Busytown

Prerequisites: All OF THE FOLLOWING: ARTDES 270: Visualizing and Depicting Ideas.

Description: Busytown focuses on the creation of work that represents many things happening at the same time. Examples of images and small constructions falling into these categories are Netherlandish Proverbs by Bruegel, dioramas at Chicago’s Museum of Science and Industry and many of Richard Scarry’s Busytown illustrations. Work created in this class is not medium-specific (video, painting, 3D models or hand-made constructions, sound, illustration, etc). Students are expected to be able to work independently, conduct research on their subject, and to have some mastery of the tools they choose to work with. Throughout the semester, we address such issues as visual and personal perspective, density of information, temporal and spatial overlap, juxtaposition, and intersection. We also consider the human social tendency to form connected, interdependent groups, the formation of villages, and patterns of urban development.

Frequency: This course is typically offered in the winter term of even-numbered years, though scheduling may vary according to future term circumstances.