Expanding the Visual Field at China Academy of Art

I have been invited by the prestigious China Academy of Art in Hangzhou (CAA) to run a four week workshop, alongside Professors Tian jin, Wang Zhi peng and Fan li. Entitled Expanding the Visual Field, the workshop will focus on the representation of space and time in visual art, and the productively paradoxical nature of visual representation. Open to postgraduate students across the academy, the project will encourage collaborative and interdisciplinary approaches to exploring the topic.

Beginning with an examination of the fascinating modes of representation of both space and time in traditional Chinese painting — of which CAA is the leading centre — the course will go on to examine the implications of spatiotemporal concepts from modern physics and mathematics for visual art. These topics will be examined with reference to the diverse approaches and practices you see in contemporary art, ranging from traditional media to installation, video, performance and purely conceptual work. With students coming from a diverse range of backgrounds, including design disciplines such as industrial design and architecture, the outcomes from the projects and collaborations are likely to be fascinating.

As the workshop is hosted by the School of Intermedia Arts, particular emphasis will be placed on computer-assisted approaches, including interactive media. I will be giving an introduction to programming for generative art making, drawing on my experiences with generative video art (animations) and interactive video. While working in Javascript, we will look at generalised techniques that are applicable to any suitable computer language and platform.