THE
ROBERT GORDON
UNIVERSITY
ABERDEEN
FACULTY OF DESIGN AND TECHNOLOGY
Gray’s School of Art
Stage 2: 2006-2007
Contextual and Critical Studies – Mini-Programme 1
A Delicate Shuttle:
Art as ‘Non-Modern’
Tutor: Judith Findlay
email: [email protected]
A DELICATE SHUTTLE:
ART AS ‘NON-MODERN’
‘In the eyes of our critics the ozone hole above our heads, the moral law in our hearts, the
autonomous text, may each be of interest, but only separately. That a delicate shuttle should have
woven together the heavens, industry, texts, souls and moral law – this remains uncanny,
unthinkable, unseemly.’ Bruno Latour, We Have Never Been Modern (Cambridge, Mass: Harvard,
1993), p. 5
Art history clearly shows that the distinction of Art is an invention of modernity. But if we were to
let go of this fond conviction, what would Art look like?
The anthropologist Bruno Latour proposes that ‘We Have Never Been Modern’. As Latour explains,
the ‘careful distinctions between nature and society, between human and thing are distinctions that
our benighted ancestors, in their world of alchemy, astrology and phrenology never made. But, he
argues, alongside the ‘modern’ purifying practice that defines modernity, there exists another
seemingly contrary one that mixes politics, science, technology, culture and nature. The ozone
debate for example is such a hybrid in Latour’s analysis, as are global warming, deforestation, even
the idea of black holes.
This programme proposes that Art is also such a hybrid and aims therefore to apply Latour’s
concept of hybridity, connections, interdisciplinarity, networks and relationships to the perception
of Art. The aim of the programme is not to study the work of Latour but rather to apply a key idea
that art is a classic ‘quasi-object’ (a part of several categories at once) and, equally, a ‘delicate
shuttle’. A key question therefore, is what does this mean for art? What happens, to put this slightly
differently, when we use several ‘categories’ to observe art and when ‘genuine continuity’ is
perceived between the world of contemporary art and all the other many worlds in which people,
live, work, play, think, imagine and remember?
The Programme will explore various proposals and ‘scenarios’ of art with the aim of encouraging
reflection on these questions. Lectures themes include the following:

Placing Pebbles Exactly: Art and Ambiguity

In My House (Art in Scotland)

A Less Remote Place: Art Ecology, Dalziel + Scullion and David Blyth
1.
INTRODUCTION AND TIMETABLE
2.
12
Feb
5
6
7
8
9
19
Feb
26
Feb
5
Mar
12
Mar
19
Mar
26
Mar
Programme 1
Judith Findlay
‘A Delicate
Shuttle: Art as Non
Modern’
Programme 2
Andrea Peach /
Lesley Scott
‘Consuming Signs’
10
11
12
13
14
15
10
Apr
16
Apr
23
Apr
30
Apri
7
May
14
May
Assessment 2&3
5
Feb
4
Assessment 2&3
29
Jan
3
Hand in CCS
Coursework
2
April Break
Stage
2
23
Jan
Post Assessment
Break
SEMESTER 2
2006
1
BRIEFING
MONDAY 5 Feb
SB42 12-1
WK
2 April
This programme comprises one of two mini-programmes running in Semester Two 2006/07. Each programme
runs across 3 weeks, and includes a lecture on Mondays at 1.00 pm, SB42 Scott Sutherland School,
followed by seminars for Stage 2 on Tuesdays in A34M Gray’s School of Art. Seminar groups and times
will be posted on the CCS noticeboard (by the art school shop). Students must come to the seminars prepared
to participate. Weekly seminar details can be found in the course outline which follows. Assessment will be
based on seminar participation and a written assignment. Details of the assignment are given below.
OVERALL OBJECTIVES OF THE CONTEXTUAL AND CRITICAL STUDIES MINI-PROGRAMMES
The Contextual and Critical Studies mini-programmes aim to encourage discussion of contemporary practice
and theory with a view to situating that discussion in a wider cultural and historical framework, and enabling
you to make links with studio practice. At the end of this series of mini-programmes you will be expected to:

Demonstrate an increased understanding of both the historical and contemporary context relating to art
and design theory and practice.
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Further develop the ability to analyse, read and critique your own studio work in relation to a wider range
of themes and a broader cultural context.
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Demonstrate an ability to undertake research relevant to the critical aims of the programme, using both
paper based and electronic sources.
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Build up confidence in discussing and sustaining a critical argument that is clear and consistent.
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Begin to consider self- directed areas of research in Contextual and Critical studies relating to your studio
practice and emerging critical interests.
3.
STAGE TWO COURSEWORK
Seminar Participation and Attendance
There are three seminars for each mini-programme in Stage 2. The seminars will follow the theme of the
lectures and will address a particular issue each week. Students will be placed in groups and are expected to
contribute to the seminars as part of their assessment. For this reason, it is essential that students attend all
lectures and seminars relating to their elected mini-programme. If for any reason, you are unable to attend,
please email your tutor. Details of the seminar tasks and groups will be found in the weekly schedule that
follows and will be discussed in the first seminar.
Assessment
This semester you are asked to complete one piece of assessment. Select one of the two Mini Programmes
followed and respond to the Brief in the relevant Course Programme. The brief for this Mini Programme is as
follows:
Brief:
There are two components to the assessment comprising a Critical Notebook and an Essay.
Critical Notebook:
Apply personal reflection and academic research to compile a Critical Notebook inspired by the miniprogramme theme. Where possible relate the content to your own studio activity and interests. The
Critical Notebook should take the form of a hard-backed notebook, no larger than A3, and can comprise
writing, drawings, photographs, sketches and any other materials relevant to the analysis and criticism of
your chosen mini-programme. It should contain your responses and thoughts in relation to the lectures
and seminars, as well as any additional research and development you have undertaken in relation to
these. Your Essay should be securely incorporated within your Notebook.
Essay:
Choose one of the three following essay questions/topics:

Colin Painter suggests that contemporary art is lacking in good, strong connections with the
daily lives, concerns, rituals and rites of passage of most people and Nicolas Bourriaud
defines Art as follows: ‘…an activity consisting in producing relationships with the world with
the help of signs, forms, actions and objects.’ Discuss these in relation to the work of Dalziel
+ Scullion.

The Swiss artists Peter Fischli and David Weiss have been described as ‘two astute observers
collecting objects and impressions, which they then transform in their work in order to
present an altered view of reality. As if operating in a laboratory of the visible, they test and
question the roles of the viewer and of the artist.’ Imagine yourself as an astute observer
operating in a laboratory of the visible. Closely observe and experience the David Blyth
exhibition at Aberdeen Art Gallery. What do you make of it? How, for instance, does Blyth
collect, connect and present objects, images, ideas and impressions? How does he question
categories of art and reality, viewer and artist? Does he, in your opinion, present an altered
view of reality? Does he alter your view of reality?

In the installation ‘Ross Sinclair versus Sir Edwin Landseer’ at Aberdeen Art Gallery, a piece
of contemporary art is juxtaposed with a period work by a Victorian artist. What does this
pairing say about Scottish identity and the ‘image’ of Scotland? What is its comment about
displays in museums and galleries? Discuss these works and issues in relation to other
examples of art, media and culture in Scotland.
Where appropriate, use examples from the programme and from your own research, to support your
discussion and make links, if possible, to past, present or future studio interests.
You are advised to limit your focus by selecting, perhaps, one of the themes introduced by the
programme, and ensuring that you only discuss a limited number of images, artists, photographers etc.
Remember that depth is always preferable to breadth in essays! In short, don’t try to encompass
everything.
Your essay should comprise approximately 2500-3000 words, must be fully word-processed and include a
comprehensive bibliography. You will be expected to reference all sources used in your text, using the
Vancouver referencing system (see section 5: ‘Referencing Sources’ for details).
The submission date for the Critical Notebook and Essay for this mini-programme is: Tuesday March 13th 2007
5.
REFERENCING SOURCES
RGU has adopted two systems for referencing sources: Harvard (also known as Author/Date) and Vancouver
(also known as ‘endnotes’ or ‘footnotes’). For your written assignment, we recommend that you use
Vancouver and Footnotes. You will find information on Vancouver in handouts available from the CCS
website, at www.studioit.org.uk See Contextual and Critical Studies / Support Files 2006/7 / General
CCS Documents:

Vancouver Referencing System – Sheet of examples

Guide to Academic Referencing
Please note that failure to fully reference quotations and sources constitutes plagiarism which is a serious
academic offence with corresponding penalties.
6.
Consult your tutor if you have any queries about referencing.
EXTENSION REQUESTS
Extensions will only be granted in exceptional circumstances, which encompass serious and acute problems or
events which genuinely affect your ability to complete coursework on time. Such circumstances could include:
serious physical or mental illness (must have doctor's
certificate), serious illness or death of an immediate family member or close friend. 'Exceptional
circumstances' do not include colds, headaches, hangovers, poor time management, problems caused by
English not being your first language, and circumstances within your control (absence due to holidays,
weddings, jobs etc). To request an extension, please complete a Coursework Extension Request Form
(available from the School Office). This form must be submitted before the coursework submission date, and
include written documentation (medical certificates etc.) where relevant. Claims are reviewed by your CCS
tutor and treated as confidential.
Coursework handed in after the hand-in date, which is not supported by a fully approved Coursework
Extension Request Form will be recorded as a non-submission. There will be no exceptions.
Week 3 Semester 2
Monday 12 February
1.00 SB42
Scott Sutherland School
Reading
Further Reading
LECTURE 1: Placing Pebbles Exactly: Art and Ambiguity
Key Issues and Questions
 Art as Modern
 Art as a ‘quasi-object’
 The Discipline as Doubt
Key Figures, Practice and Works
 See Recommended Websites under the Bibliography
 Douglas Gordon/ Louise Hopkins / Claire Barclay/Fischli and Weis/ Carol Rhodes
Key Writers
 Bruno Latour, We Have Never Been Modern
 Brian O’Doherty, Inside the White Cube: The Ideology of the Gallery Space
 Colin Painter, ‘A Productive Uncertainty’, in Paul Hetherington (ed.), Artists in the 1990s: Their
Education and Values
 Mary Anne Staniszewski, Believing is Seeing: Creating the Culture of Art
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Seminar Assignment
Week 4 Semester 2
Monday 19 February
1.00 SB42
Scott Sutherland School

Latour, Bruno ‘Crisis’, We have Never Been Modern, Cambridge, Mass.: Harvard, 1993
Brown, Katrina M., Douglas Gordon, London: Tate, 2004
Ferguson, Russell, Douglas Gordon, Cambridge MA: MIT, 2001
Fleck, Robert, Peter Fischli, David Weiss, London: Phaidon, 2005
Gamboni, Dario, Potential Images: Ambiguity and Indeterminancy in Modern Art, London:
Reaktion, 2002
Hartley, Keith, Douglas Gordon, Edinburgh: National Galleries of Scotland, 2006
O’Doherty, Brian, Inside the White Cube: The Ideology of the Gallery Space, San Francisco:
The Lapis Press, 1976
Lippard, Lucy, Overlay: Contemporary Art and the Art of Prehistory, New York: The New Press,
1998
Painter, Colin, A Productive Uncertainty’, in Hetherington, Paul (ed.), Artists in the 1990s: Their
Education and Values, London: Tate, 1994)
Mary Anne Staniszewski, Believing is Seeing: Creating the Culture of Art, New York, London:
Penguin, 1995
Video: Douglas Coupland: Reading and Speaking, London: ICA
Writing the Visual – The Significance of Objects: This seminar will focus on a simple writing
activity with the aim of putting some of the ideas raised and explored in the course into practice. For
this seminar session please bring along with you a personal object (but not a photograph). Come
prepared to write, discuss and reflect.
LECTURE 2: In My House (Art in Scotland)
Key Issues and Questions
 Identity and art
 The local
Week 5 Semester 2
Monday 26 February
1.00 SB42
Scott Sutherland School
LECTURE 3: A Less Remote Place
Key Issues and Questions
 Nature and culture
 Around here
 Art Ecology
 Fact and fiction
 Writing the visual
Key Figures, Practice and Works
 Dalziel + Scullion
 Paul Rodaway
 David Blyth
 Lucy Lippard
Key Writers
 Nicolas Bourriaud, Relational Aesthetics
 Clifford, Sue and King, Angela, ‘Local Distinctiveness: Losing Your Place’
Reading
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Bourriaud, Nicolas ‘Relational Form’, Relational Aesthetics, Dijon: Les presses du reel, 2002
Clifford, Sue and King, Angela, ‘Local Distinctiveness: Losing Your Place’, Common Ground,
http://www.commonground.org.uk/
Suggested Reading
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Carter, Paul, Edge FM: 87.9 MHZ, Aberdeen: The Robert Gordon University, 2004
Coles, Alex and Defert, Alexia, The Anxiety of Interdisciplinarity, London: BACKless Books, 1998
Christie, Susan, The Most Beautiful Thing: Dalziel and Scullion, Edinburgh: Travelling Gallery,
Scottish Arts Council, 1995
Davidson, Peter, The Idea of North, London: Reaktion, 2005
Ferguson, Russell, Out There: Marginalization and Contemporary Cultures, New York, NY,
Cambridge, Mass., London: The New Museum of Contemporary Art and MIT, 1990
Lippard, Lucy, The Lure of the Local, The New Press: New York, 1997
Thackara, John, In the Bubble: Designing in a Complex World, Cambridge, Mass.:MIT, 2005
John Thackara (website) http://www.doorsofperception.com/archives/place/
Oak Trees and Fountains (website),
http://freespace.virgin.net/iain.irving/Oak%20website/index.html
On the Edge (website), http://www.ontheedgeresearch.org/
Deveron Arts (website), http://www.deveron-arts.com/information.htm
Video: Dalziel and Scullion, London: Illuminations, 2002
Video: Artworks Scotland: Dalziel and Scullion, Electronic Landscapes, London: BBC, 2001
Video: Lectures by Matthew Dalziel and Louise Scullion, Aberdeen: The Robert Gordon
University, 1995
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Seminar Assignment
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Writing the Visual – David Blyth, Ross Sinclair and Edwin Landseer and Dalziel + Scullion at
Aberdeen Art Gallery, Saturday, 17th February - April 2007: Prior to and for this seminar, please
visit these three exhibitions/installations at Aberdeen Art Gallery. During your visit, write down in your
notebook all you can about your experiences viewing the work of these particular artists. Record all
facts you can find out along with your own thoughts, impressions, reflections, memories evoked,
imaginings and so on. Come to the seminar prepared to discuss what you have experienced and
written.
A NOTE ABOUT READING
The above lists of reading represent core texts for this programme. In addition you are encouraged to read
widely, explore and experiment with reading – fiction, creative writing and literature as well as more factual,
theory driven texts. There are many publications – including books, journals, films etc. - in the Library which
address contemporary practice and culture across a range of subject specialisms. On many of the websites
there are interesting essays and articles. You may find useful and interesting information and ideas within other
disciplines as well.
7.
ACADEMIC RESERVE
Core texts will be placed on Academic Reserve in the Library. Academic Reserve is the desk at the far end of
the Issue desk as you enter the Library. Books on Academic Reserve are issued for a 2 hour period during the
day, but after 4pm they go out overnight and are due back the next day. On Friday, books can be taken out
after 2pm and they are not due back until 10am on Monday. Books can be booked in advance, and 2 can be
borrowed at a time. Fines for overdue Academic Reserve books are charged at the following rate: £1 per hour
for the first hour overdue, 50 pence per hour thereafter, every hour, with a maximum fine of £15 per item.
It is worth noting that when a book is unavailable on the general shelves, but is already on the Academic
Reserve, the iLink catalogue shows it as No copies available. However, it will be on the Reserve if it is listed
on the Bibliography as such.