Intro to Creative Programming

Looking for help? Try the Google group discussion!

• Upload (via FTP) your index.html and sketch.js files to your RISD web space.
  See excellent upload tutorial by Chihao and Bec.
• Email portrait link and screenshot to Evelyn or Lauren by start of class on 9/18
• Bring to class 3-4 links (image, video, website) of inspiration / other artists or projects you’re interested in (1 could be your own work).

• Watch the following videos, come prepared to discuss.
  • F.A.T. Lab, Hacking Art and Culture
  • Eyeo Festival Videos
  • Bruce Sterling, CLOUDS Interview
• Create a composition further exploring the themes you showed in class that reacts to the mouse by transforming between two different states or perspectives, both visually and conceptually. That is, your viewer should feel like they are seeing things one way, then upon moving the mouse, arrive at or be confronted with an unexpectedly different perspective. Email the link to a page running your code to Evelyn or Lauren by Wednesday at 11am. Some examples to ponder:
  • Lorenzo Bravi, Bla Bla Bla
    
  • Jimena Sarno, [dis]organize
  • Heather Penn, Transform
  • Michael Goese, Evolution
  • Mary Huang, Typeface
  • Caitlin Berrigan and Anya Liftig, Adoring Appetite
  • Tim Noble and Sue Webster
  • Matthew Mazzotta, Insertion Module
  • Matthew Mazzotta, Looking for a Landscape
  • The Yes Men

• Reuse, Reinterpret, Respond: Create a composition using found material. Your sketch should be a remix or reinterpretation that critically responds to the original material and offers a different perspective. Incorporate user interaction with mousePressed or keyPressed. Email the link to a page running your code to Evelyn or Lauren by Wednesday at 11am. Examples:
  • Face to Facebook, http://prix2011.aec.at/winner/1706/
  • Google Will Eat Itself
  • Newstweek, http://prix2011.aec.at/winner/3031/
  • Sosolimited "ReConstitution 2008"
  • Gregory Brothers "Patriot Game"
  • Robert Rauschenberg
  • Richard Prince
  • Michael Mandiberg "After Sherri Levine"
  • Cindy Sherman
  • Jason Huff "Thesaurus Roadrunner Notre Dame Taken"
  • Ai Weiwei 'Han Dynasty Urn with Coca Cola'

Present a concept sketch, and explain how you envision it developing over the next 6 weeks for the final project. You will have 10 minutes for presentation+feedback, a guest critic will be present to help ask questions. It could be installation, we have green room booked, and room 305 annexes.

• A project that represents 6 (well really 12) weeks of thoughtful work, a process.
• Something that fits into your practice and the ideas you’re working with right now.
• This should not be just a technical demo, we are much more interested in code used in a deliberate, considered way that opens new creative potential for your work. It need not be computer based, but should use programming principles. Think beyond the capabilities of this library, you can use other JS libraries, Java Processing, other??
• Consider (1) relationship of programming to your own work. — How does it allow you to extend? What are the implications of using programming in the way you are choosing? What is unique about this form/medium for you?
• Consider (2) precedents — What has been done already? What areas have not been explored? How are you innovating?
• Consider (3) audience — Who is your desired audience? How will this piece reach them? What is the optimal form? We will work out later as a class best way to view everyone’s work.

Please send us any screenshots, pdfs, or links of midterm work.

The next six weeks will be about developing your proposals into the final project, and the structure will be a mix of studio time, individual and group meetings, and some tutorials. See below for the assignment for next week, let us know if you have questions.

Take a stab at breaking down your project idea into isolated problems, tasks, or components to figure out. These components may need to be further broken down into subparts. Then make a detailed schedule for the next six weeks. Right now, we are planning on having two weeks of final reviews, more about this later, but for now make your timeline to have your project finished for class on 12/4. We will review individually with you in class this week.

• High level goals
• Milestones / deadline for each week
• Technical problems that need to be researched and solved
• Important functions/methods that would be useful to implement in your program (specified with return type and input arguments)
• Risks, potential problems or pitfalls

Note that the main deadlines from here on out will be your own. The only thing we are assigning for weds is the timeline, but it would be a good idea this week to continue with technical development of your projects as well!

Make an index.html page in a folder called /final on your FTP. Make an entry in the page with your week's progress on your final project. Include any pictures, text or links that are relevant. Email the link to Lauren or Evelyn by 11am on 11/06/13.

Read these two articles for discussion next week:
Digital Divide by Clare Bishop
Do Artists Actually Confront Our New Technological Reality?

Make an entry in the page with your week's progress on your final project. Include any pictures, text or links that are relevant.

• Make an entry in the page with your week's progress on your final project. Include any pictures, text or links that are relevant.
• Watch Bret Victor, Inventing on Principle.

Final reviews!