Classes & Students

We are at the end of our first week of a three week module -- I am teaching the Critical Media Literacy class.  All of the classes are small here which makes for incredible, small group interactions -- my discussion-based philosophy of teaching really has a chance to work on a deep level -- of course, what professor doesn't love small classes?  The time and place flexibility of the program adds to the uniqueness of the program -- and, I think, makes everyone happier -- yesterday we left Dalkeith, took the two minute walk into the village and had class in a lovely little church cafe.  The day before, we were at the City Art Centre which I wrote about in the last entry seeing David Mach's sculpture and giant collages -- interpretations of verses from the King James Bible which was commissioned here in Scotland during the 1600's.  There, we met together, first analyzing "The Crucifixtion" from multiple perspectives and then we all went our separate ways to explore the five floors of the Centre.  The fifth floor has been given over to Mach and one of his artistic teams to work on the final collage of this exhibit -- "The Last Supper" which will be unveiled on September 20 -- we plan to be there! One of the highpoints of this excursion was watching this young team of artists discuss the layout and installation of the collage (while Mach sat on the side making phone calls!).  All of the interpretations put the Bible events in a contemporary setting which is starling in many of the pieces -- Mach is clearly pushing the edges with pieces like a bust of Jesus make out of matchsticks complete with white, white skin, pink, pink lips, blue-green eyes and red hair.  After a couple of hours, we went to an Edinburgh cafe to debrief and finish our analysis of the art.  Today, I have moved the class to the Stables Bistro which is on the estate -- a one minute walk from the palace.  Later today, I proposed to my colleagues that we meet in the local pub for "Pub Pedagogy" to share the high, medium, and low points of our teaching during this first week.

Monday, August 15: AMAZING ART

Mya, Paul and I bused it into Edinburgh to hang out in this beautiful, gothic-looking city.  The Sir Walter Scott monument is one of the first glorious silhouettes that you see when you get off the bus.
   

The tower is 200 feet 6 inches (61.11 m) high, and has a series of viewing decks reached by a series of narrow spiral staircases giving panoramic views of central Edinburgh and its surroundings.  We climbed to the first level and stopped there as the steps were so narrow it was tough to pass anyone who was on their way down.  It was a gorgeous view, however, even from the first deck.

Across the way, Mya and I headed to the City Art Center while Paul checked out trains for his trip to Glasgow on Friday where he will meet with a long-time business colleague.  At the Art Centre we were stunned by the sculptures in the window -- entitled "The Crucifixion", there were three steel beam crosses with Jesus and the two thieves constructed from thick steel wire with 3-4 inch metal portions of coat hangers exploding from every space on their bodies.  The artist, David Mach, had created a large show of collages, sculptures, etc. focused on "The King James Bible:  1611 - 2011".  His art has taken over the five floors of the entire Art Centre with the fourth floor transformed into a studio where he can be seen working daily on a collage that will be unveiled in October! I plan to take my students to his Precious Light exhibition and focus particularly on The Crucifixion as a form of communication.  Keep you posted.