Sarnath Banerjee

Comics provide a sophisticated device for portraying the complex nature of stories that are emerging in our society. In the workshop we learn the tools of the trade and touch upon some theoretical aspects.

In comics, text and images maintain their individual denotative functions, but together create meanings that neither can achieve by itself. Often beneath these pictorial stories lies a further, phantom narrative which is intuitive, fragile and uncanny. This third meaning is often unintentional, occurring accidentally. In the workshop, we want to learn how to construct this third meaning.

The medium at its best can reveal an emotional core, create a psychological state as well as provide a deep visual experience for the reader. Yet the skill of putting together words and pictures goes beyond merely making comics. Visual storytelling is fundamental to many practices such as cinema, web-based news media, gaming or contemporary art.

Therefore we will also look at how the medium of comics interacts with other art forms. Along with contemporary practitioners of the form we will examine the works of Gustave Doré, William Hogarth, James Gillray, Francisco Goya and William Blake, in order to appreciate the pedigree of  the form.

The aim of this course is to become adept at narrating complex stories, events and happenings using the combined tools of words and images, and also to employ them in other practices.
Co-Lehrende: Nina Prader