A wide shot of a ceramics studio, featuring students working with pottery wheels and other tools.
An image of Marlena Novak.

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Marlena Novak

Professor, Adjunct

Contact

Bio

Professor, Adjunct (FVNMA). BFA, 1979, Carnegie-Mellon, Pgh; MFA, 1983, Northwestern, Evanston. Exhibitions: National Art Museum of China, Beijing: Translife Trieniale; Streaming Festival, The Hague; STRP Electronic Music and Art Festival, Eindhoven; Centro de Arte Santa Mònica, Barcelona; Haus der Kulturen der Welt, Berlin; Burning Man, NV; Polderlicht, Amsterdam; Experimental Intermedia, NY; Estacionarte, Mexico City; Univ. of New Mexico Museum. Bibliography: TransLife 2011; Erased Walls Biennale; De Bomen van Pythagoras; New York Times; Kolner Stadt-Anzeiger. Collections: Corcoran; Mondriaanhuis; Tweed and Davis Museums; 150 Media Stream; 1 Prudential Plaza. Awards: Center for Interdisciplinary Arts Research; Illinois Arts Council; British Arts Council, Marion Kryczka Teaching Excellence; Illinois Arts Council Agency Fellowship Award in Digital Arts.

Experience at SAIC

I've enjoyed introducing SAIC students' work to appropriate professional venues and observing their artistic growth as they develop in their practice. I believe it's important to be conversant with multiple disciplines as an artist and at SAIC the students are encouraged to do so. As a result, it's a pleasure to work with individuals from a wide range of programs—it makes the texture of the class content so much richer. Additionally, having a chance for students to attend the many informative and varied visiting artist presentations is a valuable part of this learning environment. Becoming acquainted with the work of my colleagues and developing a dialogue with the faculty throughout the School is an added bonus.

Personal Statement

The conceptual basis of my work determines the formation and means of expression. The output is a hybrid comprising installations incorporating interactive technologies, digital video, animation and photography, and socially-engaged activities, often within a collaborative context with scientists, musicians and other artists. I have been grateful for the opportunities to have my solo and collaborative works exhibited in the U.S. and abroad and also represented in museum and private collections. The past several years have been particularly rewarding with exhibitions, presentations and screenings in Amsterdam, Barcelona, Berlin, Beijing, Brussels, Budapest, Chicago, Cologne, Eindhoven, The Hague, Huddersfield, Jerusalem, London, Mexico City, Santa Fe, Taipei, Turin, Tel Aviv, Valencia and Warsaw. I enjoy, in turn, having the opportunity to bring new materials into the classroom from these international experiences as well as to introduce the work of my students to others outside of the SAIC community. Prior to working with the moving image through video, animation and interactivity, I was an exhibiting painter. My teaching reflects this engagement across disciplines.

Current Interests

I'm interested in the ways in which perception functions to address how social, cultural and political boundaries are constructed and interrogated. This has led me to engage with themes as varied as the mating behavior/penis fencing of hermaphroditic marine flatworms, the virtuosity of the European blackbird, the sonification of electric fish from the Amazon, coral reef ecosystems and multiple domains of the human and the non-human, as well as speculative creatures, objects and environments. Concerns addressing anthropocenic topics drive both my artwork and my teaching with a focus on alternate world-building.

Works Hosted on Vimeo

Marlena Novak, Timeslips (2019) Trailer, Video

Marlena Novak, August & September 2019 Featured Artwork Choral, Video

Marlena Novak, Naming Things: Dining Tsars (215-16), Video

Marlena Novak, Naming Things: ...After & Before (2016), Video

Marlena Novak, Bird (2102-2014), Video

Marlena Novak, Frontier (2009-10), Video

Marlena Novak, Naming Things: Shelf_Life [New Nature] (2015-16), Video

Courses

Title Department Catalog Term

Description

This class is inspired by Johannes Itten?s radical early twentieth-century basic art course developed for the Weimar Bauhaus School of Art, but here using the Maya 3D software, typically used for commercial productions by the entertainment industry. Students will solve a series of formal problems, introduced in increasing levels of complexity. Moving from the 2-dimensional to the 3-dimensional and ultimately to the four-dimensional or time-based, students will evolve their abilities to utilize aspects of light and dark, form, rhythm, color, proportion and volume but in terms of a post photographic discourse, with the intention of advancing a new virtual cinema.

Class Number

1435

Credits

3

Description

This class is inspired by Johannes Itten?s radical early twentieth-century basic art course developed for the Weimar Bauhaus School of Art, but here using the Maya 3D software, typically used for commercial productions by the entertainment industry. Students will solve a series of formal problems, introduced in increasing levels of complexity. Moving from the 2-dimensional to the 3-dimensional and ultimately to the four-dimensional or time-based, students will evolve their abilities to utilize aspects of light and dark, form, rhythm, color, proportion and volume but in terms of a post photographic discourse, with the intention of advancing a new virtual cinema.

Class Number

1488

Credits

3

Description

Technical workshops will address advanced 3D Maya modeling and animation techniques with an introduction to the Maya MASH network, and the basics of modeling and texturing within ZBrush. Other techniques may be instructed as appropriate. The 3D tools within 'xyz' space permit deviation from the material world; 3D physics simulations, forces such as gravity, and other environmental qualities can be utilized to address student-driven themes.

Weekly software assignments, individualized project research, and engaged participation in class readings, discussions and critiques are required and essential to successful 3D Midterm and Final projects.

Prerequisite: FVNM 2015 or FVNM 5025

Class Number

1492

Credits

3

Description

Within the 3D Maya software environment, we will focus on creating speculative objects and alternate worlds. Technical and conceptual skills will concentrate on inventive 3D configurations of experimental ecologies. Advanced techniques include nCloth , deformer simulations,render optimization, and an introduction to Bifrost fluids within Maya, along with advanced ZBrush modeling and texturing skills. Substance Painter is available for additional 3D texturing. At midterm students present project development examples along with a Project Schedule and an Artist Statement; students will learn to create a professional Artist Rider that will accompany their completed Final project.


Engaged weekly participation in course readings and discussions along with technical exercises are required. Course content addresses the theoretical territory of the simulated environment and will address the `vibrancy¿ of 3D objects as applied to the virtual world. Imaginary environments, both external and internal, along with their inhabitants encountering each other and their worlds are among the subjects that can be invented/proposed in various and creative ways.


Prerequisite: FVNM 2015 or FVNM 5025

Class Number

1433

Credits

3

Description

This class is inspired by Johannes Itten's radical early twentieth-century basic art course developed for the Weimar Bauhaus School of Art, but here using the Maya 3D software, typically used for commercial productions by the entertainment industry. Students will solve a series of formal problems, introduced in increasing levels of complexity. Moving from the 2-dimensional to the 3-dimensional and ultimately to the four-dimensional or time-based, students will evolve their abilities to utilize aspects of light and dark, form, rhythm, color, proportion and volume but in terms of a post photographic discourse, with the intention of advancing a new virtual cinema.

Class Number

1918

Credits

3

Description

Technical workshops will address advanced 3D Maya modeling and animation techniques with an introduction to the Maya MASH network, and the basics of modeling and texturing within ZBrush. Other techniques may be instructed as appropriate. The 3D tools within 'xyz' space permit deviation from the material world; 3D physics simulations, forces such as gravity, and other environmental qualities can be utilized to address student-driven themes.

Weekly software assignments, individualized project research, and engaged participation in class readings, discussions and critiques are required and essential to successful 3D Midterm and Final projects.

Prerequisite: FVNM 2015 or FVNM 5025

Class Number

1999

Credits

3