VCU, School of Arts
GDES 491-905, In Motion
Spring 2024
Monday, Wednesday 5:30pm–8:20pm EST

REMOTE, Google Meet info

in-motion
Monday • Wednesday ⟶ 5:30pm–8:20pm
Time zone: America/EST
Video call link: https://meet.google.com/iob-ggnc-imn
Or dial: ‪(US) +1 252-357-6130‬ PIN: ‪114 121 590‬#

In Motion
Word/Image, Sound/Object, Character/Narrative, Explanation/Interpretation

The objective in motion design is to shift the designer’s thinking from “composition” (getting all the elements into just the right spot and freezing them) to “choreography” (planning the path and behavior of multiple elements within the same time space).
— Christopher Pullman

⟶ P1: Word~Image
The purpose of this project, like the course as a whole, is to explore how words and images affect each other. Their pairing inevitably affects their meaning; in this case their simultaneous pairing within the same time space. Another goal of the project is to physically experience the phenomenon of timing, (when something happens and for how long) and its importance to motion design.

See full project description ⤻

⟶ P2: Sound~Object
The goal is to recognize how sound can supply the structural and emotional cues to inform how objects move and behave in the same time space.

See full project description ⤻

⟶ P3: Character~Narrative
Express someone’s “character” through the treatment of your content in narrative form, tell a story. The project goal is to deploy a full range of variables (time, motion and sound) and media (video, images, sounds, text) to describe someone. How would you express his/her/their character through your treatment of the content and its form.

See full project description ⤻

⟶ P4: Explanation
Employ the benefits of time, motion and sound to explain, clarify, reveal or interpret an idea.
This project should be in service of that aspect of design that Richard Saul Wurman has called “the understanding business.”

See full project description ⤻

⟶ P5: Interpretation
The goal of this project is to respond to the natural rhythms and inflections of speech and then find or make images that, through selection and editing, enrich the meaning and emotional tone of the language.

See full project description ⤻

This syllabus and class’s foundation has a number of sources to thank:

Christopher Pullman — whose class portals and syllabus have served as my introduction to motion design, I’ve modeled this class from his foundational course at Yale, Motion Design.
Mindy Seu — whose website, syllabus and class structure for On Gathering have served as the organizational structure and language for this class and syllabus.
Herdimas Anggara — whose input and guidance through the class preparation process has largely influenced this course's direction.

And many other faculty and staff from VCU that helped me organize this class and provided a lot of detailed instruction and input. And, those who generously provided their VCU syllabus from the shared archive that helped me with this very phrasing, and other detailed language in the syllabus.

Land Acknowledgement Statement

It is important to recognize the written histories of this country, Richmond, and this institution is fractured. Virginia Commonwealth University sits on the traditional homeland of the original caretakers, the Powhatan people. With respect and gratitude, the School of the Arts honors the many Indigenous peoples who have, do, and will call this land their home. We acknowledge that we have benefitted from the repeated attacks on Native Americans that forced these peoples’ land to be seized violently. This land seizure led to the era of economic development and rapid growth, making Richmond the city it is today. Let us also honor the enslaved people who built the wealth and foundation of this state and institution. We are obligated to our students and the Indigenous peoples now living in Richmond to do no further harm, amplify Indigenous and Black voices, and fight for justice. (sourced from https://arts.vcu.edu/community/diversity-inclusion/committee/)

We acknowledge that the land each of us live, learn and thrive are the traditional, ancestral and unceded homelands of Indigenous and tribal nations. Our home and institution is on the original homelands of the Monocan tribal nation(s). We acknowledge the genocide and systems of oppression that have dispossessed Indigenous people of their lands and we honor and respect the diverse and beautiful peoples still connected to this land. (sourced from https://www.vcualumni.org/about/dei/)

Even for our video calls, Zoom relies on servers at Equinix data centers in Amsterdam, Frankfurt, Hong Kong, Melbourne, New York, Tokyo, Toronto, Silicon Valley & Sydney, according to Rory Solomon, Assistant Professor at the New School. Let’s discuss: Why do we recognize the land? “To recognize the land is an expression of gratitude and appreciation to those whose territory you reside on, and a way of honoring the indigenous people who have been living and working on the land from time immemorial. It is important to understand the long-standing history that has brought you to reside on the land, and to seek to understand your place within that history. Land acknowledgements do not exist in a past tense, or historical context: colonialism is a current ongoing process, and we need to build our mindfulness of our present participation. It is also worth noting that acknowledging the land is indigenous protocol.” (sourced from www.lspirg.org/knowtheland)
More information can be found here: native-land.ca

Land acknowledgement statements are meant to be crafted in conversation with representatives of the respective nations. Some organizations believe that this should be paired with fiscally contingent plans as the start of reparations. To my knowledge, it is not clear if VCU or VCUarts has reached out to members of the Powhatan and Monocan tribal nations. I still choose to add this land acknowledgement to our syllabus in order to begin this conversation with you, our students, as a small attempt towards this goal.