AD 23300 - Electronic Media Studio

The Electronic Media Studio is an introductory course dedicated to the exploration of a range of artistic practices using the Macintosh computer. It consists of technical workshops, creative assignment work and class discussions and critiques. The course begins with a media- archeological investigation of the transition from still to moving images, one of the key moments in the history of electronic and time-based art. It continues with explorations into the field of sound and brings together digital images and sounds in a section on animation. In the second half of the semester, we will challenge ideas of traditional "linear" media with experiments in basic interactivity and learn simple programming techniques (using Processing and the Arduino USB board). The course closes with a documentation of all the works that the students create (Zoetropes, sound portraits, stop frame animations and experimental computer interfaces) in form of a WWW presentation.

 

AD 30400 - Video Art

AD 30400 - Video Art is an introductory class dedicated to the artistic potential of digital video. The class consists of technical workshops, creative assignment work and the research, screening, analysis and discussion of existing works related to the field. The class starts with an introduction to the video camera and the digitizing and editing of video footage. In the next step, students explore the use of light and learn compositing techniques. After the acquisition of basic techniques in video production, post- production and distribution, students will mix their knowledge of more traditional video production techniques with contemporary practices in the field of video art that may include: video loops, non-linear narratives, database-cinema and/or circuit bending techniques to create experimental interfaces that can modulate or filter video signals interactively (for interactive installations, performances or VJing). Each thematic unit will be accompanied by student research presentations on relevant artists.

 

AD 33400 - New Media Culture

AD 334000 - New Media Culture will explore the cultural significance, social implications and artistic applications of new media technologies. What are the cultural, political and aesthetic possibilities of a society permeated by social media, smart phones, video and digital cameras, computer interfaces, search engines, locative media and video games? How might they differ from ‘old’ media? Through discussion, reading, screenings, guest lectures and creative experiments, we will critically reflect on everyday new media practices – surfing, sharing, uploading, downloading, ‘surveilling,’ programming, hacking, etc. – emerging technologies and their historical origins to understand changing relations between humans and machines in the contemporary American cultural context.

 

AD 32600 - Physical Computing

Physical Computing is a highly trans-disciplinary and experimental area of artistic expression and technical exploration. In this course, students learn to sense and control the physical world with computers using the Arduino interface board and the Processing software sketching environment. The course is composed of three components: technical workshops exploring basic electronic circuits, microcontroller and graphics programming; student research of relevant art works and the creation of expressive responsive systems. The course Physical Computing begins with a basic introduction to electronic circuits, continues with examples of how to connect these circuits to a standard personal computer and concludes with basic computer vision strategies for real-time performances (in dance, theater, music, art). The technical workshops and creative assignment work are accompanied by student research, presentations and discussions of relevant contemporary and historical art works and critical investigations of the technologies used in this course.

 

AD 33500 - Audio-Visual Sculpture

Since the beginning of video art in the early 1960s, electronic images and sounds have always had a physical dimension linked to the devices necessary for their playback. Artist such as Nam June Paik, Gary Hill or Mary Lucier directly addressed the sculptural qualities of the medium video in their works creating hybrid sculptures and installations. Almost simultaneously, experiments in "Expanded Cinema" used projected images on three-dimensional structures to break with the tradition of the planar projection screen and to establish new relationships between physical objects, images and sounds.
Audio-Visual Sculpture critically investigates the history of video sculpture and artistically explores the merging of audiovisual content with three-dimensional form. The course tries to develop an understanding of electronic images and sounds not as simulations but as objects - anchored in physical space. Student work will focus on the new opportunities and possibilities in video sculpture through digital video and sound production, computer aided manufacturing, inexpensive digital playback and recording devices and the creative use of database-driven video and sound.

 

AD 41700 - Variable Topics in Electronic and Time-Based Art

AD 41700 is a variable topics course that responds to the fast-developing field of new media art: “In the last few years, new media have grown to include animations, blogs, interactive media, design, games, mobile media, desktop interactive works, websites and internet art, time-based pieces, digital installation, performance, sound installations, sculptural works, kiosks, robotics, biological and DNA art, and networked activities. Between the drafting and adoption of this document, the list will have only grown longer” (College Art Association). Possible topics for this class as part of the ETB undergraduate curriculum could include: Electronic Fashion; Nanotechnology Art; Nature, Art & Technology; Computer Game Development; sustainable technologies in contemporary art practice; etc.

 

AD 42600 - Robotic Art

The history of robots has always been closely connected not only to technological but also cultural and social issues. From early Renaissance automatons to contemporary entertainment, industry and military robots, the field of robotics is developing rapidly,
and while robots play an increasingly ubiquitous role in everyday life, they are also important reflections of our own culture. We will investigate ideas and concepts central to the field of robotics as starting points for artistic interventions. Specifically, speculations about the future of the field – based on the knowledge of its past - will provide a rich source of ideas for the creation of new work. We will discuss texts about the historical development of robots, concepts of robots in Asia and the West, robot ethics, robots and gender and different models for the functioning of a robot. In technical workshops we will experiment with the basic technical parts of a robot – microcontrollers (Arduino), actuators and sensors - and explore their potential for artistic expression. The course closes with a public exhibition of resulting artwork at the end of the semester.

 

AD 42700 - Interactive Light

We still do not know what exactly light is. It appears immaterial to the human eye, yet it renders our world visible. Interactive Light is a course that investigates light's highly ambiguous nature in different fields: fine art, design, architecture, theater, performance and film. Rather than looking at the use of light in each of the above-mentioned areas separately, this class promotes the mix of practices across different disciplines toward the use of light as "inter-medium". Exploring light experimentally and often working with low-budget approaches to lighting, students in this class will work on a variety of different projects, such as: light sculpture, light performance and/or light environments. The course will also provide students with basic technical skills on how to manipulate and control light interactively (using the Arduino board, Processing and the DMX control protocol). In addition, students will research the history of light, which is mainly a history of human perception, technology and society. Key texts addressing these issues will be available in a class reader.

2011 Purdue University Electronic and Time-Based Arts