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Step 1: Choose Installation
Choose ONE of the following installations created by
Step 1: Choose Installation
Choose ONE of the following installations created by Ai. These are the only approved options. You CANNOT write on any of the installations featured in the documentary. Click the titles in BLUE to see images and begin your research.
All three options are large scale installations. Read more about the characteristics of installation art at the Tate before making your selection.
Ai is also primarily a conceptual artist. You can learn more about conceptual art here.
The Refugee Affect: Ai Weiwei in Berlin – EuropeNow (europenowjournal.org)
1. “The World as a Readymade: A Conversation with Ai Weiwei”
PDF version: https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/epdf/10.1080/25785273.2022.2061143?needAccess=true
MLA citation:
Mendes, Ana Cristina, and Ai Weiwei. “The World as a Readymade: A Conversation with Ai Weiwei.” Transnational Screens, vol. 13, no. 2, May 2022, pp. 157–75. Taylor and Francis+NEJM, https://doi.org/10.1080/25785273.2022.2061143.
2. “The Refugee Affect: Ai Weiwei in Berlin”
MLA citation:
Haakenson, Thomas O. “The Refugee Affect: Ai Weiwei in Berlin.” EuropeNow, Apr. 2019, https://www.europenowjournal.org/2019/04/04/refugees-and-refusals-ai-weiwei-and-his-art-residency-in-berlin/.
3. “Ai Weiwei Wraps Berlin’s Konzerthaus with 14,000 Refugee Life Jackets.”
MLA citation:
Azzarello, Nina. “Ai Weiwei Wraps Berlin’s Konzerthaus with 14,000 Refugee Life Jackets.” Designboom | Architecture & Design Magazine, 15 Feb. 2016, https://www.designboom.com/art/ai-weiwei-life-jackets-refugee-konzerthaus-berlin-02-15-2016/.
Writing on any installation not included in the list and described above will result in failing grade on this assignment.
Step 2: Read Secondary Sources for Context
I’ve compiled a set of secondary resources for each of the four options. They will provide you with the context needed to write your interpretation. These are the only resources you may use and using any other outside sources will also result in an automatic zero on the assignment.
The goal of this assignment is for you to practice developing your own interpretations and supporting evidence. This material will aid you in developing your ideas, but you should not rely on it in place of your own analysis. Keep references and quotations from the secondary sources to a minimum in your final paper.
As you read through the material for the installation, use the active reading skills we’ve been practicing throughout the terms to fill in any knowledge gaps you have about the situation Ai is responding to and commenting on with his art.
Approved Secondary Sources for #SafePassage
Step 3: Brainstorm for your essay and develop a working thesis.
Once you have made you have spent time looking at the installation and reading the secondary source materials, you should spend some time brainstorming ideas for your essay. If you’re unfamiliar with brainstorming, please review the page here for a wide variety of techniques. I recommend the “3 perspectives,” “freewriting,” and “clustering/mapping/webbing” for this kind of essay. During the brainstorming process, highlight examples from the installation’s form and content, and review your answers to the discussion questions. Build on what you’ve already written!
At the end of the the brainstorming process, draft a working interpretive thesis statement about the installation’s meaning.
Your working thesis statement may need to be revised once you’ve completed your draft. Don’t be afraid to let your ideas develop as you write. You can review how to develop and write thesis statements here.
Step 4: Write Your Draft.
When drafting your paper, write in your own words and keep quotations to a minimum. Review how to properly use paraphrase and summary to avoid plagiarism and patch writing. Review the originality requirements and penalties on the syllabus.
Your submission must include ALL the following elements:
Introduction paragraph that includes all the following elements:
the name of the installation (properly formatted), its original exhibition information (location and year), the materials, and if available, the installation’s dimensions.
a short introduction to the topic Ai’s addressing in the installation,
and end with the interpretive thesis statement about the installation. Do not pose a rhetorical question as your thesis statement.
Description: write a thorough description of the installation using the elements and principles of design. The description must include enough detail so that someone who could not physically see it would be able to accurately visualize it. You must use the visual arts vocabulary correctly.
Analysis: Offer an explanation of the installation’s purpose (why was it made) and a reasonable analysis of the installation’s main idea (what does it mean). Support your explanation and analysis with evidence from the installation with descriptions of what you see and relevant contextual evidence that you learned from your research. You must use the visual arts vocabulary correctly. You must use formal, content, and contextual evidence to support your interpretation.
The analysis paragraphs should follow the claim, evidence, explain format:
Begin with a topic sentence that links to and supports your thesis from the introduction
Introduce the example you’re going to analyze
Give example (this could be a quotation, description of installation, description of scene, etc.)
Analyze the example and explain how it supports the topic sentence and the thesis
Repeat steps 2-4 if you have more examples for that topic sentence
Summarize discussion
Conclude and transition to next idea in the next paragraph.
Artistically Successful?: Offer an argument about whether or not you think the installation is artistically successful. Support your argument with evidence from the installation and research.
For the purposes of this assignment, we’re defining a work of art as “artistically successful” when an artist uses form (the elements and principles of design) and content (symbols, images, narrative) to clearly convey a message to their audience.
You must use evidence from the installation and your research to support your claim.
Reflective Conclusion: write a reflective conclusion in which you answer all the following questions:
What originally drew you to this installation?
What was the most helpful thing you learned from the secondary sources?
What more did you learn about Ai, his art, and the issue he was drawing attention to?
What have you learned about analyzing visual art?
Works Cited Page: must include the secondary sources.
Your submission must be presented in MLA format and use MLA style for the works cited page and in-text citations.
Step 5: Revise your draft.
Once you’ve completed your rough draft, you should spend time revising it. During the revision process, focus on the organization of the essay and the individual paragraphs. Do the paragraphs follow the claim, evidence, explain format? Do the paragraphs have topic sentences that support the thesis? Do you need to revise the thesis? Do you need to add more evidence? Do you need to remove some discussions because they’re off topic? Does your interpretation develop logically?
Here are some resources to help you learn about and develop your revision practice.
Higher and lower order revision concerns
What is revision and how do I do it?
Step 6: Proofread and Submit.
Before submitting your revised draft, spend some time proofreading it. Check your formatting, spelling, punctuation, etc.
Proofreading and MLA resources
Sentence patterns
Proofreading
Reading aloud video
Reading aloud (handout)
General MLA format explanation and example image
MLA Style guide overview
In-Text Citations: The Basics
Formatting Quotations
Works Cited Page: Basic Format
Works Cited: Electronic Sources (Web Publications)
Works Cited: Other sources including paintings, film, etc.
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