Art and Technology

Code:

AT211

Acronym:

AT

Keywords
Classification	Keyword
OFICIAL	Fine Arts/Multimedia

Instance: 2024/2025 - 2S

Active?	Yes
Responsible unit:	Fine Arts Department
Course/CS Responsible:	Fine Arts

Cycles of Study/Courses

Acronym	No. of Students	Study Plan	Curricular Years	Credits UCN	Credits ECTS	Contact hours	Total Time
AP	24	Plano de estudos de LAP_publicaçao em DR de 24/05/2021	2	-	3	30	81

Teaching language

Portuguese

Objectives

To study the relations between art, culture and technology, in particular its implications for artistic practice.
To understand the question of technology from its modern problematization, for the understanding of contemporaneity.
To discuss and clarify the importance of the relations between art and technology to the current context of art. 
To introduce the basic principles of a media theory for the visual arts.
To develop tools for reflection and critical analysis. 
To establish a critical connection to the work done in other subjects, such as studio practice and workshops.

Learning outcomes and competences

It is expected students to achieve the proposed objectives in accordance with the program, developing critical and speculative analysis tools that can be used in the context of their studio work. It is also expected for the course's topics to be addressed in group during classes and also in the readings, research and writing to be done more autonomously by each student.

The group acquires research, presentation and writing tools for the realisation of works of theoretical-practical interest.

Working method

Presencial

Program

The program is divided into chapters that occupy the UC's lectures, and organized into compact seminars with shared content and arguments.

The program starts with a comprehensive introduction to the problems of the relations between art and technology. It brings the discussion to the present through a set of topics, focusing on the question of media and its relation with contemporary artistic practice. The program also tries to understand how technology activates and operates methodologies to produce imaginaries in cultural and artistic practices. Chosen case studies from contemporary art and culture will be widely addressed.

• Art and technique. Mechanical Reproduction. Digital Reproduction. The idea of performance in the form of appearing. Caves as experimental spaces and spaces for discovery.


• Art and mediation. Expanded practices of art. Towards a broader notion of the media. 


• New and old media. Obsolescence and media archaeology. Astonishment and familiarity. 


• Media materialities. Media bodies. The embodiment of media in artistic practices.


• Imagination. Technical images. The mutations of artistic practices and the contemporary imaginaries of art.

Case studies of contemporary art and culture, literary and speculative objects will be presented.

Mandatory literature

Aranda Julieta 080; The^Internet does not exist. ISBN: 978-3-956791-30-7
Groys Boris 1947-; In the flow. ISBN: 978-1-78478-351-8
Vilém Flusser; The^shape of things. ISBN: 1-86189-055-9

Complementary Bibliography

Aranda Julieta 340; What is contemporary art?. ISBN: 978-1-934105-10-8
Benjamin Walter; Sobre arte, técnica, linguagem e política. ISBN: 972-708-1770
Critical Art Ensemble; Electronic civil and other disobedience unpopular ideas
Simon Morley; The^Sublime. ISBN: 978-0-854-88178-9
Sociedade Porto 2001; A^experiência do lugar. ISBN: 972-95449-3-X
Hito Steyerl; The^Wretched of the screen. ISBN: 978-1-934105-82-5

Comments from the literature

This section indicates some titles of interest that exist in the library of FBA.UP.

The bibliography will be treated and adapted to the classes and will be available and referenced in the digital channel that organises the materials of mandatory appreciation for the UC.

See also the section OBSERVATIONS /// ON BIBLIOGRAPHY MAIN RESEARCHES

Teaching methods and learning activities

The classes are divided into the topics of the programme and are organised on the basis of a participatory and collective construction model. On the one hand, around the commentary and debate on texts and audiovisual material. On the other hand, through the exposition of the key issues of the programme. More expository moments will be exchanged, with the aim of clarifying fundamental concepts and practices of the programme, with others in which analysis and commentary on the chosen examples and case studies will be made.
In any case, classes will be given using extensive materialisation of the topics.

A research methodology will be proposed to be presented and followed up in class.

A digital editorial platform will be enabled, which aggregates all the subjects of the UC, as well as the contents for the research.

Evaluation Type

Distributed evaluation without final exam

Assessment Components

Designation	Weight (%)
Participação presencial	10,00
Trabalho escrito	60,00
Prova oral	30,00
Total:	100,00

Amount of time allocated to each course unit

Designation	Time (hours)
Apresentação/discussão de um trabalho científico	1,00
Estudo autónomo	40,00
Trabalho escrito	40,00
Total:	81,00

Eligibility for exams

• Oral presentation of collective research in class (30%) 


• Submission of written work, according to the structure and schedule presented (60%)


• Participation and Attendance (10%)

Calculation formula of final grade

• Written work: 60% (For this work it is mandatory to realise an original and iventive written production - approximately 2000 - 3000 words that deepens the collective research). 


• Oral presentation of collective research: 30%


• Participation, attendance: 10 %

Observations

ABOUT BIBLIOGRAPHY MAIN RESEARCH

AAVV (2020), Vita Nova / Fórum do Futuro, Basa, Shumon; Blanc, Guilherme; Ramos, Filipa; Sutela, Jenna, eds. Porto, Bom Dia Boa Tarde Boa Noite e Ágora - Câmara Municipal do Porto. 

AAVV (2020), Pós-Humano. Que Futuro? Antologia de textos teóricos. Bernardino, Lígia; Freitas, Marinela; Soeiro, Ricardo Gil, orgs. V. N. Famalicão, Edições Húmos.

Babo, Maria Augusta (2004), "Do Corpo protésico ao corpo híbrido", in Revista Comunicação e Linguagens nº33: Corpo, Técnica, Subjectividades, Relógio d'Água Editores, pp.25-35

Cruz, Maria Teresa (2002) "Arte e o espaço cibernético", in Revista Comunicação e Linguagens nº extra:Cultura das Redes. Relógio d'Água Editores, pp. 149-154.

Flusser, Vilém (2012), O Universo das Imagens Técnicas: elogio da superficialidade. Imprensa da Universidade de Coimbra e Annablume. 

Flusser, Vilém (2010), Uma Filosofia do Design: A forma das coisas, Relógio d'Água Editores. 

Gunning, Tom (2021), "Renovar antigas tecnologias: Espanto, segunda natureza e estranheza na tecnologia na viragem do século XX", in Revista Comunicação e Linguagens nº43/44: Analítica dos Novos Media. Relógio d'Água Editores, pp. 15-32.

Seu, Mindy (2023), Cyberfeminism Index. Inventory Press.