CHArt CHArt Computers and the History of Art - 1997 Conference Paper Abstract
The course is named "The Application of Interactive Systems to Art and Design Historical Material". Its main aims are to introduce PG Dip. and MA students in art and design history to the variety of uses of computers within the field, and to acquaint them with both the practical construction of interactive systems as well as the theoretical and critical underpinnings of hypermedia. Emphasis is placed on helping students to develop criteria to evaluate the quality and utility of interactive programs.
Students spend the final term of the course developing their own prototype application in Hypercard 2.3 to demonstrate a facet of what they determine to be their "ideal system". Hypercard was chosen as the most basic and user-friendly authoring system, despite its technological limitations. After thorough skills instruction, students write a project brief setting out the context and physical specifications for a substantial hypermedia project. They then plan which portions are most necessary to provide a user with the essence of the system. Through this exercise, students gain an understanding of the potentials of the technologies and the feasibility of producing work within a limited time scale. This workshop would begin, therefore, with an explanation of the structure of the course and its intentions. The argument arises as to whether this type of subject should be taught with a professional/vocational emphasis, a practical computer skills emphasis, or a theoretical emphasis. Indeed a balance is hard to achieve, and these issues will be addressed as to how they can be most successfully blended to complement art & design history. Finally, to support points raised, a selection of four to five examples of student's work will be demonstrated. These will most likely include projects on Vivienne Westwood, De Stijl, Sandro Botticelli, Naive Art, and an overview of silk.
Ruth Levy is a Lecturer in New Technologies in the Visual Arts, School of Theoretical and Historical Studies, Birmingham Institute of Art and Design, University of Central England in Birmingham. In 1995 she was awarded an MA in the History of Design. Previous to that she received BFAs in both Art History and Graphic Design from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign.