Rules and Gesture
This project explores the role of structure and limitations in shaping conceptual and performative video art. Students are exposed to the expansive video practices of such artists as Martine Syms and her Notes on Gesture, Paul Pfieffer’s Caryatids, and Bruce Nauman’s Square Series and asked to create a cohesive series of short video clips using a self-defined set of rules and/or gestures as a creative framework in order to discover how constraints can foster innovation and guide their artistic process.
This approach emphasizes the power of iterative, structured methods, encouraging students to develop works that balance conceptual rigor with aesthetic and material exploration. Through this experience, students come to understand the potential of working in series, and the role of structure and rules.
Lila Condie, BFA ‘27
Sawyer Wiggins, BFA ‘27
This project explores the role of structure and limitations in shaping conceptual and performative video art. Students are exposed to the expansive video practices of such artists as Martine Syms and her Notes on Gesture, Paul Pfieffer’s Caryatids, and Bruce Nauman’s Square Series and asked to create a cohesive series of short video clips using a self-defined set of rules and/or gestures as a creative framework in order to discover how constraints can foster innovation and guide their artistic process.
This approach emphasizes the power of iterative, structured methods, encouraging students to develop works that balance conceptual rigor with aesthetic and material exploration. Through this experience, students come to understand the potential of working in series, and the role of structure and rules.
Lila Condie, BFA ‘27
Sawyer Wiggins, BFA ‘27