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Cover

Elements and Principles of 4D Art and Design

Ellen Mueller

Publication Date - February 2016

ISBN: 9780190225148

336 pages
Paperback
6-1/8 x 9-1/4 inches

In Stock

A project-based introduction to time-based art

Description

Elements and Principles of 4D Art and Design is a core text for 4D foundational studies, offering students an accessible and hands-on introduction to the new elements and principles of time-based art. Suitable for both majors and non-majors, the book begins by reviewing basic aesthetic concepts and the principles and elements of 2- and 3D design to help students make connections between more familiar art forms and the new world of 4D design. Through a range of exercises and activities, students will hone improvisation, brainstorming, and critical thinking skills while gaining experience in a range of technologies related to 4D design such as simple video and audio recording and editing.

Visit www.oup.com/us/mueller for additional material, including:
- Interviews, videos, and audio files for a selection of examples cited throughout the text
- Links and suggestions for online technical resources related to DSLR camera use, video editing, audio recording and editing, and stop-motion animation
- Links to additional resources on artists and art for more in-depth learning

Features

  • Provides a firm foundation in the techniques, elements, and principles of 4D art and design for majors and non-majors alike
  • Builds upon the basic elements of 2D and 3D design to identify 4D elements as they relate to emerging practices
  • Thoroughly explores the principles of causality, duration, intensity, interactivity, musicality, spatial relationships, speed, and transitions as they impact the creation of 4D artworks
  • Features over one hundred exercises and interviews with contemporary artists

About the Author(s)

Ellen Mueller is the director of the MFA Program at Minneapolis College of Art and Design.

Reviews

"Elements and Principles of 4D Art and Design is excellent. The writing style is approachable and the content is broad. With wide-ranging examples from gaming and performance to fine art to activism, the book establishes critical and creative foundations for approaching 4D." --Glenda Drew, University of California, Davis

"I am very excited for this text. It is exactly what my students need. Elements and Principles of 4D Art and Design covers very basic attributes of fine art and design in a descriptive way. These basic attributes are then combined with great contemporary art and solid in-class exercises. The text is well written and engaging." --Cyane Tornatzky, Colorado State University

"This book is punctuated with ideas for class exercises, a variety of time-based art examples, and interviews with artists and designers. It is flexible and can be applied to a diverse range of time-based methods and goals. I am not aware of any other existing textbook that achieves all of this." -- Kate Shannon, Ohio State University, Mansfield

Table of Contents

    List of Figures
    Preface
    Acknowledgements
    Introduction

    Chapter 1 - Components of an Artwork
    Subject
    Finding a Subject
    Anna Anthropy's Dys4ia

    --Interview: Anna Anthropy
    Form
    Medium
    Analyzing Form
    Craft
    Gestalt Theory
    Context
    Privilege
    Context and Place

    Context and Art History
    Changing Context

    --Interview: Melati Suryodarmo
    --Interview: Nancy Paterson
    Obscuring Context
    Context and Ownership
    Point of View

    --Interview: Jeremy Chandler and Shawn Cheatham
    The Importance of Context
    Content
    Physical Content
    Emotional Content
    Intellectual Content
    --Interview: Allora and Calzadilla
    Content in Socially Engaged Art
    Identifying Subject, Form, Context, and Content
    A Generative Artwork
    Eleanor Antin's Short Film, Love's Shadow (1986)
    --Interview: Eleanor Antin
    Daniel Sousa's Animated Film Feral (2013)
    Summary
    Key Terms

    Chapter 2 - Getting Started
    Brainstorming and Serious Play
    Research
    Narrative
    Critique
    Critique Cheat Sheet
    Game Theories as Inspiration for Creativity
    LeBlanc's The Taxonomy of Game Pleasures
    Sutton-Smith's The Ambiguity of Play
    A Selection of Organizing Concepts and Techniques
    Concepts
    Techniques/Approaches/Media

    Summary
    Key Terms

    Chapter 3 - Elements from 2D and 3D Art and Design
    Shape
    Shape in Architecture
    --Interview: Shana Moulton
    Topography
    --Interview: Tyler Glaiel
    Movement
    --Interview: Santiago Echevarry
    Shape Defining Space
    --Interview: Luftwerk
    Space
    The Base Plane
    The Rule of Thirds

    Positive and Negative Space
    --Interview: Joelle Dietrick
    Using Sound to Define Space
    Using Light to Define Space

    Color
    Primary and Secondary Colors
    White Light

    Relative Color
    Color Schemes

    --Interview: Rachel Maclean
    Changing Color over Time
    Summary
    Key Terms

    Chapter 4 - Principles from 2D and 3D Art and Design
    Value/Brightness
    --Interview: Anthony Rowe of Squidsoup
    Scale of Brightness
    --Interview: Justin Lee Martin
    --Interview: Ryan Austin of Sparksight
    Balance
    Visual Weight
    Movement
    Sound
    Lighting
    --Interview: Vitùc
    Gaming
    Contrast
    Direction/Reflection
    Movement
    Light and Sound
    --Interview: Steve Roden
    Horizontal Orientation/Dutch Tilt
    --Interview: Cesar Martinez
    Architecture
    Repetition
    Series, Sequence, and Scene
    --Interview: Jonathan Rattner
    Loop
    Ritual
    Habituation
    Rhythm
    --Interview: Heidi Kumao
    --Interview: Tapio Rosenius of Lighting Design Collective
    Pattern
    Scale
    Relativity
    --Interview: Siqi Song
    Frame of Reference
    Using Scale Effectively
    --Interview: Hunter Jonakin
    Summary
    Key Terms

    Chapter 5 - Elements of 4D Art and Design
    Time
    Categories of Time
    --Interview: Melissa Haviland
    Architecture/Topography
    Architecture
    Scale

    --Interview: Cesar Cornejo
    Sound
    Relative
    Location
    Movement
    Topography
    Light
    Ambient versus Specific Light
    Shadows, Projections, and Projection Mapping
    Using Light and Shadow in Your Work
    Dynamic Lighting
    Three-point Lighting
    Movement
    --Interview: Sara Holwerda
    --Interview: Channel Two
    Gestures and Isolations
    --Interview: Sarah Johnson
    Movement in Film and Video
    Sound
    Characteristics and Parts of Sound
    Categorizing Sounds

    --Interview: Robert Wilson
    --Interview: Annea Lockwood
    Summary
    Key Terms

    Chapter 6 - Principles of 4D Art and Design
    Causality
    --Interview: Casey Scalf
    Causality and Expectations
    Causality and Narrative
    --Interview: Tarn Adams
    Causality and Sound
    Duration
    --Interview: Pippin Barr
    Duration and Narrative
    Duration and Media
    Motivated Duration

    Energy Dynamics
    --Interview: Noelle Mason
    Energy Dynamics and Contrast
    --Interview: Kate Gilmore
    --Interview: Stelarc
    Interactivity
    Interactivity via Text
    Interactivity via Choice
    Who, What, Where, Why, When, and How
    Participant-Artists

    --Interview: Ed Fornieles
    --Interview: Craig D. Giffen
    Categories of Interactivity
    --Interview: Duane McDiarmid
    --Interview: Mary Mattingly
    --Interview: Alicia Eggert
    Levels of Interactivity
    Musicality
    --Interview: Nikki Pike
    Pitch
    Volume
    Rhythm, Timbre, Melody, and Harmonics
    Simultaneity/Juxtaposition
    --Interview: Elorza Joseba
    --Interview: Cayla Skillin-Brauchle
    Spatial Relationships
    Organizing A Space
    Spatial Relationships on Screens
    Tempo/Speed
    Transitions
    Types of Transitions from Film Studies
    Summary
    Keywords

    Appendix
    Technical Tips
    Equipment
    Software
    Processes
    --Shooting Photographs
    --Shooting Video
    --Recording Audio
    --Stop-Motion Animation
    --Editing
    --Motion Graphics
    --Resolution and Raster/Vector Files

    Glossary
    Additional Resources
    Notes
    Index