Artefact « i-DAT ‘07-’08

March 18, 2007

Artefact

Filed under: Artefact — nibbit106 @ 10:59 pm

artefact or artifact (’a:tI,faekt) n. 1. Something made or given shape by man, such as a tool or a work of art, esp. an object or archaeological interest. 2. Cytology. a structure seen in tissue after death, fixation, staining, etc., that is not normally present in the living tissue.
[C19: from Latin phrase arte factum from ars skill + facere to make]

After reading the Borges short story you are required to research an ‘artefact’ and its maker/manufacturer. The exact nature of that artefact will be negotiated during the tutorial sessions. It is important that you are able to gain access to information concerning its production, such as: biographical details of the maker; construction material; construction process; details of the environment it was produced in…

You are required to immerse yourself in research surrounding the artefact and its maker. As far as possible you should experience the same/similar investigative process undertaken by the artefacts manufacturer.

“… artefacts do not exist in a space of their own, transmitting meaning to the spectator, but, on the contrary, are susceptible to a multiform construction of meaning which is dependent on the design, the context of other objects, the visual and historical representation, the whole environment; … artefacts can change their meaning not just over the years as different histriographical and institutional currents pick them out and transform their significance, but from day to day as different people view them and subject them to their own interpretation.”
(Saumarez Smith, C. Museums, Artefacts, and Meanings. The New Museology. Vergo, P, ed. pp19. Reaktion Books Ltd, London, 1989.)

Requirements:
A: Diary/logbook/workbook, an account of the production representing the investigative research process, which should include a short critical account of the process (Approx 1000 words).
B: Documentary evidence representing the reconstructed artefact. The format and presentation of this material will be negotiated with your tutor.
C: All of this material must be formatted as a discreet section of the Portfolio.

Deadline: 19 March. Online/Presentation.
20% Individual

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