Theory and Practice
Behind the Wall: Understanding the Soul of Your Artistic Practice
Paper Presentation in a Themed Session William Catling
To be an artist is to translate the invisible (ideas) into the visible (art works). Behind the wall is a process of gathering metaphors and deeper thoughts that provide a more tangible way of thinking about one's art practice. The “wall” is symbolic of the gallery wall and behind are the concepts and beliefs that hopefully come through the art for the viewer to engage with. Intentionality in articulating our ideation and conceptual framework opens the door for the viewer to access the depths beneath content and subject matter. So much of the time, content and media practice become the "what" in an artist's practice and “Behind the Wall” is the "why" behind the art. There is a layered journey of entering the process and it requires self-awareness and peeling back layers of thoughtfulness and mindfulness that make up the "why." Thankfully the “why” is already in each of us, and what is behind the wall most likely has not been fully developed, accessed, nurtured or cultivated. It is an extensive process of internal excavation that results in a greater potential to connect with viewers who stand in front of the “wall.” The work of internal investigation informs the artist in a way that allows for more conscious decision-making to infuse the art-making process with intentionality and depth. The hopeful result is that the artist is empowered to create art driven by things that matter, that authentically reflect the concepts and beliefs that mean most to the artist.
Camaraderie: The Design Studio as Intermediary Site of Radical Hospitality
Paper Presentation in a Themed Session Steven Chodoriwsky
This paper charts the complex motivations, logistics and desires of doing collaborative, performance-centered experimentation within a design education context—in particular during public project reviews. I consider living tensions that emphasize active participation, the care work of crossing disciplinary borders and student-teacher relations, and the aspirational spatial-pedagogical arrangements of design/arts studio contexts. My research employs as a case study the sophomore-level product design course entitled “Animating Bodies” (2020-24, University of Utah)—where students and I reconceive reviews as all-class “demonstrations of knowledge,” inviting community members into our working environment, and recasting the students’ host institution as an active rehearsal site. In the will to camaraderie over competition, multiple vectors of hospitality converge: these reviews welcome a range of interlocutors, peers and professionals from diverse backgrounds as a kind of moveable feast. In counterpoint to formal critique structures, one may picture a fleet of bodies blithely falling in and out of formation, with all participants engaging (and oftentimes wearing, inhabiting, or “playing”) in-situ prototypes. Sites of incubation and production are duly sites of reception and generosity, with students becoming ambassadors, tour-guides, and co-creators of their presentation space. Building on my research on the performative gestures of the contemporary university campus, these pedagogical techniques call into question the typical, often bureaucratic deployment of existing academic architectures. I also reflect on the nested (and relative) hospitalities of departmental cultures and student cohorts, balancing (or troubling) them against the omnipresent pressures higher education places on forms of research and knowledge production.
The Backyard Journey: Environmental Interpretation as Artistic Methodology, From Childhood Play to Digital Creation
Paper Presentation in a Themed Session Mohammadhassan Asnaei
This research investigates the symbiotic relationship between childhood creative play and professional digital artistry, introducing an innovative pedagogical framework for contemporary art education. Through a phenomenological analysis of developmental trajectories—spanning from unstructured backyard play to advanced 3D rendering and blockchain-based art creation—this study establishes a theoretical framework for understanding early creative environments' influence on artistic cognition. The methodology synthesizes structured randomness principles from generative art theory, cognitive pattern recognition, and spatial awareness development, employing a mixed-methods approach that combines autoethnographic analysis with quantitative assessment of digital art outcomes. This investigation culminates in "The Generative Path," an evidence-based educational program integrating experiential learning with digital art methodologies. The findings demonstrate that unrestricted creative play in childhood, despite resource limitations, fundamentally shapes advanced artistic capabilities. This study contributes to digital art education literature by bridging early childhood creativity with professional practice, while offering practical implications for educators and artists in the digital age.
