Thursday, August 28, 2008

The first authoritative survey of the history of collage

Collage: Assembling Contemporary Art is the first authoritative survey of the history of collage from its origins through to the latest work being produced by artists today. From the traditional ‘cut and paste’ method through to digital, three-dimensional and installation work, and in the incorporation of contemporary concerns such as environment and commercialism, collage is experiencing an exciting renaissance.

Amazon's description of the book (hyperlinks added):
Collage: Assembling Contemporary Art is the first authoritative survey of the history of collage from its origins through to the latest work being produced by artists today. Collage has a relatively short, but incredibly rich history. Dating back to the early 1900s, it first emerged in the work of artists such as Picasso, Braque and, later, the Constructivists and has since proliferated through figures like Kurt Schwitters, Max Ernst and the Surrealists, branching out into a myriad of fine art practice that encompasses assemblage, montage and décollage. The popularity of collage is on the increase again, partly as a result of such postmodernist concerns as pluralism, multiplicity and hybridity. This art form is also flourishing in other areas, ranging from the traditional `cut and paste' method through to digital and installation collage. Featuring works by international artists Picasso, Schwitters and Ernst, through to Hannah Hoch, Martha Rosler, John Stezaker, Richard Hamilton, Layla Curtis, David Salle, Eduardo Poalozzi, Javier Rodriguez, Robert Rauschenberg, Mimei Thompson, David Thorpe, Fred Tomaselli and many more. Collage: Assembling Contemporary Art also includes texts, by both academics and artists, which outline the history of the medium as well as critically addressing how collage is being used throughout contemporary art today.

Sunday, August 24, 2008

An Educational Campaign?

From Techdirt:
It's no secret that both the MPAA and the RIAA have created so-called "educational campaigns" for students about copyright. These educational programs are incredibly one-sided, of course, and it's amazing that many schools actually allow this sort of corporate propaganda to masquerade as educational material. Even more problematic is when an entirely separate organization, supposedly offering a non-biased educational campaign, starts parroting the propaganda. The nonprofit National Center for State Courts, whose charter apparently is as an "organization dedicated to improving the administration of justice by providing leadership and service to court systems in the United States," has done just that. As part of that, it created a set of "graphic novels" (more like a pamphlets) designed to teach students how the court system works. Except the first such graphic novel actually teaches a bunch of RIAA propaganda about file sharing that is mostly flat-out false.