Master Class THE ROLE OF NARRATIVE IN THE VISUAL ARTS: From Miracles and Mystery to the Small Invisible Acts of Human Spirit by Dr. Klaus Speidel
General Course Description
“In the times of bigness, spectaculars, one hundred million movie productions, I want to speak for the small, invisible acts of human spirit, so subtle, so small that they die when brought out under the Kleegue [sic] lights. I want to celebrate the small forms of cinema, the lyrical forms, the poem, the watercolor, etude, sketch, postcard, arabesque, triolet, and bagatelle, and little 8-mm songs.” (Jonas Mekas, Anti-100 Years of Cinema Manifesto, c. 1996)
“Stories are often bordered by miracles and mystery. They do not tolerate information as opposing the enigma. Explanation and narrative are mutually exclusive.” (Byung-Chul Han, Die Krise der Narration, 2023)
“In this masterclass, we will explore the different ways narrative is relevant to visual artists, from the content of their work to the stories they (and others) tell about it. While narrative used to be so central for visual artists that the Italian word “istoria” (story) was a synonym for “painting” in the Renaissance, the centuries to follow saw the importance of storytelling decline in “high art”. Throughout the 20th century, artists and artwriters criticized, rejected, deconstructed, wrote off or declared narrative dead. While most of us never stopped to love stories in our ordinary lives – a craving comics draughtsmen, novelists and filmmakers readily satisfied – Modernism flatly rejected narrative as “literary” and thus foreign to visual art. “Real” artists supposedly dealt in concepts and abstractions. Yet, when artists abandon storytelling altogether, we risk of losing touch with an essential part of our humanity and a way to connect to others. Nor is it clear whether it is even possible to really rid ourselves of stories. When we dig deeper, we soon realize that stories are vital to how we connect to some of the most influential artists of the past and present. The question then is not so much if, but how we want to tell stories.
Systematically moving back and forth between history, theory and practice, we will assess how narrative matters to your creations and explore different ways you might want to use storytelling, whether you think of yourself as a visual storyteller, your approach is purely conceptual or you are more focused on exploring forms and materials. We will also look at the role of storytelling for personal (and group) identity and discuss the reasons why storytelling has been criticized regularly throughout the 20th century – while its importance in marketing and politics grew – and how artists such as Jonas Mekas have consciously tried to escape the pitfalls of the “hundred million movie productions” and populist’s tales alike. How, for instance, can we create stories that remain mysterious and leave space for our audiences?
Despite their differences, Tracey Emin and Francis Alÿs are both storytellers. But so is Marcel Duchamp – even though works like Fountain (1917), the pissoir turned artwork, or Fresh Widow (2020), a blacked out window, do not tell a story in and by themselves. It may be as “content” of an artwork that narrative is the most conspicuous, especially with artists who are visual narrators like William Kentridge or Kara Walker. But even when it seems to appear only on the sidelines or periphery, narrative can play an essential role for the way art is viewed, affects us and is communicated. Whether you love him or hate him, it is clear that Banksy’s sucesss is largely mediated through the stories told about his works. But perhaps there is something to telling stories like Alÿs or Walker rather than Banksy? Let’s find out together where you (want to) stand.” (Text by courtesy of Dr. Klaus Speidel )
Learning Outcomes
Upon successful completion of the course, participants will
- understand the place of narrative in contemporary society and art, including the problems it may cause and why some writers have been critical of storytelling
- know how to avoid the trap of simplistic tales to allow for more meaningful engagement
- understand different approaches to visual narrative to be activated in different media
- comprehend methods to induce narrative understanding in audiences using cognitive scripts and frames
- better understand how others understand the narratives we are trying to convey and have a sense of where communications may break down
- master the narratives around our work and ourselves
- understand how to structure exhibitions as narratives
General Guidelines
This masterclass is open to anyone who has the desire to explore the role of narrative for contemporary art, society and their own practice, experienced or not. We encourage all participants to come with an open mind and a willingness to engage in thoughtful, constructive feedback sessions with both the instructor and their peers. Respectful communication and active listening are essential for creating a supportive and collaborative learning environment. We also recommend that you bring (pictures of) any relevant materials or works-in-progress that you would like to discuss or receive feedback on during the course.
Among other things, participants are expected to
- actively participate in class discussions in person
- listen to other students thoroughly and reply to their concerns rather than only sharing their own thoughts
- honestly share their own points of view and challenges they face in their own work or with the work of fellow students in a benevolent and positive way
- share their specific situated knowledge or opinions with others, e.g. specific cultural knowledge, without assuming that they are shared
- be aware of the fact that points of view may be biased and to be open to questioning how they see things in a productive dialogue
- be open for feedback and revising their work
- develop, share and adapt works based on class assessment inside and outside of the classroom
Among other things, the instructor is expected to:
- Create a climate where all students feel comfortable sharing their works and opinions
- Make sure that every voice is heard and no student is left behind, perhaps because they are not as confident as other students or more polite
Benefits
After the Masterclass, you will be able to answer questions like these:
- Which role does narrative play for my identity as a person and artist?
- What is my position on the criticism leveled at narrative and how does my practice escape it?
- How challenging are the narrative devices I use (e.g. conveying a story through traces will usually be more challenging than conveying a story through figures alone)?
- How systematic are my variations (e.g. introducing slight variations in order to obtain shifts in scripts, for instance conveying common exploration rather than one-sided leadership)?
- Are my creations likely understood in the way I intend them to be? Will viewers be likely understand what my creation is about? (e.g. a work may be aimed at conveying a multiplicity of possible narratives or else just one very specific one. Does it do so?)
- For the creations involving word and image: How do the internal narrative (as conveyed by a visual artifact) and external narrative (conveyed through words, e.g. legends, titles, subtitles…) work together (e.g. Are they complementary rather than redundant? Are there interesting tensions between them?)?
- Do different aspects of the work concur to obtain an overall effect?
- e.g. explicit and implicit contents
- stylistic choices
- organization on page or in space
- color and light
- for the creations involving word and image: Does the choice of words fit, is it efficient?
Methods and Topics of Teaching
Throughout the masterclass, we’ll alternate between sessions where we introduce methods and approaches and experimentation with these methods, followed by feedback sessions, where you can experiment and apply your newfound insights to your own work. Having a diverse group of peers and the instructor give you honest feedback on your productions is an important part of the class and a valuable way to better understand how your works are understood.
You will learn how artists of different cultures have told stories throughout the ages, often using narrative devices that are all but forgotten. We will not only explore history painting in Europe, but also discover narrative images produced by the Arrente in Amazonas, the Walbiri in Australia and the technique of Mata-ni-Pachedi practiced by the Vaghari community around Ahmedabad in India. Exchanging stories amongst each other, we will experiment with different forms of storytelling and different situations for narrative, in order to grasp how and where narrative could find a place in our own artistic practice as content, tool or topic. You might want to refine your qualities as visual storyteller, use narrative to communicate about your practice and works, create exhibitions that function like narratives or all of these combined.
Program Structure with Daily Course Description
Day 1
9:30 AM Reception at the BAI
Morning Session:
Introduction, presentations
What narrative is and why it matters.
Narrative and identity.
Afternoon Session:
Minimal narratives and distribution of student presentations
Exercise “Minimal Narrative” (visual/verbal)
Day 2
Morning Session:
Debrief “Minimal Narrative”
Narrativity and Narrative
Afternoon Session:
Methods and modalities of visual narrative
Script Theory
Exercise “Modalities of Visual Narrative”
Day 3
Morning Session:
Narrative practices through history and across cultures 1
Exercise “Best practices”
Afternoon Session:
Narrating artistic practices.
The exhibition as a narrative.
Exercise “Narrating your practice”
Day 4
Morning Session:
Debrief “Best practices”
Narrative practices through history and across cultures 2 (or Narrative in modern and contemporary art 1)
Afternoon Session:
Debrief “Narrating your practice”
Day 5
Morning Session:
Narrative in modern and contemporary art (or Narrative in modern and contemporary art 2)
Exercise “Best practices“
Afternoon Session:
Debrief “Best practices”
Final discussion
Hours: Each day from 10 AM – 4 PM (including several breaks & lunchtime)
Seats: Min: 6 | Max: 20 | Language: English
Fees: There is a one-off registration fee of €50. The participation fee is €850 per person (without accommodation).
The fee is VAT-exempt by the Governing Mayor of Berlin – Senate Chancellery Higher Education and Research pursuant to Paragraph 4 No. (21) (a)(bb) UStG (German Value Added Tax Act).
Resources and Readings
Defining Narrative
Jerome Bruner, « Two modes of thought » in Actual Minds, Possible Worlds, Cambridge 1986, especially pp. 11 – 28
Klaus Speidel, « What narrative is. Reconsidering definitions based on experiments with pictorial narrative. An essay in descriptive narratology » in Frontiers of Narrative Studies, 2018; 4(s1): pp. 76 – 104
Narrative Approaches to the Self
Maya Schechtman, « The Narrative Self » in The Oxford Handbook of the Self, Oxford, 2011
Galen Strawson, « Against Narrativity », Ratio (new series) XVII 4 December 2004
Matti Hyvärinen, « ‘Against Narrativity’ (Strawson) reconsidered », in Rossholm Göran, Johansson Christer (eds.), Disputable Core Concepts of Narrative Theory, 2012
Criticism of Storytelling
Byung-Chul Han, Die Krise der Narration, Berlin, 2023
Christian Salmon Storytelling: Bewitching the Modern Mind, London, 2017
Simon Susen, “The Economy of Enrichment: Towards a New Form of Capitalism?” Berlin Journal of Critical Theory 2.2, 2017
Problems of visual narrative:
Hannah Fasnacht, “The Narrative Characteristics of Images”, British Journal for Aesthetics, February 2023
Nelson Goodman, “Twisted Tales of Story, Study, and Symphony”, Critical Inquiry 7. 1980. Reprinted in Nelson Goodman, Of Mind and Other Matters, Cambridge, 1984
Nancy D. Munn, Walbiri Iconography: Graphic Representation and Cultural Symbolism in Central Australian Society (Symbol, myth and ritual series), Cornell University Press, 1973
Estefania Penafiel Loaiza: las palabras andantes (prémices), 2019, video, 13 min. 26 s.
Durga Kulkarni, “Mata Ni Pachedi – Where Goddesses Come Alive”, Research Draft, January 2021: https://www.researchgate.net/project/Mata-Ni-Pachedi-Where-Goddesses-Come-Alive
Klaus Speidel, “The Problem of Narration in Abstract Art / Le problème de la narration dans l’art abstrait”, Flatlands. Narrative Abstractions, Marianne Derrien, Sarah Ihler-Meyer (eds.), Mudam Luxembourg, Mrac Occitanie/Pyrénées-Méditérranée, Editions Cantz, Esslingen/Luxemburg, 2018
Klaus Speidel, “Lolita and the lovebite. How stories get into space. With a call for trace-based narratives in art”, lightness and mater: Transmediale Kunst | Transmedia Art, Brigite Kowanz/Peter Kozek (eds.), Edition Angewandte/De Gruyter, Wien/Hamburg, 2018
Klaus Speidel, “‘Telling in Time’ Extended: How Single Pictures Convey Stories, Evoking Suspense, Curiosity, Surprise and Relief”, Poetics Today, Vol. 41, 2020
Your Master Class Instructor
Dr. Klaus Speidel is an art critic and curator, art and image theorist, and winner of the prestigious AICA France prize for Art Criticism awarded by the international association of art critics. He studied philosophy and art history in Munich (LMU) and Paris (Ecole normale supérieure, Paris X Nanterre, Sorbonne) and holds a PhD (Sorbonne) which he did on visual narrative, a topic he has worked, published, talked and taught about for more than 15 years teaches, among them at the Paris College of Art and the University for Applied Arts in Vienna where he currently teaches. He previously held positions at the Sorbonne, Université Paris Diderot, as well as the Universities of Konstanz and Vienna and at numerous fine arts and design academies, such as the design academy Strate in Paris and the HDK in Gothenburg.
Beyond numerous publications on topics related to art, narrative, visual storytelling, depiction, style, drawing and digital, Klaus Speidel writes essays and reviews for the Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung, Der Standard, Spike Art Quarterly, artpress, The Art Newspaper, Parnass or The Brooklyn Rail and in catalogues, for instance for the Centre Pompidou, Schirn Kunsthalle, mumok, Albertina, Belvedere, FRAC Franche-Comté, mudam Luxemburg and Kunsthalle Tübingen and Wien. He curated and co-curated exhibitions in Germany, Austria and France in museums and galleries like the Dom Museum Wien, Kunsthalle Wien, Kunstraum Memphis, Galerie Vincenz Sala, Xpo Gallery Paris or Galerie Krinzinger, regularly experimenting with new ways to write and conceive exhibition narratives. He was a guest on the Arte TV show Philosophie with the topic « Image » and a keynote speaker at different international events. Some of his recent curations were Interference. Traces, stories and ghosts (Curated by in Vienna at Galerie Krobath), A shop is a shop is a shop (Kunsthalle Wien, Vienna), Narrating narrativity (Krinzinger Schottenfeld, Vienna) and Fragile Narratives(Kunstraum Memphis, Linz). He also co-curated Fragile Creation and Show me your wound (co-curated with Johanna Schwanberg, Dom Museum Vienna) and De l’écriture de l’écriture (Galerie Vinzenz Sala, Paris) and is currently working on Being mortal, an exhibition addressing death and dying that will open at Dom Museum Vienna in October 2023. As the co-founder of Verein K, he organises and facilitates « Crit Cross. A Forum on Art Criticism ».
More information on the Academia Website and on Instagram.
