Texts + Textures: A Writing Workshop | Session 1: Mimi Zeiger (loud paper)
The introductory session of Texts + Textures explores the built environment through literature, philosophy, and narrative nonfiction. Even in our image-saturated era, evocative writing is still an effective tool to describe, document, and reframe our understanding of the city. Throughout his writings, French sociologist Henri Lefebvre describes the city as oeuvre; a work of art created by its inhabitants and a collective result of human relations. As such, the urban fabric is both a text to read and to write.
In this session, Mimi Zeiger (loud paper) will help us explore our perceptions of the city through a series of writing exercises and a short walk. In order to prepare for this session, please read the following:
“The Street”, Georges Perec in Species of Spaces and Other Pieces
“Ruckus Flatbush”, Jonathan Lethem in Brooklyn Was Mine
“A Windstorm in Downtown Brooklyn”, Robert Sullivan in Brooklyn Was Mine
“City of Glass”, Paul Auster in The New York Trilogy, chapter 8
Optional Readings:
“Speak, Hoyt-Schermerhorn”, Jonathan Lethem in The Disappointment Artist
“The White Train”, J. Malcolm Garcia from Virginia Quarterly Review in The Best American Non-Required Reading 2008
“Growing Up in A Beaux Arts World”, Ada Louise Huxtable in On Architecture: Collected Reflections on a Century of Change
Mimi Zeiger founded loud paper, an architecture zine and now blog, in 1997. A Brooklyn-based freelancer, she writes on art, architecture, and design for a variety of publications including The New York Times, Dwell, Azure, and Architect, where she is a contributing editor. Zeiger is author of New Museums: Contemporary Museum Architecture Around the World and Tiny Houses.
Texts + Textures: A Writing Workshop is a series of classes that will explore writing as social practice. The site of exploration will be the New York metropolitan area. For our investigations, we will apply methods of research and inquiry from fields such as literature, anthropology, sociology, philosophy, art, architecture, and design. Theory from the various disciplines will be used to help frame our narratives. Issues that may be examined include agency/authority (e.g. writing in the city vs. writing about the city), community, participation, collaboration, and social change. All participants are encouraged to use different literary genres via multiple platforms. The workshop will take a multimedia approach which may include the combination of text, drawings, still images, video, and sound.
Facilitators wanted. If interested, please contact us via the comments section below.
- Date
- July 10, 2010 at 1:00pm
- Location
- 177 Livingston
- Facilitator
- Mimi Zeiger (loudpaper)
- Limit
- 15
- Fee
- Free
Comment
An update: We do plan to organize this class but teachers and schedules are yet to be determined.
My original intent was that “The Page + The Screen” and “Texts + Textures” would go hand-in-hand; the earlier would inform the latter. I do encourage those of you who are interested in taking this class to also consider taking one or more classes to be developed out of “The Page + The Screen” proposal (http://nyc.thepublicschool.org/class/1972). Other Public School classes that may provide more material/grounding include:
Democracy and Public Space in the 21st Century: New York City http://nyc.thepublicschool.org/class/2011
The Public School and Democracy Now!: The Future of Progressive Media http://nyc.thepublicschool.org/class/2045
Kultural Kapital v2 http://nyc.thepublicschool.org/class/1896
Architectural reading/book club http://nyc.thepublicschool.org/class/1955
Perhaps some content for this class could emerge from the other classes?
Also, if anyone knows of artists, designers, writers, or architects who use “methods of research and inquiry” that may be of interest to class participants, please post suggestions. If they use methods from fields outside of their own (e. g. from anthropology, sociology, and philosophy) that would be helpful, too.
24 Jan 2010 3:57PM
I'm uncertain as to whether one needs to press "submit" to register for the class. So I will leave a comment, which is just that I'm excited about the prospect of a multimedia exploration of the city and city issues. I'd like to combine writing and drawing, which I haven't done before, and to explore different genres of writing/journalism. And to learn techniques and concepts from other disciplines, such as urban archeology.
18 Jun 2010 7:41PM
Hi Erica,
Thank you for your interest in Texts + Textures! By clicking on the “Yes” button under RSVP, you registered for Mimi Zeiger’s session on July 10. We look forward to seeing you at 177 Livingston in Brooklyn.
Regarding your comment, we’d love to host a “multimedia exploration of the city” that combines writing and drawing. Would you be interested in facilitating a session like that or do you know of any urban archeologists who may be interested?
23 Jun 2010 10:01AM
Erica,
I forgot to mention that our class with Mimi will be an introductory session focusing on perception. It will include two short walks and two in-class writing assignments. A more detailed description will be posted shortly.
A side note: I proposed this class with the hope of having multiple sessions so we can definitely start a discussion here on the website and during the first class on the use of the interdisciplinary and multimedia methods mentioned in the proposal. We welcome suggestions and are looking for facilitators.
23 Jun 2010 10:21PM
I would also recommend Jill Magid's Lincoln Ocean Victor Eddy piece. Amazing amazing amazing.
1 Jul 2010 5:56PM
here is the project site: http://www.lincoln-ocean-victor-eddy.net/
1 Jul 2010 5:58PM
Thanks for sharing Jill's piece. It is very cool. I'm not sure if they'll be a projector for the class, but if you want to talk about the project, we can try to find one.
Also, feel free to post or bring relevant texts and images to class to add to the discussion.
1 Jul 2010 6:27PM
We do have a projector for the space so all we need is a laptop. Thanks, isobelroe!
2 Jul 2010 1:16PM
great. I plan to bring mine anyway.
2 Jul 2010 10:34PM
my own laptop, that is.
2 Jul 2010 10:43PM
I am having the same issue as Erica. I am not sure if my registration has gone through.
7 Jul 2010 10:22AM
Hi Boramici,
Just confirming that you are signed up for Saturday’s class with Mimi.
7 Jul 2010 10:48AM
Hi all,
I'm looking forward to tomorrow's class. Just a reminder to bring a notebook/pen, ipad, laptop, or any other device you'd like to use to for in-class writing exercises and observations.
We will be walking, rain or shine, so bring an umbrella.
-Mimi
9 Jul 2010 12:51PM
Hope it's not to late to RSVP. Really looking forward to this class. Thanks!
10 Jul 2010 9:01AM
Hi all,
Fantastic class today. Thank you all for sharing your writing and observations. Really great stuff.
This is just a reminder to post your "dispatch" here so that we can send it to Berlin. Also, I had a thought that we could use Google Maps to geo-locate key spots in your narratives, so that there is a real map to go along with the texts.
-Mimi
10 Jul 2010 5:13PM
This class was indeed fantastic. Thank you, Mimi, for jump-starting the inner writer in all of us and thank you to all who participated. I look forward to our next session which is now being organized. Please go to http://nyc.thepublicschool.org/class/2610 to sign up and post ideas. Newcomers welcome!
10 Jul 2010 10:26PM
Thanks to Mimi. And everyone else too. The strategy of "observing" for both writing the text and talking about the next sparked lots of ideas. I signed up for v2. Looking forward to it.
11 Jul 2010 7:25AM