Special Topics in Contemporary Art (369-0-1)

Topic

Against Brain Rot: Attention, the Arts, and Civic

Instructors

Kat Lukes

Meeting Info

University Library 3622: Mon, Wed 9:30AM - 10:50AM

Overview of class

From doom-scrolling through highly visual social media platforms to the PR strategies of reigning political parties, our attention is being flooded at unprecedented rates with a barrage of content. Not only does this frenzied rhythm fracture our ability to focus, but it also hinders our ability to respond effectively to today's interwoven crises. This course will pair Art History's study of attention with political and social mobilization theory through case studies of public art, endurance art, new media art, and other interventional genres from the last 100 years. Together, we will ask: what can we learn about civic and public life through leveraging attention in and with the arts? How do state and private enterprises leverage attention, and how do they encourage citizens to pay attention, as in the "attention economy"? How can a deeper understanding of attention through the arts open new possibilities of active participation in social, civic life?

Weekly topics include holding vs fracturing attention, attention as or vs action, and collective manifestations of attention, such as public demonstrations. Exercises include weekly attention reflection journals, analysis of artworks through recreation/restaging, meditation and mindfulness practices, extended object analysis, etc. This course is built with varied learning needs in mind, angled towards encouraging resilient practices of attention while fostering a supportive environment for all types of learners. This course is designed for advanced undergraduate students who have taken several art history classes, though students with a breadth of other humanities classes are encouraged to enroll.

Enrollment Requirements

Enrollment Requirements: Pre-registration -- Reserved for Art History majors and minors, & Art Theory majors and minors.