Collective Narrative
Week 2: January 21 - 27
Concepts and formal investigations of media & performance that brought about collective forms of narrative, with roots in conceptual, information art, and performance.The history and concept of open source thinking, and how peer-to-peer methods of collaboration, openness, and transparency can be applied to performance and artistic production: critical to an understanding of collective forms, collaboration, and hardware/software tools used in the course. Discussion of costume/textile projects that explore control of the space through light and interactive sensors. How do these projects result from the collaboration between the artist and the engineer, the synergy between different fields in the construction of wearable technology? Setup social media accounts and discuss more advanced techniques in OSS for online writing, collaboration, and media documentation.
The Body as Instrument
Week 3: January 28 – February 3
The mediated transformation of the body, the man-machine dialectic, the cybernetic organism (cyborg), and the use of wearables, textiles, electronics, and sensors to engage with and manipulate the persona. Presentation and discussion of existing examples and projects of wearables recontextualizing biomimicry: the imitation of the models, systems, and elements of nature for the purpose of solving complex human problems. Discussion of body ergonomics, and wear ability, body shape, human movement, and comfort. Setup and review Adobe Connect Web-conferencing.
Electronics Workshop: Body as Data Controller
Week 4: February 4 – February 10
Mastering the basics of electronics and Lily Pad Arduino micro-controller coding. Discussion of wearable computing and electronics; interfaces /connectors, wires, antennas; micro-controllers, input sensors, output actuators, open source software programming; energy sources and batteries; electronic textiles and enhanced materials.
Virtual Bodies and Movement in the Third Space
Week 5: February 11 – February 17
The first of three session that will be held via Web-conferencing on Adobe Connect. We will discuss the social, psychological and conceptual dimensions of the third space (networked space), notions of distributed presence, the dissolution of the object, disembodiment, the immaterial, and the intimacy of the telematic embrace. Guest artist talk: dancer, choreographer, and MFA student Angeline Young from Arizona State University will discuss her work as well as present a workshop on movement and touch in the third space.
Glitch & the Art of Imperfect Media
Week 6: February 18 – February 24
We will discuss glitch: the mistakes, errors, artifacts and aberrations of digital processes have in recent years found a central place in contemporary media art, particularly via the Internet where emergent low-resolution glitch forms and other so-called “accidents” of artifacts are often native to the medium. We will survey the key artists who have pioneered the art and theory of glitch aesthetics to better understand how this “outlier” form has become an emerging genre.
Dreams and Movement
Week 7: February 25 – March 2
Guest artist Angeline Young will join us for a discussion of dreams and their relationship to movement. This session will include a study of dancer/choreographer Liz Lehrman, as well as selections from the work of other dance artists. Students will record their dreams and begin development movement ideas for the final project.
Materials Workshop: Reveal and Conceal
Week 8: March 10 – March 16
This is the first of a series of workshops in which students will focus on costumes, wearables, and garments towards the final project. Students create garments, sensors, and wearables: transforming light and space with an element of surprise, revealing the invisible, what might otherwise be concealed, challenging the viewer's perception of what the garment appears to be. From slow mutation to rapid exposition, design a wearable that plays with the possibilities of hiding and exposing, changing and transforming. All electronics and textile orders from week 3 need to be ready for this workshop.
Electronics Workshop
Week 9: March 17 – March 23
This workshop will involve the continuation of garment and wearable construction interfaced with a visualization "patch" created in Max, which transforms movement-generated input and output data from wearables, costumes, and sensors into real-time imaging and light transformation. This workshop will explore data types, including OSC (open sound control) and MIDI (musical instrument digital interface), and how they will be used to interface the Arduino electronics with imaging, lighting control and the network.
Movement Workshop: (Dis)embodiments
Week 10: March 24 – March 30
For the final project, we will explore the interaction between costumes and wearables with the body, garments, movement and imaging. Angeline Young will lead an in class micro-project that involves choreographing and networking movement between ASU and NTU. During this session, the class will begin the process of integrating movement, light, imaging and networking to explore the disembodiment of movement and touch in the third space, movement as a medium of communication and reach across the distance of the telematic connection.
Electronics Workshop
Week 11: March 31 – April 6
This final workshop will integrate networked sound/music with all the elements of the project: including movement, costumes, wearables, sensors and imaging. Students will explore the transformation of movement, sensors, and imaging into sound (and vice-versa), how data can be transposed between the visual and the aural to integrate and unify movement and visual expression.
Rehearsal I
Week 12: April 7 – April 13
The first rehearsal of the final project with all the elements of movement, costume, wearables, electronics, imaging, and sound. In collaboration with guest artist Angeline Young, students will explore and develop the narrative, movement vocabulary, and media expression of the work.
Rehearsal II
Week 13: April 14 – April 20
The second rehearsal of the final project with all the elements of movement, costume, wearables, electronics, imaging, and sound. In collaboration with guest artist Angeline Young, students will explore and develop the narrative, movement vocabulary, and media expression of the work.