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2011 Commencement Celebration | Portland | School of Architecture and Allied Arts

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On June 4, 2011, students from the University of Oregon School of Architecture and Allied Arts in Portland

Department of Architecture |     Digital Arts Program |     Product Design Program

celebrated commencement.   The event was held at the YU, a contemporary arts center in Portland located in the landmark Yale Union Laundry Building.  The School of Architecture and Allied Arts expresses our sincere appreciation to the YU for hosting our 2011 Commencement Celebration.  Director of the YU, Sandra Percival, herself UO alumna, was asked to comment on the UO | YU collaboration.  She offered the following reflection:

“As a UO alum, I was pleased to have the UO Architecture and Allied Arts’ studio projects, professional open house, and graduation ceremony at YU. As YU embarks on its vision to bring challenging national and international contemporary art to Portland to empower the artistic imagination and cultural life of the Northwest and repurpose its historical landmark building, hosting UO was synergistic with our vision and the spirit the great space on the second floor beckons.”

The following is a pictorial essay of images from the day.  In addition to faculty members from each department who presented a certificate to the students as they walked across the commencement stage, all departments were represented by a student speaker:  Dustin Foster (Department of Architecture), Brad Saiki (Digital Arts), and Andrew Lindley (Product Design).  The student speakers were chosen to represent their peers and remark on their overall experience in the program.  All three student speakers were invited to submit their speeches for inclusion in this blog post.  Dustin Foster, who had already moved to San Francisco just days within commencement was kind enough to quickly email his remarks (despite the fact that during his speech he had tossed into the air each one of his cue cards…much to the amusement of his audience).  Foster’s speech is here included in its entirety, as numerous comments from students in all disciplines indicated that his presentation eloquently and delightfully shed light upon their past years of work and time spent at the University of Oregon’s Portland program. [If | when transcripts of Saiki's and Lindley's presentations become available, they will be added to this post...]

 

Last fall a group of 67 enthusiastic young adults set out to complete the final year their architectural education. Armed with zeal, vigor and vitamin D soaked-skin, this attractive, youthful group marched forward. Today a group of pale, malnourished, sleep deprived beings sit amongst you. But what you’ll notice is that the numbers have not dwindled. We did not lose a soul to attrition or the grand rapture.

Marching to the summit as a group unified by a common cause, we learned a great deal about ourselves and the world we occupy. We met many wise and noble leaders with grand and minute lessons of great significance. We learned from Brook Muller that the key to communication is to envision people with little tiny heads. David Gabriel bestowed upon us the importance of bonding. Just moments before my final presentation he attempted to dislodge a portion of my model.

Many lessons we learned were from within the group. Three of our more adventurous members set out to develop a barrier able to withstand the onslaught of God’s wrath. In doing so they gave us the R98 2000 Bio-Dome, able to protect against the raining fires of Armageddon. In spite of their valiant efforts, the group discovered a vulnerability in the barrier. Unable to withstand the onslaughts of Pauly Shore and Rick Astley, the team accepted their defeat and proceeded humbly.

Without the support group accompanying us on our journey we would not have completed our task. There are many who deserve credit, but I will mention a few who sacrifice a great deal to see us succeed. John Leahy works with a bunch of tools…in a windowless room below the earth. And yet he is willing and eager to offer his many skills and talents to all. Perched atop the White Stag, Chris Costler is incapable of being knocked off course. Chris offers several resolutions to any technical quandary without ever stirring from his post. Gerry Gast, our seasoned sage, offers a continuous stream of warm, inspirational support. The first time Gerry found me in studio past 9pm he said, “Dustin, what are you doing here. I didn’t know you worked hard.” Thanks Gerry. You cannot mention Gerry without immediately thinking of Nancy Cheng. The two are like peanut butter and chocolate, coffee and toilet paper. Nancy introduced us to many great practitioners and innovators along the way. Although I don’t know how she made the introductions as thought I was Craig Race up until a month ago. For those who don’t know Craig Race, imagine a taller, better looking, more talented version of me with a deeper, sexier voice. So I got that going for me, which is nice. Jeff, Jeff, Geoff, Jeff, Jeff. I lost count. Is that how many Jeff’s we had? There was a Jeff on site 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. Together, all the Jeff’s made for a resource of all imaginable information. Thanks to PSAC for providing provisions and distractions to get us through. One of the highlights of the PSAC Beaux Arts Ball was seeing Hajo dance.

To our friends and families, thank you for putting up with our absence. We probably have not called enough and for those that were around, we probably have been ignoring you. We will try our best to make our way back into your lives.

Finally, Kirsten. On my cue card I have two things written, ”finally” and “Kirsten”. Without you we would be not be here graduating today, and that’s no joke. Without you we would be lost.

I have some bad news as we celebrate our graduation. In spite of our great sacrifice some of you will not become architects. The good news is that you have been provided with a holistic set of tools to take on some of the great civic, national and global problems that plague our world from the number one university for sustainable design in the nation.

So with great pride I encourage you to march forward and remember on your journey why you chose this path. But before you pack up and depart, you have earned the privilege to sleep for days.

–Dustin Foster, June 4, 2011, Commencement Speech, YU for the UO A&AA Portland

 

 

Faculty and staff, 2011 Commencement Celebration, Portland AAA.

 

 

 

Kate Wagle, Administrative Director, addressing the crowd.

 

 

Kirsten Poulsen-House, program assistant.

 

 

Corey Smitke, Assistant to the Administrative Director.

 

 

Michael Salter addresses the crowd.

 

Commencement speaker, Brad Saiki, Digital Arts.

 

 

 

Michael Salter.

 

 

Commencement speaker, Andrew Lindley, Product Design.

 

Kiersten Muenchinger.

 

Commencement speaker, Dustin Foster, Department of Architecture.

 

Nancy Cheng.

A selection of images as students accepted their congratulations from faculty…..

 

 

Dustin Foster makes his way to the stage.

 

post & photos | sabina samiee | uo pdx

Watch Your Mouth | Digital Arts BFA Exhibit at the White Box

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UO Digital Arts 2011 BFA candidates exhibit the development of creative process:
‘Watch Your Mouth’ runs June 2-25 in the White Box in Portland
Exhibition:
“Watch Your Mouth” 2011 Bachelor of Fine Arts Exhibition
When:
June 2-25
First Thursday opening reception, 6-9 p.m.
Where:
White Box at the University of Oregon in Portland, White Stag Block, 24 NW First Ave.
About:
The University of Oregon Digital Arts BFA 2011 exhibition, WATCH YOUR MOUTH, is composed of works by 12 artists. The digital arts bachelors of fine arts program is part of the UO School of Architecture and Allied Arts in Portland. It is a yearlong professional degree for students holding a bachelors degree in art, multimedia or digital arts. Each artist’s thesis has been dedicated to the development of their creative process, their conceptual motivations and the production of a vast range of media in an art context.
These artists seek to define meaning and purpose in a complicated world.  They are invested in a critical inquiry into how humankind navigates a complex existence.  This thesis exhibition is the result of mining the abstract space between humans and technology, researching cognitive behavior, dissecting language and information delivery systems, examining our poetic relationships to space and place, investigating material translations, process obsessions, and questioning personal philosophies – often with a dark, twisted and cryptic sense of humor.
The range of media and methodologies employed span hybrid digital output, computer programming, image capture, drawing, animation, sculpture and as always, evidence of the skilled hand. Like barometers for culture and society at large, these artists ask important questions about how and why we live in a technologically fertile, swiftly moving world.  Change, thought, story, space, inquiry, truth, translation, language, communication, digitization, these ideas are consistently mined and dissected from this critical, analytical group of young artists.  It is with their work we attempt to find a better understanding to our place in the universe.
–From Michael Salter, UO digital arts faculty
Artists:
Brian Aebi, Amy Chan, Braeden Cox, Gage Hamilton, Matt Pfliiger, Andrew Pomeroy, Steven Robinson, Brad Saiki, Lauren Seiffert, Tanya Tracy and Chris Wilson.
The UO digital arts faculty is Colin Ives, Craig Hickman, John Park, Michael Salter, Ying Tan and Katz Ucci.
About the White Box:
The White Box is a 1,500-square-foot visual laboratory that allows students, faculty, regional and national communities to research, explore and present global issues in art, design and architecture. The White Box is located at 24 NW First Ave, on the ground floor of the White Stag Block. It is open from noon to 6 p.m. Tuesdays through Saturdays, during the period when an exhibition is scheduled.  Admission is free.
About the University of Oregon
The University of Oregon is a world-class teaching and research institution and Oregon’s flagship public university. The UO is a member of the Association of American Universities (AAU), an organization made up of the 62 leading public and private research institutions in the United States and Canada. The University of Oregon is one of only two AAU members in the Pacific Northwest.
Contact: Heidi Hiaasen, UO in Portland communications, 503-412-3714, heidih@uoregon.edu
Links:
University of Oregon in Portland: aaa.uoregon.edu
School of Architecture and Allied Arts: aaa.uoregon.edu
White Box: pdx.uoregon.edu/whitebox
WATCH YOUR MOUTH: watchyourmouthpdx.com

Registration Is Open For the A&AA in Portland Summer in the City!

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Summer in the City 2011 is the University of Oregon’s School of Architecture and Allied Arts in Portland  offering of special summer courses in the fields of art and digital art, architecture, product design, landscape architecture, and interdisciplinary studies.  The summer program is housed at the university’s White Stag Block in Portland, Oregon.  Summer in the City offers variable-credit courses and workshops.  Courses are taught by guest artists, architects, and creative design professionals from throughout the Northwest region as well as by University of Oregon professors who collaborate during the summer to offer challenging, enlightening, and informative curriculum during the short summer session.

Highlights of the summer courses include architecture courses taught by James Cutler (FAIA of Cutler Anderson Architects) and Lisa Petersen (SERA Architects); video art by Kartz Ucci; Gizmos and digital imaging taught by Craig Hickman; photography courses by Terri Warpinski and Sara Huston;  footwear design by NIKE creative designers, D’Wayne Edwards and Matt Rhoades;  and Manifest Oregon product design to craft the ultimate “utility bicycle” with creative experts from ZIBA Design; in addition to interdisciplinary courses exploring lasercutting, fabrication, and landscape architecture studies.

Summer in the City courses at the University of Oregon’s School of Architecture and Allied Arts (A&AA) in Portland begin on June 20, 2011 and run on a varying schedule throughout the summer months.

A complete listing of courses and the Summer in the City schedule is available online at Summer in the City.

Courses are open to currently enrolled University of Oregon students and non-enrolled students.  Registration begins on May 2, 2011 for currently enrolled students and on May 6, 2011 for non-UO students.  Current UO students and Continuing Education Program (CEP) students, and UO faculty and staff members may register on DuckWeb.  Community members are asked to contact the UO Academic Extension office to register.

Summer in the City incorporates the University of Oregon’s Portland summer day camp program, Design Camp 2011, a unique, five-day summer camp experience open to high school students and interested members of the community.  For more information on Design Camp 2011, go to the Summer in the City online site.

For more information, you are welcome to contact the School of Architecture and Allied Arts in Portland at the White Stag block:  503-412-3718, 70 N.W. Couch St., Floor 4R, Portland, OR 97209, email  aaapdx@uoregon.edu

And check out the School’s Viewbook for a glimpse of the programs at Portland’s A&AA.

posted by sabina samiee

The U Oregon Digital Arts BFA Exhibition, Watch Your Mouth, is…

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The U Oregon Digital Arts BFA Exhibition, Watch Your Mouth, is composed of 12 artists completing their fifth year degree program experience.  An entire year has been dedicated to the development of their creative process, their conceptual motivations and the production of a vast range of media in an art context.  These artists seek to define meaning and purpose in a complicated world.  They are invested in a critical inquiry into how humankind navigates a complex existence.  This thesis exhibition is the result of mining the abstract space between humans and technology, researching cognitive behavior, dissecting language and information delivery systems, examining our poetic relationships to space and place, investigating material translations, process obsessions, and questioning personal philosophies, all with an often dark, twisted and cryptic sense of humor. 

There is a diversity and consistency to the Digital Arts BFA artists’ work.  The range of media and methodologies employed span hybrid digital output, computer programming, image capture, drawing, animation, sculpture and as always, evidence of the skilled hand.  Clearly a mark of the UO Digital Arts experience, the ideas reign importance over the media.  It is the ideas that appear consistent and substantial, for this unique BFA experience.  Like barometers for culture and society-at-large, these artists ask important questions about how and why we live in a technologically fertile, swiftly moving world.  Change, thought, story, space, inquiry, truth, translation, language, communication, digitization, these ideas are consistently mined and dissected from this critical, analytical group of young artists.  It is with their work we attempt to find a better understanding to our place in the universe.

The artists are Brian Aebi, Amy Chan, Braeden Cox, Gage Hamilton, Matt Pfliiger, Andrew Pomeroy, Steven Robinson, Brad Saiki, Lauren Seiffert, Tanya Tracy, Chris Wilson and Zach Yarrington.  The UOregon Digital Arts faculty is Colin Ives, Craig Hickman, John Park, Michael Salter, Ying Tan, and Kartz Ucci.  The UOregon Digital Arts BFA Exhibition, Watch Your Mouth, will occupy the White Box exhibition space at the White Stag Building, opening June 2nd 2011.

http://watchyourmouthpdx.com/

Colin Ives Brings Hung Keung’s Bloated City | Skinny Language to the University of Oregon

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Deemed a “First Thursday Pick” for April 2011 by Portland’s PORT online and called a “favorite pick” of Art Radar Asia when it was part of the 2009 Asian Art Biennial at the National Taiwan Museum of Fine Arts, the current White Box exhibit, Bloated City | Skinny Language by Hong Kong aritst, Hung Keung is at the University of Oregon’s Portland White Box from April 5, 2011 -May 14, 2011.

Below is a photograph by UO Portland Digital Arts student and photographer, Tanya Tracy documenting Hung’s exhibit at the White Box:

Hung Keung's Bloated City | Skinny Language, Photo: Tanya Tracy, 2011.

Hung’s exhibit is a physically engaging and visual exploration of Chinese calligraphy and the ideology incorporated into the characters as a vehicle of expression.  Chinese characters float across the wall with the use of two independently projected screens across a corridor-like space. This movement, captivating in itself, becomes even more entrancing when a viewer is introduced into this experimental media format. Walking into the space in front of the work, your body is integrated into the interactive piece with twin images of yourself which are recorded and transmitted onto the screen. Chinese characters swarm around your new doppelgangers whenever you move, migrating almost purposefully from screen to screen with speed and grace, and you are now immersed in this dialogue—a dichotomy meant to represent conflicting change and the transformation from traditional to modern.

The words that journey down and cloud around the viewer, now participant, cultivate a meaning that Hung wants us to interact with. “Words are for communication and cities are for living….Traditional Chinese characters became simplified characters; old cities have become new cities,” writes the artist. Commenting further on his interactive installation, Hung continues, “For me, a Chinese born in China and raised in Hong Kong, this creates conflicting desires making you feel love and hate all at once.” Standing amidst the work, one is meant to feel “caught between a rock and a hard place” as you see two of yourself at the same time (both right and left screens). Yet these situations are kept independent and dissimilar forcing one to feel and visualize the contradiction.

Following is a video from the work being exhibited in Shanghai, China and posted on YouTube by the artist, himself, and his studio, ImhkLab:

YouTube Preview Image

The experience of this installation is, at once, beautiful and provocative. The characters, or words, migrate with speed and grace, almost purposefully, toward us as we engage with the piece carried into Hung’s experiment and into the realm of communication and meaning: “what things can become and how creating, deconstructing, and rebuilding can all indicate symbolic meaning.”

Interacting with Bloated City | Skinny Language is a fantastically illuminating experience seamlessly incorporating the physical form of the viewer/participant, and creating a genuine sense of wonder, in an exploration of new media formats. As University of Oregon Digital Arts professor Colin Ives notes, this exhibit “uses the capabilities that the space [of the Gray Box] was designed for.” And, indeed, it is due to the foresight of Professor Ives and the international connection he established several years ago with Hung that this work was able to be brought to the University of Oregon and is now on exhibit at the White Box.

In 2009, Professor Ives was in Hong Kong to install his project Nocturne, at the Microwave International New Media Arts Festival. Hung Keung saw Ives’ work and recognized it from having previously viewed it at the International Symposium of Electronic Arts in San Jose. Hung sought out the University of Oregon artist|professor and introduced himself. As it happened, Hung and Ives shared a mutual friend and quickly a bond was formed by way of shared artistic interests and mutually compatible philosophies. Hung took Ives to his studio where Ives would first see documentation of Bloated City | Skinny Language. Remembering the initial viewing, Ives comments, “I knew as soon as I saw it that it would be a perfect project for the Grey Box….” And, thus, began the work to bring Hung’s exhibit here to the University of Oregon—an effort spearheaded by Ives and supported by the Digital Arts Department, UO Computer and Information Science Department, the UO Arts Administration Program, Cinema Pacific, the Jordan Schnitzer Museum of Art, University of Oregon Portland Programs, the UO School of Architecture and Allied Arts in Eugene and Portland, and Ace Hotel.

Recalling what initially intrigued Ives with Hung’s work, the artist-professor says that Hung “has a great way of approaching his work which manages to be both conceptual and humorous.” And, as one stands in Bloated City | Skinny Language, a participant in the fragments of language and brush strokes, encircled and enshrined by movement-sensitive characters, Hung hopes you are prompted to reflect on how you can locate yourself in your universe, both Heaven and Earth, and relate to the concepts of Dao (“The Dao gives birth to One. One gives birth to Two, Two gives birth to Three. Three gives birth to all things or a thousand things.”) A humorous aspect arises as one can turn and look back at one’s self overtaken by a flurry of animate letterforms, and encounter conflicting experiences: “change or unchanged, move or stay, to be or not to be.” You have been presented with the visual insight of both the simple and the complex, and both follow you, both inescapable.

YouTube Preview Image

Exhibitions

JSMA |  Where to Come From?  Where To Go? |  Video works by Hung Keung | Showing from April 5-June 19, 2011

White Box | Bloated City Skinny Language | Showing from April 5-May 14, 2011

post by sabina samiee, thank you to Colin Ives.