SCHOOL OF VISUAL ARTS PRESENTS MEDIAMODES
A GRADUATE STUDENT CONFERENCE ON CRITICAL THINKING AT THE INTERSECTION OF ART AND TECHNOLOGY

SATURDAY, NOVEMBER 14, 2009

KEYNOTE ADDRESS BY NOTED SCHOLAR JONATHAN CRARY

4:00 – 5:30 P.M., followed by book signing and reception
SVA Theatre, 333 West 23 Street, New York City

CONFERENCE PANELS

10:00am – 3:30 P.M.
133/141 West 21 Street, 10th floor, New York City

All events are free and open to the public

School of Visual Arts (SVA) presents MediaModes, an interdisciplinary graduate conference examining the contemporary dialogue between art and technology. Co-sponsored by the MFA Computer Art and the MFA Art Criticism and Writing Departments at SVA, MediaModes provides a critical forum for current scholarship exploring the juncture of media, theory, criticism, and the visual arts. Jonathan Crary, Meyer Schapiro Professor of Modern Art and Theory at Columbia University, will deliver the keynote address, commenting on the human and social consequences of 24/7 technological culture.

Crary has written extensively on the confluence of art, technology and mass media. His books include Techniques of the Observer: On Vision and Modernity in the Nineteenth Century (MIT Press, 1992), Suspensions of Perception: Attention, Spectacle, and Modern Culture (MIT Press, 2001) and Incorporations (Zone Books, 1992). He is also a founding editor of Zone Books, widely noted for its publication of major works in philosophy, criticism, art, social theory and history. Crary has been the recipient of National Endowment for the Arts, Mellon, Getty and Guggenheim fellowships and was a member of the Institute for Advanced Study at Princeton.

Twenty-four current students and recent alumni from graduate programs throughout North America, South America, Europe and Asia will present on the following six topics: Body, Identity and the Virtual Space; Spatial Experience and Social Networking; Perception, Information and Temporality; The Spectator and the Spectacle: Mediating Differences/Technology and Politics; Processes and Aesthetics of Digital Art; and Sound Junctures. SVA faculty members will moderate

MediaModes conference participants represent a wide cross-section of disciplines, ranging from visual and cultural studies to interactive media arts; from criticism to curatorial practice; and from performance art to art history. They will address critical and analytical issues related to the connection between art and technology from a multiplicity of viewpoints, methodologies and theoretical approaches.

The MFA Art Criticism and Writing Department at SVA offers a two-year course of study leading to an MFA degree. For students who want to improve their writing and advance their knowledge of contemporary art, theory, literature, and history, this concentrated program offers seminars by practicing critics, editors, philosophers, poets, and artists. The focus in writing is on the essay as form, as well as on shorter forms of review, through intensive writing practicums.

The MFA Computer Art Department at SVA emphasizes creative experimentation and a multidisciplinary approach. Dedicated to producing digital artists of the highest caliber, the department guides each student in the development of a personal artistic style and a course of study that is individually tailored to meet his/her needs. The program also offers concentrations in animation, digital video/motion graphics, installation and digital fine art, interactive media, sound art and performance.

School of Visual Arts (SVA) in New York City is an established leader and innovator in the education of artists. From its inception in 1947, the faculty has been comprised of professionals working in the arts and art-related fields. SVA provides an environment that nurtures creativity, inventiveness and experimentation, enabling students to develop a strong sense of identity and a clear direction of purpose.

MEDIAMODES ORGANIZATION