the most romantic sense, the ideal final project is the pinnacle of a semester.
The pièce de résistance. Final critiques are often a celebration and a moment to build upon the layers of skills developed in the class.
The following entries reflect the scope of development in my ART 1604 4D foundations courses.

How it started: Scenography with 2D printed hand-cut dioramas.

ART 1604 Final Project.
Diorama Assemblage Project: L’Opéra
Artists to look at: Joseph Cornell, Mark Dion, Kara Walker.

Prompt: Create a paper diorama using printed media. Consider the structure of your paper cutouts. Tabs are likely necessary.
Use original imagery. All assets must be student-generated.
The Twist: Critique is a photograph of the diorama. Consider lighting and depth of field.

Objectives:
• Plan and execute a paper maquette for critique.
• Use Illustrator and/or Photoshop to create a large printed asset sheet around your storyworld.
• Prepare your documents for print. CMYK vs RGB color profiles. Make use of SOVA’s print services
•Work with constraints: Dimensions of prints, finished object.
• Use photography, lighting, and Adobe Lightroom to craft the finished image for critique.

Outcomes:

Epilogue: The L’Opera project started the first year I was at SOVA. It always excited students because the process and product called upon their embodied creative capacities to generate papercraft. The project is physical and immersive. The project atrophied in 2020 when the print shop was closed due to insufficient space and staffing. SOVA benefited from the shop being right across the street from the armory.

After L’Opera: In trying to let go, I somehow added more?

2019: Diorama + 3D printing.
Integrating 3D modeling into the diorama. In 2019, the university library opened a 3D printing studio as a public service, offering free 3D printing. 1604 was invited to test the lab by sending large-batch jobs to the facility. Teaching a 3D prototyping module within a 4D class was a bridge too far. The students delivered, though I didn’t incorporate the photography element.

Q: What is the cleanest break I can think of?
A: Student Proposed Final Projects.

2020: Principles of New Media: Student Proposed Final Project
Students proposed a final project. A wide variety of outcomes were delivered.

Previsualization and Planning: ART 1604 FA 2020

Final Outcomes ART 1604 FA 2020 (The Final Year of Principles of New Media)

Projects were all over the place, but I think the gamble paid off.
Pieces are authentic and diverse.

How its going: 1604 is now Principles of 4D, we are Post-Covid, and we’re using the postcards.

Final Outcomes ART 1604 Principles of 4D 2021-2024
With The focus of the class squarely in the realm of 4D, things have changed significantly to focus more on time-based media practices- focusing on teaching after effects and compositing.

2022: Green Screen composite animation
2023: Getting into the postcards and making them move.
2024: Added 8bit animation and Wunderkammer video collage.