Department of English

This class will take New York City, primarily in the years after WWII, as a case study for artistic influence, collaboration, and inspiration, investigating urban space as a motor and muse for practice. 

We'll be doing creative writing in response to the materials: reading theories of urban space by David Harvery and Rem Koolhaus, climbing around in poetry (Langston Hughes, Alice Notley, Frank O'Hara, Amiri Baraka, Teresa Hak Kyung Cha etc), novels (Renata Adler's SPEEDBOAT), films (CHELSEA GIRLS, STYLE WARS, MANHATTAN), memoirs by poet Eileen Myles, artist David Wojnarowicz, singer Patti Smith, dancer Elizabeth Streb, looking at collaborations, installations, collisions, and the potentials of urban space. 

see for example....

Claudia Rankine's The Provenance of Beauty

http://www.nytimes.com/2009/09/18/theater/reviews/18provenance.html?_r=0

Shimon Attie's Between Dreams and History

http://shimonattie.net/portfolio/between-dreams-and-history/

All are welcome - Penn students and those interested who will be in the area. We'll take occasional optional weekend field trips up the turnpike to attend galleries, museums, readings when possible. 

Students will be responsible for short reflection papers, their own creative work in their chosen media, a midterm and final, as well as reports on our travels. Students will come to appreciate how the artist does not work in isolation and how place impacts the artist. No previous experience necessary.