THE UNIVERSITY of EDINBURGH

DEGREE REGULATIONS & PROGRAMMES OF STUDY 2017/2018

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DRPS : Course Catalogue : Edinburgh College of Art : Art

Undergraduate Course: Voice in the Artwork: A Performing Object (ARTX08078)

Course Outline
SchoolEdinburgh College of Art CollegeCollege of Humanities and Social Science
Credit level (Normal year taken)SCQF Level 8 (Year 1 Undergraduate) AvailabilityAvailable to all students
SCQF Credits20 ECTS Credits10
SummaryThis course explores different uses of voice as a material in the context of artists' moving image, the 'voice object' and sculptural practice, performance and recital works, and research-based works engaged with archives and other discursive approaches, such as interviews and discussions. Addressed across theory and practice, students will examine concepts of voice, experiment with multiple forms of voice and making, and be introduced to the practicalities of working with voice relating to recording, editing and output.
Course description Students will begin by responding to materials they bring an object or collection of objects, film or video clips, drawings or photographs - exploring relationships between these material forms and the immaterial qualities of voice. Thinking about the different forms of voice that these materials could deliver through their formal and material properties, we will also consider how their installation and delivery might 'speak' to the audience.

The students will also record their own voice / sound works in response to these considerations and enquiries, taking into account content, context, and qualities of voice. Experimentation with pre-recorded conversations, overheard exchanges, more formal interviews, and the use of personal archive materials, such as diaries or journal entries that document written and unuttered voices will form the discussion and content around course work.

There will be opportunities for experimentation with installation, bringing together test voice recordings with the objects / materials the students brought to begin the course, including use of pre-recorded conversations, overheard exchanges, or more formal interviews.

Over the course of the semester there will be lectures on the conceptual concerns of the voice in the context of artists' moving image, performance, and visual culture and research. These will raise questions of voice and power, examine whose voices are recorded and contribute to historical and future knowledge (the archive), and question which types of articulated knowledge are considered valuable and commonly the most heard. There will also be a visit and introduction to the School of Scottish Studies ethnographic sound archive.

The course will also deliver practical workshops on voice recording, data transfer, editing software and effects, and exporting media.

The students will develop a personal project responding to chosen elements of voice examined across the theory and practice to produce a work to be delivered / performed / installed / screened by completion of the course.
Entry Requirements (not applicable to Visiting Students)
Pre-requisites Co-requisites
Prohibited Combinations Other requirements None
Additional Costs Students are expected to pay for Art Materials and Equipment. Specific materials and equipment costs will vary depending on students individual choice of method of production.
Information for Visiting Students
Pre-requisitesNone
High Demand Course? Yes
Course Delivery Information
Academic year 2017/18, Available to all students (SV1) Quota:  24
Course Start Semester 2
Timetable Timetable
Learning and Teaching activities (Further Info) Total Hours: 200 ( Lecture Hours 7, Seminar/Tutorial Hours 2, Supervised Practical/Workshop/Studio Hours 20, Fieldwork Hours 3, External Visit Hours 2, Feedback/Feedforward Hours 3, Formative Assessment Hours 3, Summative Assessment Hours 4, Programme Level Learning and Teaching Hours 4, Directed Learning and Independent Learning Hours 152 )
Assessment (Further Info) Written Exam 0 %, Coursework 100 %, Practical Exam 0 %
Additional Information (Assessment) Single component of assessment encompassing the following elements:

1. Week 11: Students will present evidence of finished work with voice, such as a performance, recital, conversation, object with sound or text, short video, presentation or reading. Evidence and documentation/script, etc. of this should be included in document below.

2. Students will submit a final piece of text (600 - 900 words) reflecting on the development of their work over the course with reference to the relevant concepts and practices that have been introduced. This document should also include documentation of finished work (presented in week 11) and be uploaded to Learn.

Relationship between Assessment and Learning Outcomes:
All assessment components are equally weighted and aligned to all Learning Outcomes.
Feedback Mid-semester (week 7): Students will submit a visual record as a presentation documenting interests, processes of development, and research across the course. These should include 3-4 examples of recordings along with documentation of their use in trials / experimental development. Documentation may be video clips, performance or installation documentation, photographs etc.
Students will be expected to articulate their own work, to be active in the group discussion and contribute to conversation around the work of their student peers. Feedback for the work will be in the group crit situation.
Verbal feedback from staff and peers.

Response to feedback given in the week 7 presentation, will be discussed in 1-2-1 or small group tutorials in week 8.

Summative feedback - written feedback will be given within 15 days following submission.
No Exam Information
Learning Outcomes
On completion of this course, the student will be able to:
  1. Demonstrate a broad understanding of concepts of voice in research, and interpretations of voice within artworks.
  2. Demonstrate practical skills in recording, transferring, editing, and exporting sound files.
  3. Articulate reflective and analytical development of their working methods in response to complex ideas centred on particular aspects of course content.
  4. Demonstrate understanding through personal research, materials and reflection on the discussion of aspects of the voice in current practice.
Reading List
READING LIST: (these short introductory texts will be provided as PDFs)

'With Hidden Noise: Sculpture, Video, and Ventriloquism', catalogue essay by Jon Wood, from an exhibition with the same title at the Henry Moore Institute, Leeds, 2004.

'An Interview with Anne Charlotte Robertson' by film critic and writer Scott MacDonald. Available in: Anne Charlotte Robertson, catalogue essay from the Anxiety Arts Festival London, 2014.

'Notes On Sound' by filmmaker Robert Bresson, 1985. Available in Film Sound: Theory and Practice (p149), Columbia University Press, edited by E. Weis & J. Belton.

VIEWING LIST - Works from:

John Akomfrah; Imogen Stidworthy; Benedict Drew; Mikhail Karikis; Charlotte Prodger; Laure Prouvost; Cally Spooner; Elmgreen & Dragset; Wendelien van Oldenborg; Anne Charlotte Robertson.
Additional Information
Graduate Attributes and Skills Develop analytical and reflective skills.
Broaden research skills and increase confidence in accessing personal and institutional resources: equipment, archives, collection materials, and students' own personal and family histories and materials.
Develop planning, technical and organizational skills for self motivated projects.
KeywordsVoice,Artists' Moving Image,Performance,Embodiment,Immateriality,Documentation,Interviews,Archives
Contacts
Course organiserMr Kenneth Hunter
Tel:
Email: k.hunter@ed.ac.uk
Course secretaryMiss Ellie Mccartney
Tel: (0131 6)51 5879
Email: emccartn@exseed.ed.ac.uk
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