The Artist's Body

This subject has the following teaching availabilities in 2012:

For the purposes of considering request for Reasonable Adjustments under the disability Standards for Education (Cwth 2005), and Students Experiencing Academic Disadvantage Policy, academic requirements for this subject are articulated in the Subject Description, Subject Objectives, Generic Skills and Assessment Requirements of this entry.

The University is dedicated to provide support to those with special requirements. Further details on the disability support scheme can be found at the Disability Liaison Unit website: http://www.services.unimelb.edu.au/disability/

This subject focuses on the contemporary artists' redefinitions of the body and work and, by extension, redefinitions of the artist and the artwork. Students will be introduced to contemporary theories of the body, artistic identity, and artistic authorship through an analysis of changing uses of the artist's body. Students will encounter art from the late 1960s to the present, and trace the transition from conceptual art to earth art, body art, and performance art. The subject will engage with issues such as corporate collectives, artist families, the creation of third authors and body doubles, and the redefinition of the erotic. On completion of the subject students should have a knowledge of the theories of artistic identity and artistic production underlying visual art from conceptualism to the present, and be able to locate artistic and critical practices from the period within specific social, historical and theoretical contexts.

Students who complete this subject will:

• understand the theories of artistic identity and artistic production underlying visual art from conceptualism onwards;
• be able to identify and locate artistic and critical practices from the period within their specific social, historical and theoretical contexts; and
• be able to conduct independent research using catalogued sources and bibliographical indexes.

A subject reader will be available.

This subject is not available as a breadth subject.

Students who successfully complete this subject will:

• be able to research through the competent use of the library and other information sources, and be able to define areas of inquiry and methods of research in the preparation of essays;
• be able to conceptualise theoretical problems, form judgements and arguments and communicate critically, creatively and theoretically through essay writing, tutorial discussion and presentations;
• be able to communicate knowledge intelligibly and economically through essay writing and tutorial discussion;
• be able to manage and organise workloads for recommended reading, the completion of essays and assignments and examination revision; and
• be able to participate in team work through involvement in syndicate groups and group discussions.