hegemony rules

I’m teaching a special topics this semester at Loyola about guerilla/alternative media.  Here’s the course description from the syllabus:

Guerrilla Media covers the history and theory of alternative forms of journalism, film, art, and digital media production, and explores how the term guerrilla has been appropriated for various methods of distribution, promotion and audience participation. Some topics we will consider include:  the rise of DIY (do-it-yourself) culture, guerrilla/indie news media, citizen journalism, zines, music and film mashups/remixes, viral ad campaigns, and Web memes.  We will see how the “independent” classification shifts according to appropriations of avant-garde techniques and how similar guerrilla media tactics are employed by union activists, artists, bloggers, citizen journalists, and advertisers.  Students will have the opportunity to create their own media artifacts that reflect DIY/guerrilla media sensibilities.

The course is roughly divided into three parts.  During the first part of the course, we will focus on some of the foundational issues that shape the production and consumption of alternative/guerrilla media.  The second portion of the course will be dedicated to further understanding some of the expressions/forms of alternative/guerrilla media (zines, machinima, mashups/remixes, citizen journalism, etc.).  The third part of the course will be dedicated to understanding some of the political, social, and legal implications of alternative media artifacts.

Students are blogging regularly and will be creating some sort of guerrilla/alternative media (or campaign) for their final project.  In the spirit of the class, last week I offered students extra credit if they:  (1) found a DIY craft/technology project they liked (like those posted on Craftster or Instructables or Make), (2) made the project, (3) wrote back to the communities from which they found the project with additional suggestions/ideas/improvements, and (4) blogged about their creations (with pictures!).  They have until the end of the semester to post their projects, and I’m very excited to see what they make.

I like zines, which is no surprise to anyone who knows me. I’m happy to spend money on supporting handmade art, and zines have a material quality about them that I find intriguing.

So, I found this zine at Cafe Vita or somesuch place last week (in the “free” area next to The Stranger). It’s published by an artists’ collective called the S.S. Marie Antoinette (SSMA).

(Strange note here: I just saw the movie Marie Antoinette on Saturday, which was good. Oh, and Sofia Coppola must have some pretty great music supervisors working with her. So, the zine – I’d picked it up a few weeks ago, but hadn’t actually looked through it until today. Synchronicity?)

ANYWAY, the zine contains an engaging article about making art, which includes the following quote about “getting into the mood” for artistic creation:

Art is intense production. If you want to be cute and happy listen to a Belle and Sebastian record while knitting. That’s crafts! We’re talking Art here! It’s intense! Start with a coffee!!! Preferably a Grande Americano, no room, at least four shots, and some intense music, like Daft Punk or Andrew WK on repeat! Something with a constant 4/4 dance beat is all you need. Okay, so now you’re ready to make art!

This quote pretty much embodies the reason why I like reading zines – the creators always have strong opinions, with which I may not always agree, but I’m impressed with their intensity and drive to create.

BTW – while researching the SSMA, I found SeattleDIY.com, which publishes a great PDF guide to DIY spaces in Seattle.

Some of you may have received (or will receive) a copy of my two CD mixes for this year. I’m providing the track listing for those of you (like me) who will lose the little piece of paper I included in the jewel case.

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