ARTD 416: Programming for Artists
Winter 2018
Professor David Rueter
drueter@uoregon.edu
Office: 101 Millrace 1
Office Hours: Tuesdays and Thursdays, 12PM - 1PM
Schedule: 9:00 AM - 11:50 AM, Tuesdays and Thursdays
Credits: 4.0
Classroom: 124 and 125 Millrace II
University of Oregon
Class blog: http://programmingforartists.wordpress.org
Github page: https://github.com/davruet/programmingforartists
Class description
Learning to program allows artists to write their own rules in a world governed by technical systems. As the physical and the virtual blend ever more seamlessly, the world becomes programmable, creating new creative opportunities and challenges. This class will introduce artists to the technical and conceptual skills needed to disassemble, scrutinize, disable, short-circuit, repurpose, and re-imagine the technologies that form the digital status quo.
Over the course of the quarter, students will build programming skills using micro:bit, a prototyping platform for digital electronic objects that interact with the physical world, and other frameworks chosen in the course of independent student research. Beyond the fundamentals of programming, the class will investigate contemporary programming technologies that emerge through student-led research. We will develop philosophical, historical, and artistic contexts for these technical programming concepts through brief readings, lectures on contemporary art, and class discussions.
Working individually or in groups, students will complete and present for critique a final artistic project, developed through class critiques of works-in-progress and individual consultations with the instructor. Independent research into relevant art, ideas, technologies, and histories should inspire this work, and students will be expected to share their progress and ongoing research in class. Grading is based on participation (in sharing of research, discussions, and critiques) as well as student self-assessment.
Course Goals
The primary goal of this course is for students to develop novel, incisive, playful, and rigorous approaches to making work at the intersection of art and technology.
Students will improve their ability to plan and execute their own artistic projects.
Assignments
Biweekly learning check-in
Roughly every two weeks, students will report their progress and plans for upcoming work to both the instructor (written) and other students in the class (through discussion).
Responses should have three parts:
A. Read the broad objective for the upcoming section of class, then develop a list of a few relevant goals for learning and/or making that you plan to accomplish before the next check-in. Try to set goals that challenge your current capabilities but that you also think are achievable.
B. Briefly (1-2 short paragraphs) list and reflect on what you've learned and done since the last check-in. For example: was anything easier or more difficult than expected, and why? Have you discovered anything about how you best learn programming?
C. One URL (an article, book, artist, artwork, movie, or any other resource) to be included in a class newsletter. What do you think the class discussions would benefit from, based on things we've recently discussed, or something you've recently learned? Come prepared to introduce it in a few sentences to the class. It can be something you found in research or something you plan on reading.
Responses must be emailed to the instructor by the dates indicated in the schedule section below. Students will also be expected to summarize and discuss their responses in class.
There will be 4 sharing sessions, which together count for 40% of the final grade.
HOWTO project
Write a brief guide for making something using a technology or set of skills you've learned during the course of your research. Ideally, it will be a topic that's related to your interests and your final project. Consider the audience as both the class and the general public.
Bonus points for creative departure from the established form of technology tutorial.
The HOWTO project counts as 20% of the final grade.
Final project
The final project will be a self-directed artwork developed in consultation with the instructor. The project should be realized using skills developed in the class, and should substantially engage topics and ideas brought into discussions by the instructor and other students.
The final project counts as 40% of the final grade. See Project Grading below for details on evaluation.
Documentation
Final projects must be documented using screen captures, photography, video, or any other applicable technique. Any necessary project documentation must be posted to the class blog before class begins. Documentation will count as part of the project grade.
Evaluation
Overall grade
- Biweekly status updates: 40%
- HOWTO project: 20%
- Presentation of critique in final project: 40% (due 3/13/2018)
Extra credit may be given (at the instructor's discretion) for work that demonstrates exceptional effort or engagement with the assigned project.
Project grading
Class projects are opportunities to explore new ideas and techniques. Unfortunately, grades can discourage students from taking risks in artmaking. To counter this, project evaluations in this class will prioritize inventiveness, energy, curiosity, ambition, criticality, and creative risk-taking over engineering quality. A technically sound project that doesn't experiment beyond conventional ideas and approaches may receive a C, while a partially failed but exceptionally creative effort may receive an A.
Final projects will be graded according to these criteria:
Successful work:
- Original, and demonstrates substantial effort and research.
- In a close and critical reading, the work bears evidence of its creator's knowledge of context and connections in art history, philosophy, contemporary culture, and any other relevant fields of knowledge.
- Both the work and the student's comments about it show an appreciation for nuance, ambiguity, and multiplicity of meaning.
- Processes, materials, and aesthetic choices made in the work demonstrate consideration in relation to the subject matter.
Less-successful work:
- Meets the assignment's technical requirements, but doesn't go much beyond.
- Fails to respond to or engage with ideas developed in the class, including prior relevant critiques brought up by the instructor or other students.
- Reiterates a perspective, message, or metaphor that is commonplace in popular culture or art, without complication or critical re-interpretation.
A failing grade will be reserved for work that does not meet the assignment's basic requirements, and for projects where the student fails to demonstrate a significant engagement with the technologies or their chosen subject matter.
Class participation guidelines
- If assigned, come to class prepared to discuss the day's reading, and share any relevant references.
- Actively participate in class discussions and critiques: be generous with attention, and work to generate constructive discussions.
- Work to make sure that critiques and discussions are helpful, inclusive spaces where everyone's voice can be heard.
- Contribute references relevant to class discussions and exercises to the class bibliography.
Attendance
Attendance is mandatory. Students who miss a class (for any reason) will be responsible for learning the material covered.
Students are requested to be considerate of fellow classmates and arrive in the classroom before 9AM. Each two unexcused tardinesses will count as one unexcused absence. Leaving class early will count as an unexcused tardiness.
Students who have more than three unexcused absences will fail the class.
Critique absences
Critiques are an indispensable part of assigned class projects. Students who miss a critique day or do not present work will have one week to turn in the project for a maximum of 3/4 credit. Assignments turned in later than one week past the deadline will not be accepted. No critiques will be rescheduled for unexcused absences or incomplete work.
Students who are ill, or have another acceptable reason (from the list below) to miss class on a critique day, must contact the instructor before the missed class for their absence to be considered excused. The instructor will attempt to make an accommodation and schedule a new critique to make up for the one missed, but this may not be possible in all cases.
Excused absences
Absences will be considered excused if (a) the student is ill and notifies the instructor in advance of the absence, or (b) the student provides the instructor with an absence letter from a medical professional, family member, or University official. Acceptable reasons for absence include: illness, family emergency, religious holidays, and formal participation in scheduled activities of University groups.
Safety
While risk-taking in most cases is encouraged, students must never risk the safety or well-being of themselves or others. Any potentially dangerous project or action (especially those involving 110VAC wall power wiring in any way) must be cleared with the instructor first, to ensure that all necessary safety precautions are taken.
Disability access
The University of Oregon is an equal opportunity, affirmative action institution committed to cultural diversity and compliance with the Americans with Disabilities Act. If you have a documented disability and anticipate needing accommodations in this course, please make arrangements to meet with the Accessible Education Center (AEC) and notify the instructor during the first week of class. The AEC can be reached at: Phone: 541.346.1155 | E-mail: uoaec@uoregon.edu | Office is located in 164 Oregon Hall
This syllabus will be made available in alternative formats upon request.
Sharing documentation of work
Projects created in this course may be used by the Department of Art for purposes of promotion for students, the Department, or the University in general. The Department may also use these materials for instructional purposes in future courses. The instructor may also use documentation of student projects as examples of work completed in the class.
Changes
This syllabus is provisional. Topics, dates, and schedules may change depending on the needs and interests of the class. Project due dates, required readings, and graded assignment descriptions will not be changed without advance notification in class or via email.
The latest syllabus will always be available on the class Github page:
https://github.com/davruet/programmingforartists/blob/master/syllabus.md
Resources
Recommended Technical Learning Guides
- Circuits: https://learn.sparkfun.com/tutorials/what-is-a-circuit
- Voltage, Current, Resistance: https://learn.sparkfun.com/tutorials/voltage-current-resistance-and-ohms-law
- Processing: http://learningprocessing.com/
- Arduino: https://www.arduino.cc/en/Tutorial/ - Official Arduino site and host of reference materials and tutorials.
Technical resources
- EEVBlog https://www.eevblog.com/
- New Media Artist: http://newmediaartist.org/ - Free reference book on electronics and new media art. Lots of info on electronics in chapters 3,4, and 5.
- Circuit.js circuit simulator: http://lushprojects.com/circuitjs/ - Simulate and visualize what's happening in almost any circuit.
- Adafruit: http://adafruit.com - online store and tutorials
- Sparkfun: http://sparkfun.com - same
- McMaster-Carr: https://www.mcmaster.com/ - go here to buy almost any kind of hardware
- Github: http://github.com - repository of open source code. Search for "micro:bit" or "Arduino" to find examples and libraries.
Art+Tech Conferences, festivals, organizations
Browse the lists of participating artists at these sites to gain knowledge of contemporary work and inspiration for future directions:
- Ars Electronica: http://aec.at
- Transmediale: http://transmediale.de
- Dutch Electronic Arts Festival: http://deaf.nl
- International Symposium on Electronic Art: http://isea-web.org
- Zero1: http://zero1.org/
- Piksel: http://piksel.no/
- Eyebeam http://eyebeam.org/
News
- http://we-make-money-not-art.com/
- http://hackaday.com/
- http://news.ycombinator.com/
- http://slashdot.org
Journals
- e-flux: http://www.e-flux.com/journal/
Books
- Art and Electronic Media, Edward A Shanken
- The Nature of Code, Daniel Shiffman
Schedule
Week 1 - Basic Programming and Interactivity: micro:bit
Tuesday, 1/9 - Introduction, micro:bit exercise
You're handed a piece of new technology. Figure out what it is! Experiment with it to find out what you can do with it in the space of a few hours. Report your findings at the end of class.
Your text and resource for this:
https://makecode.microbit.org/
Thursday, 1/11 - micro:bit ctd.
Demo: circuits and cold connections
- Alligator clips
- Breadboard
- Basic wire / wire strippers
- Jumper wires - plug and socket
Demo: Neopixels
Exercise: make a micro:bit project that uses an external component. Experiment with various ways of connecting things covered in the demo.
Assigned reading for next class:
Lev Manovich: On Totalitarian Interactivity http://manovich.net/content/04-projects/017-on-totalitarian-interactivity/14_article_1996.pdf
Week 2 - Basic Programming and Interactivity
Tuesday, 1/16
Demo: networked code.
Discussion of reading.
Exercise: Class creation of networked multi-micro:bit system
Thursday, 1/18
Demo: Arduino
Demo: Finding and ordering parts on Sparkfun/Adafruit/McMaster
Work time: browse parts and look for something interesting to experiment with.
Due next class: Bring in a device, electronic thing, etc that you can take apart and reconfigure. You don't need to know exactly what you want to do, but pick an object that you think might be able to alter to create lots of different possibilities.
Week 3 - Parts, Modules, Libraries
In weeks 3 and 4, we'll expand our programming capabilities using external parts, modules, and libraries. We'll cover salvaging parts from used electronics, as well as finding and ordering new components from online retailers.
Tuesday, 1/23
Demo: Disassembly techniques and identifying basic electronic components Demo: Hot connections and crimping
Circuit bending - disassemble electronics and check out their guts. Demo: Measuring voltage + resistance + connectivity with multimeters
Due BEFORE next class: written learning check-in, emailed to instructor.
Thursday, 1/25
Progress sharing session
Work time for connecting to and using external components
Assigned reading for next class: Fuller, Matthew, "The Switch" in Media Ecologies
Week 4 - Parts, Modules, Libraries
Tuesday, 1/30
Demo: Motors and motor drivers
Reading discussion
Work with ordered/salvaged parts
Thursday, 2/1
Demo: Markdown tools and language
Work time for HOWTO project
HOWTO project DUE Friday 2/2
Week 5 - Experiment
For this next section of the class, we'll take the components/modules/libraries we've researched in the last section and try to do interesting things with them. Feel free also to learn a new technology or follow one of your classmates' HOWTO guides. The basic question we'll seek to address: how do you turn a technical capability into something interesting or meaningful outside of the narrow frame of technology?
Tuesday, 2/6
In-class: develop and enact experimental ideas for making interesting things with your chosen components/modules/libraries
Demo: micro:bit and the internet
Due BEFORE next class: written learning check-in, emailed to instructor.
Thursday, 2/8
Progress sharing session
Work time
Assigned reading for next class: Excerpt from Beautiful Data: A History of Vision and Reason Since 1945, Orit Halpern
Week 6 - Experiment
Tuesday, 2/13
Discussion of assigned reading
Work time
Demo: TBD
Thursday, 2/15
Demo: TBD
Week 7 - Prototype
For this section of the class, you'll work to develop and complete a preliminary but working version of your final project. It doesn't have to look pretty, but it should work well enough and be finished enough that the class can get a sense of what it is, without too much explanation.
Tuesday, 2/20
Demo: TBD
Due BEFORE next class: written learning check-in, emailed to instructor.
Thursday, 2/22
Progress sharing session - results of last week's experiments
Assigned reading for next class: TBD based on direction of class discussion
Week 8 - Prototype
Tuesday, 2/27
Discussion of assigned reading Work time
Due BEFORE next class: written learning check-in, emailed to instructor.
Thursday, 3/1
Progress sharing session, extended - presentations and discussions of prototype works
Week 9 - Finishing
What does it take to bring your work from prototype to presentation-ready? This week will be devoted to making your work look great in its final version.
Tuesday, 3/6 - Work time
Demo: Finishing techniques (TBD, depending on final projects)
Thursday, 3/8 - Work time
Demo: Finishing techniques (TBD, depending on final projects)