Alan Labb

This 15-day immersive studio course invites students to investigate the dynamic intersection of traditional craftsmanship and contemporary art practice in Japan. Traveling through three culturally significant regions¿the Seto Inland Sea, Kansai (Kyoto, Osaka, Kobe), and Tokyo¿participants will engage directly with Japan¿s layered histories through hands-on workshops, studio visits, and curated explorations of key cultural sites.

Program highlights include:
Intensive workshops with master artisans in traditional techniques such as washi papermaking, textile dyeing, and ukiyo-e woodblock printing
Visits to contemporary galleries, artist-run spaces, museums, and studios that illuminate Japan's evolving art landscape
Immersive encounters with cultural landmarks¿from Kyoto's contemplative temples to Tokyo's vibrant, hybrid art scenes
Through direct engagement with artists, curators, and scholars, students will critically examine how inherited craft practices inform and challenge contemporary modes of artmaking. This cross-cultural studio experience encourages experimentation with unfamiliar materials, processes, and conceptual frameworks, supporting students in expanding their own creative vocabularies through the lens of Japan¿s unique artistic context.

A six-credit option for this course is available for students who wish to extend their practice and complete portfolio-worthy work. This will require the production of a substantial body of work, accompanied by an online journal that documents the creative process and source information material as documented during our time in Japan. The experience will include additional independent studio time and culminate in a critique session held within six weeks of returning from Japan.

Large Format Photography introduces students to the concepts and aesthetics of working with a large-format view camera. Students will learn pre-visualization, camera movements, perspective control, large-format optics, and sheet film handling. Through flexible assignments, they are encouraged to develop a personal style while exploring traditional genres such as portraiture, landscape, studio, and architecture. Technical skills include view camera setup, the zone system, large-format scanning, and both analog and digital printing. Each student is assigned a 4x5 studio camera and has access to 8x10 and 4x5 field cameras, along with various optics and accessories.

Capturing Time explores the relationship between cinematic and photographic images through historical, theoretical, and artistic practices. Students will investigate the elusive concept of time and its presence across disciplines, forming the foundation for creating and experiencing time-based art. Weekly readings, screenings, and research will examine time, temporality, and the boundaries of still and moving images. Historical and contemporary resources will inform studio work, including visual exercises and a final project, culminating in a substantial body of work in each student's chosen medium.

This 15-day immersive studio course invites students to investigate the dynamic intersection of traditional craftsmanship and contemporary art practice in Japan. Traveling through three culturally significant regions - the Seto Inland Sea, Kansai (Kyoto, Osaka, Kobe), and Tokyo, participants will engage directly with Japan's layered histories through hands-on workshops, studio visits, and curated explorations of key cultural sites.

Program highlights include:
Intensive workshops with master artisans in traditional techniques such as washi papermaking, textile dyeing, and ukiyo-e woodblock printing
Visits to contemporary galleries, artist-run spaces, museums, and studios that illuminate Japan's evolving art landscape
Immersive encounters with cultural landmarks - from Kyoto's contemplative temples to Tokyo's vibrant, hybrid art scenes
Through direct engagement with artists, curators, and scholars, students will critically examine how inherited craft practices inform and challenge contemporary modes of artmaking. This cross-cultural studio experience encourages experimentation with unfamiliar materials, processes, and conceptual frameworks, supporting students in expanding their own creative vocabularies through the lens of Japan's unique artistic context.

A six-credit option for this course is available for students who wish to extend their practice and complete portfolio-worthy work. This will require the production of a substantial body of work, accompanied by an online journal that documents the creative process and source information material as documented during our time in Japan. The experience will include additional independent studio time and culminate in a critique session held within six weeks of returning from Japan.