ARCH466 is the organizing workshop that binds the staff until the project takes hold. The goal of the workshop is to introduce students to the interdependent relationships between content and form as they relate to the publishing of projects, essays, interviews, and lectures on architecture. The workshop will study the means and methods of book production through the study of printing practices, typography, and the workings of image and text as a commingled practice of editing and design. These subjects will be tested through the design and production of Dimensions.
Students with an interest and/or experience in graphic design/typography, criticism/writing, editing/publishing, and/or photography/documentation are encouraged to attend the first meeting and to explore the possibility of joining Dimensions. Graduate students (and highly motivated and disciplined undergraduates) are welcome to attend. The staff is generally limited to 6-8 students. 1 credit is issued in the Fall for the workshop and work related to the call for submissions followed by 3 credits in the Winter term focused on the design and production of the journal. Contact the advisor if the course conflicts with any other classes.
Dimensions staff are required to attend weekly meetings, act independently on individual and group tasks and participate in the comprehensive editing, design, and production of the journal. The duration of the design/production phase depends largely on the ability of the students to work as a collective and be held accountable individually beyond the organized workshop meetings.
This is not a class Ok, technically it is. But more importantly it is a project, as work on the journal will extend through most of the regular Winter term with ‘closing duties’ extending into late May. Students will be expected to contribute a significant amount of energy and effort until the journal is complete and submitted for printing. Previous Dimensions set a precedent for both content and form, and it should be the aim of this year’s staff to continue to build upon the accomplishments of previous volumes. But as they say: “it ain’t over until it’s over”. Grades will be issued after printing of the journal and the completion of all closing duties.
To learn more about past volumes see taubmancollege.umich.edu/dimensions
