Contemporary World Art, Visual Culture, Installation and Performance Art for SS 3

Class: SS 3
Term: First Term
Week: 9
Age: 17 years
Duration: 60 minutes
Subject: Visual Art
Curriculum Theme: Contemporary World Art
Previous Lesson: Influence of Nigerian Art on Western Art
Topic: CONTEMPORARY WORLD ART
Subject Matter: New art terms and direction in art: visual culture, installation art, performance art, and video art

Specific Objectives

By the end of the lesson, pupils/students should be able to:

Cognitive Domain

• Define visual culture, installation art, performance art, and video art.
• Identify key characteristics of each contemporary art form.
• Differentiate between installation art and performance art.

Affective Domain

• Appreciate the diversity and evolving nature of contemporary art.
• Show interest in exploring new directions in art.

Psychomotor Domain

• Discuss examples of contemporary art forms.
• Identify specific artworks or artists associated with these movements from provided visuals.

Reference Materials

The following resources were used in planning this lesson:

• 2014 Senior Secondary Education Curriculum (SSEC)
• Relevant State Unified Scheme of Work
• FCT ERC/NAPPS Scheme of work

Instructional Materials

The teacher will teach this lesson with the aid of:

• Slides illustrating examples of contemporary art
• Projector
• Photographs of visual culture, installation art, performance art, and video art
• Short video clips demonstrating performance art and video art

Rationale for the Lesson

This lesson is important because it introduces students to the dynamic and evolving landscape of contemporary art. Understanding these new art terms and directions helps students broaden their appreciation for diverse artistic expressions and recognize how art reflects and shapes modern society and culture.

Prerequisite/Previous Knowledge

Students should have a basic understanding of art history and different traditional art movements.

Lesson Content/Board Summary

CONTEMPORARY WORLD ART

Introduction to Contemporary World Art

Contemporary World Art refers to art produced in the present day, generally from the 1960s or 1970s up to the current moment. It is characterized by its global scope, technological advancements, and a wide range of materials, concepts, and practices that challenge traditional definitions of art. This period saw the emergence of new art forms that engaged with social, political, and cultural issues.

Visual Culture

Visual culture is an academic field that studies the various forms of visual representation and their impact on society. It examines how people see, interpret, and create meaning from images and visual media in their daily lives. It encompasses everything from fine art to advertising, television, film, fashion, digital media, and even urban planning.

Key aspects of visual culture include:

1. Broad Scope: It considers all forms of visual media, not just traditional art.
2. Social Impact: It analyzes how visuals shape beliefs, values, and social interactions.
3. Interdisciplinary: It draws from art history, sociology, media studies, anthropology, and philosophy.
4. Everyday Experience: It focuses on the visual experiences of ordinary people in their daily lives.

Examples of visual culture include: advertisements, memes, social media images, fashion trends, architecture, public sculptures, and television shows.

Installation Art

Installation art is an artistic genre of three-dimensional works that are often site-specific and designed to transform the perception of a space. It typically involves the arrangement of objects and elements in a given space, creating an immersive experience for the viewer. These works are often temporary and can incorporate various media, including light, sound, video, and found objects.

Characteristics of installation art:

1. Site-Specific: Often created for a particular location, taking into account its architecture, history, or context.
2. Immersive: Aims to surround the viewer, engaging multiple senses and creating an environment rather than a single object.
3. Experiential: The viewer’s interaction with the space and objects is central to the artwork’s meaning.
4. Diverse Materials: Can use any material, from everyday objects to advanced technology.
5. Temporary: Many installations are dismantled after exhibition, existing primarily through documentation.

Examples of installation artists and their works:

1. Christo and Jeanne-Claude: Known for wrapping large-scale structures and landscapes, such as “The Gates” in Central Park, New York.
2. Yayoi Kusama: Famous for her “Infinity Mirror Rooms” which create endless reflections and immersive environments.
3. Olafur Eliasson: Creates large-scale installations that often use light, water, and temperature to enhance the viewer’s experience, like “The Weather Project” at Tate Modern.

Performance Art

Performance art is a live art form where the artist’s body is often the medium, and the artwork is the action or event itself. It can involve a wide range of activities, including theatre, dance, music, poetry, and visual arts, and is presented to an audience in a specific time and place. It often challenges traditional art forms and can be spontaneous or carefully choreographed.

Characteristics of performance art:

1. Live Event: It happens in real-time and is often ephemeral, existing only during its performance.
2. Artist’s Body as Medium: The artist’s presence, actions, and sometimes their physical endurance are central.
3. Audience Interaction: Can involve direct participation or observation from the audience.
4. Conceptual: Often focuses on ideas, emotions, or social commentary rather than creating a physical object.
5. Unpredictable: Can be spontaneous, improvised, or highly structured.

Examples of performance artists and their works:

1. Marina Abramović: Known for her long-duration performances exploring physical and mental limits, such as “The Artist Is Present.”
2. Joseph Beuys: Famous for actions like “How to Explain Pictures to a Dead Hare.”
3. Yoko Ono: Her “Cut Piece” invited audience members to cut off pieces of her clothing.

Video Art

Video art is an art form that uses video technology as its medium. It emerged with the availability of consumer video equipment in the late 1960s and early 1970s, allowing artists to create moving images outside the commercial constraints of film and television. Video art can be presented on monitors, projected onto surfaces, or integrated into installations.

Characteristics of video art:

1. Electronic Medium: Relies on video cameras, monitors, projectors, and digital technology.
2. Non-Narrative: Often explores abstract concepts, experimental narratives, or visual aesthetics rather than traditional storytelling.
3. Time-Based: The element of time is crucial, as the artwork unfolds over a duration.
4. Diverse Presentation: Can be single-channel (on a monitor), multi-channel (multiple screens), or part of an installation.
5. Accessibility: Often challenges the exclusivity of traditional art forms and can be easily reproduced.

Examples of video artists and their works:

1. Nam June Paik: Considered the “father of video art,” known for works like “TV Buddha” and multi-monitor installations.
2. Bill Viola: Creates highly symbolic and emotionally charged video installations, often in slow motion.
3. Pipilotti Rist: Known for her vibrant, often dreamlike video installations that explore themes of gender and the body.

Teaching Methods/Instructional Techniques

Discussion, Explanation, Question and Answer, Visual Demonstration, Guided Practice

Instructional Procedures

Step 1: Introduction

Time: 5 minutes

Teaching Skill: Elicitation/Engagement

Teacher’s Activity: The teacher greets the students and asks them to recall some traditional art forms they have learned. The teacher then introduces the topic of contemporary world art, explaining that art has evolved beyond traditional forms.

Pupils’ Activity: Pupils respond to the teacher’s questions about traditional art forms and listen attentively to the introduction.

Learning Point: Evolution of art forms

Step 2: Visual Culture

Time: 10 minutes

Teaching Skill: Explanation/Discussion

Teacher’s Activity: The teacher explains the concept of visual culture using examples from everyday life such as advertisements, social media, and fashion. The teacher shows relevant slides and photographs to illustrate the broad scope of visual culture.

Pupils’ Activity: Pupils listen, observe the visuals, and participate in a brief discussion about how visuals impact their daily lives.

Learning Point: Meaning of visual culture

Step 3: Installation Art

Time: 10 minutes

Teaching Skill: Demonstration/Explanation

Teacher’s Activity: The teacher defines installation art, highlighting its site-specific and immersive nature. The teacher presents photographs and descriptions of famous installation artworks and artists, such as Christo and Jeanne-Claude or Yayoi Kusama, explaining their characteristics.

Pupils’ Activity: Pupils observe the images, listen to the explanations, and ask questions for clarification.

Learning Point: Characteristics of installation art

Step 4: Performance Art

Time: 10 minutes

Teaching Skill: Visualisation/Explanation

Teacher’s Activity: The teacher explains performance art, emphasizing that the artist’s body is often the medium and the artwork is the live action. The teacher shows short video clips or images of performance artists like Marina Abramović and discusses the conceptual nature of their work.

Pupils’ Activity: Pupils watch the video clips, listen to the explanations, and discuss their interpretations of the performances.

Learning Point: Nature of performance art

Step 5: Video Art

Time: 8 minutes

Teaching Skill: Explanation/Visualisation

Teacher’s Activity: The teacher introduces video art, explaining its emergence with video technology and its distinct characteristics compared to film. The teacher shows examples of video art from artists like Nam June Paik, discussing how it uses moving images for artistic expression.

Pupils’ Activity: Pupils observe the video art examples and engage in a discussion about the differences between video art and commercial film.

Learning Point: Understanding video art

Step 6: Class Discussion on New Directions

Time: 5 minutes

Teaching Skill: Facilitation/Discussion

Teacher’s Activity: The teacher leads a class discussion on the overall impact and relevance of these new art terms and directions in world art, encouraging students to share their opinions on why artists explore these forms.

Pupils’ Activity: Pupils actively participate in the discussion, sharing their thoughts and insights on contemporary art.

Learning Point: Relevance of contemporary art

Step 7: Evaluation/Review

Time: 5 minutes

Teaching Skill: Questioning/Assessment

Teacher’s Activity: The teacher evaluates the learning by asking the following questions:

1. What is visual culture?
2. Give two characteristics of installation art.
3. How is performance art different from traditional theatre?
4. Mention one pioneer of video art.

Pupils’ Activity: Pupils answer orally and in writing.

Learning Point: Contemporary art understanding

Step 8: Note-Taking

Time: 10 minutes

Teaching Skill: Guided Writing

Teacher’s Activity: The teacher guides pupils/students to copy the essential Board Summary notes on visual culture, installation art, performance art, and video art into their notebooks.

Pupils’ Activity: Pupils/students copy the notes carefully into their notebooks.

Learning Point: Recording lesson notes

Step 9: Conclusion

Time: 2 minutes

Teaching Skill: Consolidation

Teacher’s Activity: The teacher briefly recaps the main points of the lesson, emphasizing the dynamic and diverse nature of contemporary art and encourages students to continue exploring these new art forms.

Pupils’ Activity: Pupils listen and reflect on the lesson’s key takeaways.

Learning Point: Lesson summary reinforcement

Continuous Assessment/Further Study

Type: Homework/Project

Instruction: Research and prepare a short presentation (either written or visual) on one contemporary artist who works in any of the art forms discussed today (visual culture, installation art, performance art, or video art). Your presentation should include:

1. The artist’s name and nationality.
2. The art form they primarily work in.
3. A brief description of one of their significant artworks.
4. Why you find their work interesting.

Lesson Keywords

• Contemporary Art – Art produced in the present day.
• Visual Culture – Study of visual representations and their impact on society.
• Installation Art – Three-dimensional artwork designed to transform a space.
• Performance Art – Live art where the artist’s body is often the medium.
• Video Art – Art form using video technology as its medium.

Differentiation

For students who need support: The teacher will provide simplified definitions and more direct examples, focusing on identifying the core characteristics of each art form. They will be encouraged to work in pairs during discussions.

For advanced students: These students will be challenged to analyze the conceptual underpinnings of specific artworks and discuss the social or political commentary embedded in contemporary art forms. They can also research and present on a Nigerian contemporary artist working in these areas.

Suggested Lesson Videos

https://www.youtube.com/results?search_query=introduction+to+contemporary+art+visual+culture+installation+performance+video+art+SS3