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 course’s 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. The course will utilize a variety of technologies and software tools, the main focus however will lie on the development of creative concepts and ideas and the quality of their implementation. The acquired skills working with e.g. HTML, JavaScript, CSS, Flash will be transferable to future contexts. There are four types of assignments: exercises, projects, readings and presentations. 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. 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 semester. Evaluation Exercises and Projects will be evaluated based on originality, conceptual depth, integration of artistic goals, aesthetic qualities, inventiveness, and the quality of implementation. Creative and ambitious experiments will be evaluated high, while obvious and easily attained solutions are evaluated low. Active contribution during class and attendance is required (15% of the final grade). All assignments must be completed in order to pass the course. Late assignments will reduce the grade proportionally. Exercises and projects are only considered as completed when they are accessible from the course website. Students are responsible for data backups and appropriate precautions. Feedback during class critiques will be given qualitatively; each assignment will also be graded by a letter grade. Exercises and Projects 1: Visual Technologies 2: Quality of Motion 3: Process 4: Image and Interaction 5: Visualization 6: Web Publishing 7: Final Project 0: Research Report and Website presentation Grading 15%: Participation, Contribution, Website Presentation, and Research Report 60%: Exercises/Projects 1–6 (10% each) 25%: Final Project 7 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 ½ letter grade, three unexcused absences by 1 letter grade, and four or more unexcused absences will result in failing the course. Absences without the Professor’s 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 excused with the Professor’s prior permission before the class meeting (accompanied by appropriate documentation). It is generally recommended to drop the course with more than four absences. There will be a sign-up sheet for each class meeting; it is the students’ responsibility sign up in this list. The sign-up sheet is the basis to determine class attendance. Materials Students who enrolled at UIC starting in Fall 2005 or later are required to participate in the School of Art and Design Laptop Program. The Adobe PDF document available online at http://uic.edu/~dsauter7/laptop-letter-2006-ID_EV.pdf explains the laptop program as well as what specifications you should consider when purchasing your laptop. 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. Students are required to set up a DVL lab account, which offers access to approximately 700 MB storage space on a file server as well as drop and pickup folders for class purposes (only accessible by the individual student). File safety or backup is not guaranteed on this server, it is however an additional way to make sure that files do exist on different storage devices and locations at all times. Loss or damage of data is not an acceptable explanation for late or missing assignments. Required Software (recommended distributers: UIC ACCC and JourneyEd) Adobe Photoshop CS or higher: Pixel/raster graphic application used for digital imaging/photography, scanning. Macromedia Studio MX 2004, includes: Freehand MX 2004 or higher: Vector graphic application, used of dawing, typoghraphy, single sheet layout. Flash Professional MX 2004 or higher: Vector based autohoring environment, often used for animations, interactive “rich” media applications for the Web. Dreamweaver MX 2004 or higher: Authoring tool for web developers, HTML, CSS, Dynamic websites Sound Forge Studio 6.0 or Audiacity: Application for sound recording editing, and effect. Recommended Readings Tools and Technologies: Niederst Robbins, J., Ýýelik, ., & Featherstone, D. (2006). Web Design in a Nutshell: A Desktop Quick Reference. Sebastopol, CA and Cambridge, MA: O'Reilly Media. Green, T., & Chilcott, J. L. (2006). Flash Professional 8: Training from the Source. Berkeley, CA: Macromedia Press. Adobe Creative Team, . (2005). Adobe Photoshop CS2: Classroom in a Book. Berkeley, CA: Adobe Press. Concepts: Wardrip-Fruin, Noah; Montfort, Nick, ed.: The New Media Reader. Cambridge and London: The MIT Press, 2003. Paul, Christiane: Digital Art. New York: London: Thames & Hudson world of art, 2003. Löwgren, J., & Stolterman, E. (2004). Thoughtful Interaction Design: A Design Perspective on Information Technology. London, England and Cambridge Massachusetts: The MIT Press. 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. Stocker, Gerfried and Schoepf, Christine: Code: The Language of Our Time, Ars Electronica 2003. Ostfildern-Ruit: Hatje Cantz, 2003. Dinkla, Söke: “The History of the Interface in Interactive Art”. Available online at http://www.kenfeingold.com/dinkla_history.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: “Commentaries on Metacommentaries on Interactivity”, in CAD Forum, 4th International Conference on Development and Use of ComputerSystems, MediaScape, Zagreb. 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). Class and Lab Policies There is a required laboratory fee for this course, which is used for software updates, course materials, and supplies. The Lab should remain locked and secure when not in use, card access can be requested at Jefferson Hall. No eating, or drinking in the lab. Reconfiguring the system on any computer so that it is unusable to other students may result in dismissal from the course. All returning students who already have accounts can use their previous account login. 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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