LAR 381R, U D 380C, ARC 328R, ARC 380C
W 9:00AM-12:00PM, SUT 3.126
Open to ARC upper-Division Undergrads and Grads, LAR, and U D
Instructor: Phoebe Lickwar
Photography and the Urban Landscape introduces design students to the use of photography as a method of visual research and visual thinking. The course explores how the medium can be used as a practice of critical inquiry to examine the built environment in a time of climate adaptation.
The central premise of the course is that the medium of photography is unparalleled in its descriptive specificity as an index of change, and therefore, it is of tremendous value to designers working within a context of rapid ecological and social transformation. The process of making photographs and the process of editing and sequencing them in the studio, can be a powerful tool for exploration, analysis, and advocacy, as designers seek to position their work in relation to ecological collapse and reconstruction. Through the medium of photography, designers can study how change in the built environment intersects with people and places across time. This exploration can be used to underpin new proposals for adaptive strategies and proposals.
In this course, weekly case studies familiarize students with the work of contemporary photographers who are investigating a range of topics related to climate adaptation. In addition to the case studies, students will read the definitive text by American landscape architect Anne Whiston Spirn: The Eye is a Door: Landscape, Photography, and the Art of Discovery. Alongside these readings, students will develop their own visual practice through short assignments and a semester-long individual project.
Prior experience in photography is welcome but not required. Students must have access to a digital camera (DSLR or mirrorless cameras are recommended). The objective of Photography and the Urban Landscape is to equip students with the tools to develop a photographic practice that is meaningful and consequential for their work as designers. The course complements studio coursework, providing students with dedicated space and time to develop a unique approach to fieldwork through the medium of photography.
