This course investigates how everyday objects and careful observation of light and optical phenomena can spark invention and unlock creative potential. Students will explore optical effects that surround us daily, including refraction, transparency, and reflection. The class also examines contemporary artists who use light and optics as primary materials in their practice, introducing students to how artists today navigate ideas, materials, and perception through experimental work.
Over four weeks, each student develops a personal creative practice with light and optics using everyday and recycled materials. Final projects take many forms, which may include optical devices, sculptural works, time-based drawings, performances, or photographic pieces, all reflecting the student's individual approach to exploring light, optics, or everyday observation.
Course Objectives:
- Encourage students to recognize light and optics as primary artistic media for exploration and expression
- Provide structured support for developing a personal artistic practice by identifying and refining approaches to art-making that integrate concept, material, and process
- Foster self-reflection and discovery through investigation of course themes and experiential art-making
- Cultivate awareness that creativity emerges from ordinary objects, experiences, and sustained observation
Course Expectations:
- Engage in weekly experimentation, development, and creative exploration
- Participate actively in group discussions, collaborative making, and constructive sharing
- Prepare materials and conduct research for each project phase
- Deliver a 5 to 10-minute presentation in week 4 to discuss completed works
- Engage respectfully with peers, remain open to feedback, show curiosity about others' ideas, and embrace creative risk-taking
Materials Provided by the Instructor:
- Protective gloves and safety glasses
- Scissors, nippers, and long-nose pliers
- Metal wires in various gauges
- Clear and paper tape for securing objects
- Hot melt glue and glue sticks
- Mylar sheets
- Colored ink, dye, and food coloring for color and light experiments
Materials Students Should Bring:
- Food wrap, aluminum foil, and parchment paper
- Recycled cardboard boxes and opaque containers
- Empty glass bottles or jars
- Clear or translucent colored plastic items (bottles, lids, packaging)
- Sparkling or reflective found objects
- Bubble wrap, mirrors, and old lenses
- Old CDs for diffraction and rainbow effects
Instructor Biography: Jungeun Park is an interdisciplinary artist based in New York and Seoul. She holds a BFA in Visual Arts from the Korea National University of Arts, studied at Beaux-Arts de Paris, and completed her MFA in Glass at the Rhode Island School of Design. Her practice focuses on overlooked moments and biological traces from everyday life, transforming ordinary observations into precise and enduring objects created from glass, ceramics, and varied media. Park's work emphasizes attention as a form of care, reflecting our interdependence with other living beings. She was selected as a fellow at the Haystack Mountain School of Crafts in 2025, and her work has been exhibited at the Gelman Gallery in the RISD Museum, Providence; Gallery 175 in Seoul; Accent Sisters in New York; and Site 003 in Brooklyn.
