bio

contact

 





Teaching Statement → 2015

As an artist, I explore the cultural and social implications of emergent digital technologies, using a wide range of new tools, materials, and means of creation and distribution. As an educator, I work to share the possibilities that are offered by these new technologies. Of equal importance, I provide my students with the historical framework and conceptual methodologies needed to identify and confront the challenges posed by technological innovation. My teaching thus remains integral to my own artistic practice. It requires continuous questioning of the role of new media in art and society, and a fluid grasp of the fundamentals of this rapidly developing discipline.

 

As diverse as the creative practices I teach can be, they share an appetite for attention, devise a communication strategy, and seek the formation of knowledge. Popular strategies inherently end up becoming redundant and dated, leading to fatigue (and sometimes attention disorder)—which means we are continuously asked to reevaluate and find new ways to communicate. For this reason I find it crucial to remain radically open to all of the creative arts, and study its motivations, inspirations, and histories. I make no secret of this approach in the classroom and believe that reoccurring themes in history (so-called tropes) can teach us a great deal about what’s next (conversely, it seems quite easy to disrupt given a healthy amount of ignorance).

My main objective as an educator is to teach students how to become active, independent, and critical contributors to their chosen fields. I challenge students to ask questions, explore alternative perspectives, and envision potential developments beyond a mere analysis of current trends. To use digital technologies creatively and effectively, students must develop a critical understanding of digital media, continuously negotiating the possibilities they offer, and the aesthetics opportunities they provide. Paradoxically, acquiring an intimate knowledge of digital technologies helps students to maintain a critical distance from them, enabling students to focus on ideas and key concepts.

I strongly believe in a transparent pedagogy, in accord to my objective to impart transparency on digital technology itself. My courses generally use class blogs as platforms to submit coursework, consolidate resources, and facilitate discussions. This approach has proven to be most valuable. I ask students to submit praxes online before the class discussion. Because responses are posted publicly, the blog facilitates a discursive process, where students reflect and build on previous contributions. Hence, the class discussion becomes an engaging venue for negotiating positions and exchanging ideas as they have already been established.