About

Course Essentials

Course Description

Sound for Interactive Media introduces the evolution of sound art and avant-garde musical technique, from the early 20th Century to the present. The course covers artistic strategies, narrative structures and compositional methodologies for the creation of interactive sound installation, sound sculpture, networked media, and live performance projects. The emphasis of the course is on real-time systems of creating and generating sound and its relationship to other media, using the MAX/MSP object oriented programming environment, Ableton Live, and VDMX for the creation of interactive projects. The course will cover the basics of sound production, sampling, user interface, signal processing, and real-time control through wireless and hardware interfaces. There will be a study of audio-visual interactions and interplay between sound and the moving image. Historically, we will cover the key genres of sound art and musical composition, including: noise art, musique concrete, sound poetry, installation, net performance, interactive music, and visual music. Students will create projects that demonstrate an understanding of sound as an artistic form and how it is used to effectively with interactive media.

Open Source Studio

The course will make use of Open Source Studio (OSS), an online learning platform developed specifically for studio courses in the arts. Students will work extensively in the OSS WordPress “multi-site” system, a virtual studio environment that integrates a broad range of Web tools for artistic production, collaborative research, and online writing.

Learning Objectives

The objective of Sound and Interactive Media is to develop critical and artistic skills for the interpretation and creation of sound art and its relation to other media. Through readings, lectures, multimedia projects, and the critique of online artworks, students are exposed to the aesthetic, historical, social, cultural, and technological issues inherent in sound and media production. Students also gain collaborative skills through study in an online learning environment that emphasizes shared, cross-disciplinary activity.

Learning Outcome

On successful completion of the course students will have a new understanding of sound as an artistic medium. They will also have new insight into the collaborative process through participation in the online learning experience, and how each student’s contribution can alter the dynamics of the learning and artistic experience. It is the premise of Sound and Interactive Media that learning, exploring, discovering, and producing finds new creative agency in close interaction with other students in the course through the use of online tools. Lastly, students will gain an in-depth understanding of the conceptual, aesthetic and technological skills required to create sound art that draws from historic and contemporary composers and sound artists.

Grading & Rubrics

Grading for class participation is broken down into the following:

  • Class Participation and Attendance – 10%
  • OSS – 5%
  • Micro-projects – 25%
  • Research Critiques – 15%
  • Project Hyperessays – 25%
  • Final Project – 30%

Grades for the course are based on the following general criteria:

  • The commitment to engage the process of sound production, research, and dialogue
  • Incorporate concepts and techniques drawn from the study of sound art
  • Complete work on time
  • Attend class on time
  • Points are given for each assignment, such that students are responsible for the accumulation of the final score/grade (much like a game!)
  • Grades are allocated according to the standard NTU system of percentages

Grading will be assigned for all assignments & attendance:

  • Micro-projects: each 5 points
  • Project hypressay: two installments, each 15 points
  • Research critiques: each 10 points
  • Final project: 100 points
  • Class attendance: 3 points per class (total 39 points) based on timely attendance and participation.
  • Evaluation of OSS WordPress site (total 15 points)

Attendance & Class participation:

Students participate through discussion and presentation during 3-hour weekly class sessions. Students are required to attend class without being late, or else up to two points point will be deducted if more than 30 minutes late. Students need to be in class no later than 7:40 PM. Students are also required to participate in class discussions of readings and assigned artworks, and be prepared to present on a weekly basis. Students with more than 3 unexcused absences will automatically fail the course.

NOTE: No mobile phone usage is allowed in class except for project purposes. Anyone who uses their cell phone for text messaging, email, etc. during class will lose a point. Repeated use will be counted as an absence.

Hardware & Software Requirements:

  • MacBook Pro (or laptop) with webcam & mic (bring each week)
  • Mobile device: iOS or Android
  • Access to Broadband connection for remote sessions (school or home)
  • Chrome browser

Interactive Media Lab (111a)

The following software applications will be used in the Interactive Media Lab:

Required of the OSS Virtual Studio in WordPress:

You will be provided with an OSS Website on the first day of class and will use it on a regular basis for research, assignments, projects, and portfolio.

Social Media requirements:

If you have not already done so, be sure you have signed up for the following social media sites, which will be used during the semester:

Open Source Studio

Open Source Studio (OSS), a project founded and directed by Associate Professor Randall Packer of the School of Art, Design & Media at Nanyang Technological University, is a collaborative, online software environment designed to meet the needs and dynamics of studio-based teaching in the media arts. OSS has been developed as a prototypical multi-site WordPress content management system situated on the School’s network. The project also incorporates live forms of remote teaching, critique, guest lectures, and online events via Web-conferencing using Adobe Connect and Skype. Open Source Studio is thus a multi-faceted set of Web tools that integrates physical classroom/studio space with the online environment for critical writing, media documentation, portfolio presentation, online conferencing, asynchronous discussion, and social media.

OSS Website: http://oss.adm.ntu.edu.sg/