UNDERSTANDING MEDIATION: JOHN BERGER & WALTER BENJAMIN

  

John Berger, who was an art critic, is most well known for his seminal work, Ways of Seeing (1972). This revolutionary book, and the accompanying four part BBC film series, has been a cultural phenomenon for decades, and it has helped shape the way in which we see and perceive art. Chapter 1, which you will be writing about this week, is largely inspired by Walter Benjamin's essay, The Work of Art in the Age of Mechanical Reproduction, but unlike Benjamin's dense text– Berger writes in a very approachable way. Therefore, please watch the 4 film installments (HERE), and read the book (particularly Chapter 1) before you tackle Benjamin's essay.

Walter Benjamin, who wrote The Work of Art in the Age of Mechanical Reproduction (1936), was a German philosopher from The Frankfurt School. He is best known for his studies of literature and mass culture, and he became among one of the most celebrated philosophers from the 1960s to the present.

In this essay he essentially tracks the cultural shift, and thus the displacement of original works of art, through the abundance of mechanically reproduced copies of them. He suggests that which makes works of art unique cannot be transferred to its copies, and that the abundance of copies interferes with our ability to experience the original. He posits that we no longer approach the original work through the lens of its own cultural and historical context, but instead that the abundance of copies serves to divorce it from its history and essentially decontextualizes it. 

Questions to ask yourself while reading The Work of Art in the Age of Mechanical Reproduction:

1) What does Benjamin mean by the "aura of the original"? 

2) How does he frame the way in which one experiences a work of art in person when compared to the way in which it is experienced through its copies (made through mechanical reproduction technologies– i.e. photographs, JPEGs etc. of those works of art)?

3) What does Benjamin mean when he makes the distinction between cult value and exhibition value?

4) What concerns does he express about the use of reproduction technologies to disseminate propagandistic or politically biased information?

GREAT RESOURCES TO GAIN INSIGHTS INTO BENJAMIN'S ESSAY:

1) For more on Walter Benjamin, visit Stanford University's Encyclopedia of Philosophy HERE.

2) For a very approachable description of the basic themes in The Work of Art in the Age of Mechanical Reproduction, visit this Yale University Campus Press article HERE.

3) Watch this helpful video (9:29) because it clearly distills and contextualizes many very important ideas in The Work of Art in the Age of Mechanical Reproduction HERE, and embedded right below Berger's Ways of Seeing videos.  

Understanding Mediation: Photography and Cinema


• John Berger: Ways of Seeing (Entire book, especially Chapter 1)

• Walter Benjamin: The Work of Art in the Age of Mechanical Reproduction 

• Marshall McLuhan: The Medium is the Message


• Neil Postman: The Judgment of Thamus 

• Check out this reference to Marshall McLuhan in The Sopranos HERE.

Welcome to Art 1A Spring Quarter 2025

Hello everyone,

Welcome to Art 1A: Visual Literacy! I wanted to reach out to let you know that everything that you need to know about Art 1A will be posted here on the Art 1A website, not on Canvas, but your Teaching Assistant may opt to use Canvas. Please read everything carefully, I will go over this information in class when we meet, and I will answer any questions that you may have.

Art 1A lectures and sections will be taught in-person. However, the first lecture, on Monday, March 31 will be taught via Zoom. Zoom link: https://ucsb.zoom.us/j/83111992304

You do not need a pass code to join the Zoom meeting, sign in as an attendee.

If you have time conflicts with work, or with other classes, then you should take Art 1A another quarter. There are also two Los Angeles museum field trips that are an important part of the class. We are offering an alternative museum field trip in Santa Barbara for one of the field trips, if you can't get to Los Angeles twice. Please make sure that you are available on Saturday, April 19 and Saturday, May 10. These two museum field trips are in lieu of the lectures those weeks, but sections are still scheduled. Students are responsible for their own transportation to the Los Angeles and Santa Barbara museums. Neither UCSB, nor the UCSB Department of Art will furnish transportation, or organize it. However, students tend to organize their own carpools each quarter.

Please purchase your course reader and book as soon as possible because you will have written assignments due the first week of class. The course reader is on reserve at the library, and the book is on reserve every single quarter.

Please fill out the Art 1A Questionnaire (HERE), and return it to me and your TA ASAP. This will help us get to know you, and it will also let us know whether you are having any technology issues. You can find our contact information HERE.

Course Reader (cover pictured below) and book information (please have them in your possession before class meets for the first time). The course reader is on reserve at the library.

1) The Course Reader (cover shown above) is only available from Associated Students. You can purchase a physical copy (HERE).

Weekly assignments are due the first week of class, and if you don't have your course reader you can use the Reserve Copy at the Library so that you do your first assignment on time. The physical copy will be available for purchase at the Associated Student Ticket Office. Location Information and Hours HERE.

2) John Berger's Ways of Seeing is available from the Campus Bookstore and Amazon (Click HERE).

3) Susan Magsamen and Ivy Ross, Your Brain on Art: How the Arts Transform Us. Free copy given to you after you sign all 3 museum field trip liability waivers.

4) The Course Syllabus can be found HERE.

5) The Calendar, where your weekly reading and writing assignments are located, can be found HERE.

6) Information about Lectures and Sections can be found HERE.

7) The Research Paper prompt can be found HERE.

8) The UCSB Library Art 1A Research Page can be found HERE.

9) The UCSB Campus Learning Assistance Services (CLAS) can be found HERE.

10) View the UCSB policy about Academic Integrity and Academic Dishonesty (cheating, plagiarism, furnishing false information, unauthorized collaboration and misuse of course materials) HERE.

11) Fill out the museum liability waivers: All trips require Liability Waivers: and they will be linked to here, once they are available. Fill out all three of the liability waivers (HERE). Simply sign and date them.

12) Information about the Department of Art can be found HERE.

13) The UCSB Diversity Statement can be found HERE and the University of California Diversity Statement can be found HERE.

14) The UCSB Counseling and Psychological Services (CAPS) contact information can be found HERE.

15) The UCSB Health and Wellness website can be found HERE.

16) UCSB Department of Art Intellectual Challenge Policy: "Intellectual challenge and academic rigor are among the foundations of our program. Our faculty foster communities of inquiry and free speech based in self-awareness, individual responsibility, and an informed world view. We encourage divergent opinion and cogent argument, believing lively debate, exposure to differing viewpoints, and a certain level of discomfort are essential to intellectual and artistic growth.

 

In our classes, students will be shown work and introduced to theories and practices that may challenge their beliefs and assumptions. Students are expected to think critically rather than react impulsively; to consider opposing viewpoints and others’ opinions and experiences with openness and thoughtfulness; and to engage in a manner befitting themselves as artists and scholars in this university, an institution of higher learning."

MUSEUM FIELD TRIPS FOR ART 1A SPRING 2025

This quarter we have two spectacular field trips planned. Our first field trip is to the Getty Center and the second field trip is to LACMA. There are simply too many important exhibitions between these two museums, and therefore we will have two field trips. These field trips are all day events, and they are in lieu of the lectures that week. If you are unable to go to the Getty Center or LACMA, there is an alternative field trip for you to attend on your own during the week of our LACMA or Getty Trips. The alternative trip is to the Santa Barbara Museum of Art (details below). You must attend one of the Los Angeles field trips, and can do the other in Santa Barbara, if you can't make the trip to LA twice. It is preferable that you attend both Los Angeles field trips.

PLEASE FILL OUT ALL THREE OF THE LIABILITY WAIVERS ASAP:

All three liability waivers are in this one link. Be sure to sign and date all three, and you must use your first and last name. LINK: https://powerforms.docusign.net/f69f1832-2f52-408b-b9e8-89879d8c4c73?env=na3&acct=36d87d60-c882-4887-835a-bc389fb776dd&accountId=36d87d60-c882-4887-835a-bc389fb776dd

A FEW TIPS TO PREPARE FOR OUR FIELD TRIPS:

1) Be sure that you have our emails with you! If you arrive late, you want to be able to find us at the museum. However, try to leave early so that you arrive on time, because reception isn't good in all parts of the museums, and you may be waiting a long time before we see your email.

2) I would suggest eating a big breakfast since we won't be taking a break for lunch until later in the day. Furthermore, pack snacks for the road, and for lunch, unless you want to treat yourself to food at the museum.

3) If you are driving from Santa Barbara, be sure to give yourself at least two hours to drive to LA. You never know what kind of traffic that you will encounter.

4) Wear comfortable shoes and clothing! We will be doing a lot of walking and hiking up stairs, so you want to be very comfortable.

5) Charge your phone since you will want to take a lot of pictures at the museum.

FIELD TRIP #1: GETTY ON SATURDAY, APRIL 19

FIELD TRIP #2: LACMA ON SATURDAY, MAY 10

MANDATORY LIABILITY WAIVERS (PLEASE FILL OUT ALL OF THEM TO BE ELIGIBLE FOR ALL OF THE FIELD TRIPS):

All three liability waivers are in this one link: HERE. Be sure to sign and date all three: https://powerforms.docusign.net/f69f1832-2f52-408b-b9e8-89879d8c4c73?env=na3&acct=36d87d60-c882-4887-835a-bc389fb776dd&accountId=36d87d60-c882-4887-835a-bc389fb776dd

Students must submit the liability waiver forms for each trip, and will not receive free admission without them. If you show up to the museum without having done this, you will have to pay full admission and you will not legally be recognized as part of the UCSB Department of Art field trip. If you have difficulty filling out your DocuSign Liability Waiver, then email your professor and our Undergraduate Advisor, Hannah Vainstein: arts-undergraduate@ucsb.edu. 

FIELD TRIP #2 ON SATURDAY, APRIL 19: THE GETTY CENTER AT 1:00PM:

Students must submit the liability waiver form, and will not receive free admission to LACMA without it. If you show up to the museum without having done this, you will have to pay full admission and you will not legally be recognized as part of the UCSB Department of Art field trip. If you have difficulty filling out your DocuSign Liability Waiver, then email your professor and our Undergraduate Advisor, Hannah Vainstein: arts-undergraduate@ucsb.edu. 

Your paper is about the art of María Magdalena Campos-Pons, and therefore the Getty exhibition María Magdalena Campos-Pons: Behold is very important this quarter, and viewing her work in person will really impact the way you write about her work in your formal research paper.

We will be meeting at 1:00PM on the museum side of the tram drop off (shown above). If you are carpooling (2 or more Art 1A students in a single vehicle), then you are eligible to receive free parking, otherwise you must pay $25.00 for parking. Only Art 1A students are eligible for free parking. Parking Information: https://www.getty.edu/visit/center/parking-and-transportation/

The Getty Center
1200 Getty Center Dr.
Los Angeles, CA 90049
Parking and Transportation Information HERE

http://www.getty.edu

ALTERNATIVE MUSEUM TRIP: If you are unable to attend the Getty Center, then you must go to LACMA with the class. You need to attend at least one of the LA field trips, and preferably both, but only one LA trip is mandatory.

FIELD TRIP #1 ON SATURDAY, MAY 10: LACMA AT 12:00PM:

Students must submit the liability waiver form, and will not receive free admission to LACMA without it. If you show up to the museum without having done this, you will have to pay full admission and you will not legally be recognized as part of the UCSB Department of Art field trip. If you have difficulty filling out your DocuSign Liability Waiver, then email your professor and our Undergraduate Advisor, Hannah Vainstein: arts-undergraduate@ucsb.edu. 

MEETING AT LACMA:

We will meet at LACMA at the Wilshire Blvd. entrance next to the ticket office and Chris Burden's Urban Light sculpture (shown picture above) at 12:00PM on Saturday, MAY 10. LACMA will be providing us with free admission to the museum. I will send you the information to register for your free ticket once LACMA sends it to me.

Please read all guidelines HERE before your visit. https://www.lacma.org/plan-your-visit

Los Angeles County Museum of Art

5905 Wilshire Boulevard, Los Angeles, CA 90036

Phone: (323) 857-6010

PARKING & DIRECTIONS HERE

Parking costs $21.00 per vehicle, and it is not part of our free admission.

ALTERNATIVE TRIP to SBMA:

Santa Barbara Museum of Art
1130 State Street
Santa Barbara, CA 93101
Phone: 805.963.4364
@sbmuseart
Tues - Sun 11 am - 5 pm
Thurs 11 am - 8 pm
Closed Mondays and holidays

Free to students with ID

https://www.sbma.net

Nota Bene: The museum trip is all-day immersive experience, and therefore the museum field trip is in lieu of both of the Art 1A lecture meetings that week. If you do not go to the museum that week, or do the alternative assignment, then you will receive absences for the two lectures and will receive a zero for the assignment due that week. Take a selfie at the museum, and photographs of the works of art that were of interest to you, and include them in your paper (see assignments  in the "Calendar" tab at the top of the website).

Art 1A Artist Talk on Wednesday, December 4 Featuring Vivek Karthikeyan

Photographs courtesy of Vivek Karthikeyan

What: Artist Talk featuring Vivek Karthikeyan

When: Wednesday, December 4 from 9:30-10:45

Where: HFH 1104

Artist Bio:

Vivek (b. 1986, Abu Dhabi) is an interdisciplinary artist, writer and filmmaker of South Asian-Indian ethnicity working at the intersection of moving image, spoken word, sound, text, devised performance and digital art. Working predominantly in an experimental idiom that emphasizes contingency of process and a visceral subjective experience for the viewer, Vivek is interested in extending the moving image beyond the screen into an immersive, “expanded cinema” experience that incorporates the spatiality of newer forms like projection mapping, xR, 3D modeling and computational imagery. His work often deals with themes such as the ambiguities of the creative process, the predicament of subjectivity in the digital age, technological dystopia, urban alienation and angst (thanks in no small part to years of living a double life as artist and tech worker.)

Vivek trained in cinematography at the prestigious Mindscreen Film Institute in Chennai, India and has worked on several independent films screened at venues including International Film Festival of Rotterdam, Scary Cow Film Festival in San Francisco, and Mono X Festival in New York, among others. Born and raised as an Indian diasporic kid in the Middle East before moving to the US as a young adult, he feels both at home and forever in exile everywhere he goes.

Art 1A Artist Talk on Monday, December 2 Featuring Autumn Nicole

Photograph provided by Autumn Nicole

Who: Autumn Nicole

What: Art 1A Artist Talk

When: Monday, December 2 from 9:30-10:45

Where: HFH 1104

Website: autumnnicole.com

Instagram: @autumn_nicolee

Artist Bio:

Autumn Nicole’s paintings are primarily composed of dark cool colors and highly contrasted scenes. She uses lighting as a way to evoke feelings of loneliness and highlights moments of silence. Within sculpture and installation works, light reappears to represent the presence of the individual. These works are derived, through carefully considering ritual, the passage of time, and the presence of oneself existing within a memory. Using experiences through adversity, and themes rooted in psychology, philosophy, domesticism, and language as the theoretical basis for her practice. Refining and simplifying provocative encounters through a gaze of hypervigilance. Nicole aims to create deeply complex psychological spaces as visual puzzles to foster thoughtful conversation among audiences.

Nicole is a Southern California-based artist. She completed her BFA in Studio Art at California Polytechnic San Luis Obispo with a French Minor. Followed by a certificate in Children’s Book Illustration from UC San Diego. Currently, Nicole is a MFA Candidate at UC Santa Barbara. Her work has been featured in major cities along the East and West coasts. Selected works have been featured with The San Diego Museum of Art, San Luis Obispo Museum of Art, Pickens County Museum, and she received a second place award in 48th International Art Show at the Brownsville Museum of Art. Additionally, she was awarded an Emerging Artist Grant and The Denis Diderot Grant, to participate at Château d’Orquevaux artist residency in France for 2025.

Art 1A Artist Talk on Wednesday, November 27 Featuring Dakota Noot

Courtesy of Dakota Noot

What: Artist Talk featuring Dakota Noot

When: Wednesday, November 27 from 9:30-10:45

Where: Zoom https://ucsb.zoom.us/j/83111992304

Artist's Website: www.dakotanoot.com

Artist's Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/dakotanoot/

Artist Bio: 

Dakota Noot is a Los Angeles-based artist and curator. He uses drawings, paintings, and installations to create animal-human hybrids that explore rural yet fantastical, queer identities. Originally from Bismarck, North Dakota, he continues to show in both North Dakota and Los Angeles, including solo and two-person shows at Highways Performance Space, MuzeuMM, and PØST. Noot has exhibited in group shows at Charlie James Gallery, Shoshana Wayne Gallery, Torrance Art Museum, and LAST Projects. His series of cutout drawing installations have been shown at LA Freewaves, Cerritos College Art Gallery, and Otis College. Noot has been featured in Hi-Fructose and was a recipient of the 2023 Hyperallergic Emily Hall Tremaine Journalism Fellowship for Curators. 

Art 1A Artist Talk on Monday, November 25 Featuring Christopher Velasco

Courtesy of Christopher Velasco.

What: Artist Talk featuring Christopher Velasco

When: Monday, November 25 from 9:30-10:45

Where: In person in HFH 1104. If you are sick or out-of-town, join via Zoom: 

https://ucsb.zoom.us/j/83111992304

Artist's Website: https://www.christopheravelascophotography.com

Artist's Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/caver83/

Artist Bio:

Christopher Anthony Velasco (b. 1983) is a photographer and performance artist based in Los Angeles, known for his exploration of the queer brown body and his innovative blend of horror and camp aesthetics. He earned his Master of Fine Arts from UC Santa Barbara in 2019 and his Bachelor of Fine Arts from the California Institute of the Arts in 2011.

 

Velasco has contributed to his field through various internships, including positions at the Santa Monica Museum of Art (Institute of Contemporary Art, Los Angeles) and UCLA’s Chicano Studies Research Center and Library as a Getty Marrow Undergraduate Intern. He is an adjunct professor at Ventura and Moorpark Community College and Los Angeles Valley College and instructs at CSSSA (California State Summer School of the Arts). 

His work has been prominently featured in exhibitions at esteemed venues such as the Art Center College of Design, AD&A Museum, Avenue 50 Studios, the California Institute of the Arts, the Hibbleton Gallery, the Getty Museum, and the Vincent Price Art Museum. Furthermore, Velasco has collaborated with Harry Gamboa, Jr., notably through Virtual Verite, and performed at Los Angeles Union Station, UC Santa Barbara, and LAST Projects.

Artist Statement: 

My photographic works often incorporate performance-based encounters with clearly defined boundaries of the photograph structure that defy purpose or permanence. Each of my photographs captures the unsustainable gaze upon a disregarded, disfigured body that is constantly evolving, descending, and autodestructing into endless layers of lost memory. The uncanny loops camp aesthetics together. 

My efforts to capture the briefest moments of awareness most often result in wonderfully played-out visual vignettes that echo beyond the existence of the façade that sustains the original setting of place or subject. 

Through my photographic works, I have effectively portrayed the fragility between existence and metaphor.  My sense of self serves as a medium by which characterizations can be asserted in visual form. My insistence that role-playing, role reversal, and role surrender are all acts of defiance against that which portends to control the destiny of the image gives my photographic works an essential urgency and definite positive charge.