This studio course is an introduction to artistic practices in the context of visual computing, utilizing the Personal Computer to synthetically generate and manipulate visual images. Participants will explore the computer both as an artistic tool to create art objects, as well as a medium to produce and present work in the digital format. The course will also introduce the concept of interactivity, a means to change the passive viewer reception into an active one.
One of the courseís main objectives is to establish a wide variety of visual concepts, strategies and skills which will help students to improve their abilities in future classes, e.g. dealing with algorithmic design, animation, computer graphics, sound, web design, game design and interactive art. While a variety of technologies and software packages will be utilized, the course focuses on the development of creative concepts and ideas and the quality of their implementation.
There are four types of assignments: exercises, projects, readings and presentations. While exercises focus on the specific topics, projects creatively explore particular aspects of visual computing and interactivity. Selected texts will be used as the basis for class discussions. There will be a series of class critiques where students present their work and receive feedback from the professor and the class.
Assignments are generally invitations to invent and experiment. Creative and ambitious experiments will be evaluated high, while obvious and easily attained solutions are evaluated low. The complexity of the assignments will increase as the quarter progresses. Students will document the process of creating the work in a sketchbook and share it periodically with the professor throughout the quarter. A public presentation at the end of the semester will allow students to share their work with the UIC community.
Evaluation
Exercises and Projects will be evaluated based on their originality, their conceptual and aesthetic qualities, and the quality of their implementation (80% of the final grade). Active contribution during class and attendance is required (20% of the final grade). All assignments must be completed in order to pass the course. Late assignments will reduce the grade by one step for each day (B+ will be reduced to a B). Exercises and projects are only considered as completed when they are accessible from the course website. Lost digital files will not be accepted as an excuse for late assignments. Students are responsible for backups and appropriate precautions. Feedback during class critiques will be qualitatively, each assignment will also be graded by a letter grade.
Attendance
Attendance is mandatory and required for a successful completion of the course. Unexcused absences will affect your grade directly, excused absences indirectly. Two unexcused absences will result in a reduction of the final grade by ? letter grade, three unexcused absences by 1 letter grade, and four or more unexcused absences will result in failing the course. Absences without the Professorís prior permission are generally considered unexcused absences. Late arrivals are very disruptive for other students. Being late to class three times will count as one unexcused absence.
Absences are only considered as ëexcusedí with the Professorís prior permission before the class meeting (accompanied by documentation). It is generally recommended to drop the course with more than three absences.
There will be a sign-up sheet for each class meeting; it is the studentsí responsibility sign up in this list. The sign-up sheet is the basis to determine class attendance.
Grading
20%: Participation/Contribution
60%: Exercises 1ñ6
20%: Final Project 7
Lab Fee
There is a $50 lab fee for this course, which is used for course materials and supplies (printer, paper, Xerox copies, supplies for presentation)
Materials
The course requires frequent handling of at times large digital files. It is required after every class meeting that students remove their files from the lab computers. Students are also required to store and backup their files appropriately. PC compatible USB memory key sticks (at least 100 MB capacity, 512 MB recommended) are a quick and easy way to transfer data without the use of a network. You may also need several CD-R recordable disks to backup and hand in assignments. It is recommended to store data additionally on a private computer or external hard-drive.
Exercises and Projects
1: Visual Technologies
2: Process
3: Drawing
4: Image and Interaction
5: Interpretation
6: Publishing
7: Final Project
Required Software
Processing 0091 Beta (free, available at http://processing.org/download/)
Adobe Photoshop CS: Pixel/raster graphic application used for digital imaging/photography, scanning.
Macromedia Studio MX 2004, includes:
Freehand MX 2004: Vector graphic application, used of dawing, typoghraphy, single sheet layout.
Flash Professional MX 2004: Vector based autohoring environment, often used for animations, interactive ìrichî media applications for the Web.
Dreamweaver MX 2004: Authoring tool for web developers, HTML, CSS, Dynamic websites
Fireworks MX 2004: Application to design, optimize, integrate and export web graphics.
Sound Forge Studio 6.0: Application for sound recording editing, and effect.
Required Readings
Paul, Christiane: Digital Art. New York: London: Thames & Hudson world of art, 2003.
Recommended Readings
Software Art
Stocker, Gerfried and Schoepf, Christine: Code: The Language of Our Time, Ars Electronica 2003. Ostfildern-Ruit: Hatje Cantz, 2003.
McCullough, Malcolm: Abstracting Craft: The Practiced Digital Hand. London, England: The MIT Press, 1998.
Goriunova, Olga and Shulgin, Alexei: Read_me 2.3 Reader: About Software Art. Helsinki: Read_me 2.3 software art festival, 2003.
Maeda, John. Maeda@Media. Rizolli, New York. 2000.
Maeda, John. Creative Code. Thames & Hudson. 2004.
New Media and Interface
Wardrip-Fruin, Noah; Montfort, Nick, ed.: The New Media Reader. Cambridge and London: The MIT Press, 2003.
Manovich, Lev: The Language of New Media. Cambridge and London: The MIT Press, 2001.
Bolter, J. D. and Gromala D.: Windows and Mirrors: Interaction Design, Digital Art, And The Myth Of Transparency. Cambridge, Massachusetts; London, England: The MIT Press, 2003.
Interactivity
David Rokeby: Transforming Mirrors: Subjectivity and Control in Interactive Media, available online at http://homepage.mac.com/davidrokeby/mirrors.html (link last checked Jan. 9, 2005).
Daniels, Dieter: Strategies of Interactivity. Available online at: http://www.mediaartnet.org/source-text/65/ (link last checked Jan. 5 2005).
Huhtamo, Erkki: ìCommentaries on Metacommentaries on Interactivityî, in CAD Forum, 4th International Conference on Development and Use of ComputerSystems, MediaScape, Zagreb.
Dinkla, Sˆke: ìThe History of the Interface in Interactive Artî. Available online at http://www.kenfeingold.com/dinkla_history.html (link last checked Jan. 9, 2005).
Software
Bouton, Gary David: Photoshop CS. Indianapolis: Sams Publishing 2004.
Van West, Jeff; Weinmann Linda: Illustrator CS. Indianapolis: Peachpit Press, 2004.
Yeung, Rosanna: Flash MX 2004 Hands-On Training. Indianapolis: Peachpit Press, 2004.
Class and Lab Policies
The Lab should remain locked and secure when not in use. Reconfiguring the system on any computer unusable for other students may result in dismissal from the course.
No food or drink in the computer labs.
No surfing on the Internet or checking emails during class unless related to a class project.
No non-class related data may be loaded onto the computers.
Disclaimer
Projects created in this course may be used by the Department 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.
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