ARTH 356 Studies in the Materials and Processes of Art: Earth. Air. Fire. Water. Ether.

• Wednesdays 18:00-20:15 pm
• Course delivery: Online
• Instructor: Dr. Rebecca Duclos

If we looked at every artwork ever made—those that are extant and even those which have vanished—we might say that their material properties and processes belong to, or harness, at least one of the classical categories: earth, air, fire, water, ether. But that statement leaves some questions open: is time a material… is perception a material… is belief a material… and how have these “immaterial” presences also been shaped by artists? This course welcomes these (possibly unanswerable) enquiries, while also grounding explorations directly in the work of historical and contemporary practitioners whose projects confront these questions physically, not just philosophically or theoretically. As part of the course, students will exchange directly with artists and performers in the Faculty of Fine Arts who, themselves, ponder their material and processual decisions daily.