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Structured Light
Professor: Daniel Clayman
The interdisciplinary course, Structured Light, engages students in the process of creating large scale, site-specific installations. Students develop transferable skills required to bring a public art piece from conception to fruition, such as the business of developing proposals to the technical aspects of installing a large-scale work.
Enrolled in the fall 2016 course were students at the sophomore, junior and senior levels, from a variety of majors, including glass, industrial design, architectural design, art education, ceramics, and sculpture. Under the guidance of Visiting Professor Daniel Clayman, the students helped to create his proposed work, Rainfield, and installed it in the Design and Media Center Atrium.
The students had an integral role in the production of Rainfield: they created the glass raindrops in the hot shop, sourced and tested the wire harnesses, assembled the pieces, contributed to the overall design of the sculpture, and installed the final work.
Students also created theoretical proposals for site-specific installations at the Prudential Center. The proposals included the components for a real installation, artwork, budgets, and engineering data. Representatives from Boston Properties critiqued the final proposals at the end of the semester.
The scope and interdisciplinary nature of this course and culminating sculpture, Rainfield, is central to the mission of MassArt and the purpose of its site, the new Design and Media Center.
The College is fortunate to have an artist of Dan Clayman's caliber to provide this unique opportunity to students as their Visiting Professor, being inspired by his vision and mentored as they work side by side on this project, from concept to installation.
Rainfield is a perfect example of experiential learning, a hallmark of a MassArt education, preparing our students for a lifetime of creative opportunity beyond MassArt.
- MassArt President David Nelson