Activity
In this project students re-create the well-known 1889 sculpture by Auguste Rodin as a performance and video sculpture.
Media
Performance, video
Materials
Blank DVD (optional), tripod, video camera, video monitor or TV, video tape
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About Open Studio
Designed by practicing artists, the Open Studio classroom activities aim to connect high school teachers and students with key ideas and issues in contemporary art. See all of the Open Studio activities.
Assignment
Auguste Rodin's The Burghers of Calais
Preparation
Your class will divide into groups of 8–10 students. Within each group, 6 of the students will be performers and the rest will be cameramen/women or directors.
- With your group, study photos of Auguste Rodin’s The Burghers of Calais. These photos can easily be found on the Internet or in books about Rodin’s work.
- Next, select a site for your group’s version of the Rodin sculpture, such as the courtyard of your school or another place suitable for public art.
- With guidance from the directors, the six performers will reenact the poses of the figures in Rodin’s sculpture, while the camera operators situate the camera in a way that captures the scene created by the actors. (Costumes are not necessary.)
Recording
- Recording begins once the performers and camera are in place, and continues for 5 minutes. The performers hold their pose for an additional 5 seconds after the director gives a signal to stop recording, and then conclude their performance.
- Try transferring the recording to a looping DVD. This can be accomplished with DVD Studio Pro.
Exhibition
- The DVD or videotape is played back on a TV or video monitor.
- Depending on the number of groups in the class, 2 to 3 Rodin video sculptures are shown simultaneously on 2 to 3 monitors/TVs.
- The TVs and monitors should be set up in the school courtyard if weather permits, or moved to another public area of the school.
