On Exhibit: Quantified Self

This week, i'm revealing two pages from Chapter One of the dissertation. They're a couplet (as many have been throughout Ch1 and the Interlude) and will be on display starting this week as part of the exhibition "Quantified Self" at Gallery Project in Ann Arbor, MI. The show features local and national artists, and apparently famed information designer Edward Tufte... Wish i could check it out!

Thanks to Rocco, Gloria, and the curators for the invitation to participate. Please find gallery info below - and also, I've shared a few of the early sketches that led to these pages - and ways that they almost became a single page. Hope you enjoy a little bit of the behind the scenes play... - Nick 

 

Gallery Project presents Quantified Self, a multimedia exhibit in which 34 local, regional, and national artists examine how individuals collect and often project information about themselves and others in the digital world. Artists examine the quantified self from two unique perspectives: one, how information about individuals is collected, stored, processed, and used by these individuals and communicated to others; and two how entities collect information about individuals and groups for commercial and other purposes.  Artists in the exhibit include Peter Adamczyk, Brett Ian Balogh, Emily Blyth-Jones, Seder Burns, James Davenport, Sage Dawson, Rocco DePietro, Nicholas Fenton, Jason Ferguson, Laurie Frick, Roland Graf, Richelle Gribble, Deborah Gumucio, Megan Hildebrandt, Sinimaria Ikonen, Kyle Kramer, Susan Krueger, Beili Liu and Rino Pizzi, Louise Ma, Collin McRae, Michael Nagara, Mark Neuman, Shelby Olsen, Erica Podwoiski, Gloria Pritschet, Colin Raymond, Mark Royal Schroll, Bethany Shorb, Nick Sousanis, Cedric Tai, Edward Tufte, Ben Utigard, and Mark Wentzl. Gallery Project collaborators Colin Raymond and Kyle Kramer are curating this exhibit.

215 South Fourth Avenue, Ann Arbor, MI 48103 New Hours: Thursday-Saturday, noon-9; Sunday, noon-6; closed on Monday Thru Wednesday

734.997.7012 galleryproject@gmail.com http://www.thegalleryproject.com

Flatland Interlude concludes...

With these three pages, I wrap up the Flatland-related sequence (Part one here) that bridges the gap between the heavily metaphorical Chapter One and the slightly less so Chapter Two. I've also included a process photo as I was working to figure out the "tear" effect on the first page. In my sketches, the sandals were more meteor than tear, but as that concept evolved, I found i needed to work from something outside of my head. Also, a note about these pages - you don't have to know that Hermes is (among other things) the god of Boundaries and that he gave the winged sandals to Perseus (often depicted as carried aloft on the winged horse Pegasus instead, though Pegasus is born later in the tale). This gift was to carry Perseus to slay Medusa - noted for being able to render all who looked upon her inanimate. Anyhow, you don't need to know such things - but it may put a different spin on it if you do... - Nick

 This is the model to create the first page in this sequence. And below, since I'm sharing process here, two early sketches from my notebook that led to this page.

District Comics

A while back, award-winning science comics writer and great guy Jim Ottaviani invited me to collaborate with him on a story he was writing for the anthology District Comics - an unconventional history of Washington, D.C. edited by Matt Dembicki, who had previously put together the award-winning Trickster anthology. The chance to work with Jim and a good project was too much to pass up - despite dissertation anxiety - and so this got drawn up last fall. I gave myself a little tighter timeline than I should've, and felt like i was just learning what i wanted to do as i had to submit final work - but so it goes. A good experience out of my typical way of working, and I look forward to another chance to work with Jim - post dissertation!

Anyhow, District Comics was released today - and features a strong and diverse cast of storytellers, giving an educational and entertaining look at the history of our nation's capital. (My copy just arrived, so i'm looking forward to spending time with all the other contributors.

Check out District Comics on the web here (and on Amazon here), and their Facebook page for here signing dates for those in the greater DC area.

For more science history comics by Jim Ottaviani and his collaborators - see his site here. Can't recommend them highly enough - for educators, science enthusiasts, and well, anyone!!

A few excerpt images below... - Nick

visiting EA Abbott's Flatland

Last post, i shared an incomplete preview page to accompany an article professor Morna McDermott wrote incorporating some of my work on flatness. Now I've got a complete segment of pages, that comprise the first half of the interlude spanning Chapters One and Two. They pick up the themes of the first chapter, but start to move towards what can we do - which is the work of Chapters Two onward... I've always loved Edwin A. Abbott's classic Flatland - from a mathematical and philosophical standpoint - and as my work is on unflattening - it seemed more than appropriate to include it. I'm quite pleased with how it synchs up and bolsters where i'm going with the narrative. Thanks - Nick

Flattening education - preview image

The other day, i had the opportunity to connect with Prof. Morna McDermott and the two of us went to visit with Maxine Greene (see my comic on her here). The ensuing conversation sprawled all that's going on with education and possibilities for change. Morna wrote up her reflections incorporating some images of my work on flatness from the dissertation. It's important work and i'm glad to be connected to it. Check it out here: http://educationalchemy.com/2012/07/30/escape-from-flatness/

Related, I've started chapter two, or perhaps an interlude between chapters one and two, and within i'm doing a direct reference to Edwin A. Abbott's classic work Flatland. I happen to show the layout to my wife last night and she said something about my never repeating a composition. I don't know that that's true - but i think about content as shaping form, and the form in turn shaping the content - which means that the shape of the page itself as much as the elements on it, voice the ideas. Or something like that... Anyhow, here's a peak at the picture-less version of one of the pages that takes up Flatland. I'm planning to post the entire sequence shortly. - Nick

Tops - Chapter One Complete!

Chapter One is completed!! This first chapter has been a long process to say the least - but excited with how it's all come together. This pair of pages is essentially the close of the chapter, there's a brief coda that follows, which i may post here. I've actually not posted very many of the pages yet, and I'm still figuring out how much to put out here, knowing that certainly some changes will happen before the final drafts. (I welcome feedback on that - and the work, as always.) 

Anyhow, this sequence owes some inspiration from my earlier comic on Maxine Greene in which i depicted her as a spinning whirlwind of a top. I've been using the top imagery in the talks i've been giving - and continue that here. This first chapter has been dark - "expansive and claustrophobic" have been my guiding terms. Looking forward to getting to the next chapters and with a little more space to breathe. - Nick 

Comics & Education - News/interviews

Briefly: the Denver - Rocky Mountain Comics/Ed conference rocked! Got to hang out and learn from folks like Maureen Bakis, James Bucky Carter, Charles Hatfield, RC Harvey, and Scott McCloud! Plus met a lot of new folks doing great work in comics along the way. Thanks to Christina Angel and crew for hosting a fantastic gathering.

In the meantime, UK journalist Matt Finch presented a series of interviews on comics and education here. The series includes interviews with Jessica Abel, Dimsum warrior scribe Dr.  Yen Yen Woo, and me - sharing thoughts about comics and education. 


Also this week, on the Chronicle's Professor Hacker column, Anastasia Salter wrote a sweeping column generated from a THATCamp event talking comics and education - and featured a kind nod to my work here. Great post filled with terrific resources for those interested in comics and education.

Thanks Matt and Anastasia for the support!

Oh, and one panel from a new page. I've been plugging away and will have more excerpts to share soon. - Nick