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Syllabus | Schedule | Homework & Assignments | Resources | Materials Links | Kits Inventory | Blog

SCHEDULE

IN CLASS WORK

HOMEWORK


WEEK 1

Course Overview

Jan 9 

Jan 11
  • Download: Lecture One

  • Basic Electronics + circuit building 101: An overview of components
  • Making a basic switch circuit and powering an LED with a 9V battery
  • Soldering together the LED circuit
  • Heatshrink
  • What are resistors?

  • Demos:
    • Resource Links
  • Artist + Resource Links
  • Blogging requirements:
    • Sign your name on your blog posts
    • Add the requisite pictures + links
    • Add Tags
    • Write actual paragraphs!
    • Your writing should be original and insightful - ie, not just a rephrasing of the descriptions you've found

  • Look for email from Blogger and sign up
  • Read: Intro to Blogger (link)
    Watch: How To video here

  • Post to Blog: Online Research: Find two artworks or design projects that would fit the parameters of two of the six design principles (as laid out in Fuad-Lake's Slow Design Principles). Describe the works, include images, and discuss how each of the projects fits the principles as well as what impresses you about them. This part of your blog should be at least two paragraphs long. Next, conceptualize two 'fantasy' projects of your own that are oriented around and inspired by at least 2 of the 6 slow design principles. Describe the projects + include sketches in your post. This portion of your blog entry should constitute an additional 4-6 WELL WRITTEN, WELL CONSTRUCTED paragraphs in length. This short paper/ blog entry is due one week from today.

  • Scan: Soldering: a comic book guide

  • Review: pp 1-24, Lecture One

WEEK 2

Basic Electronics 1.0

Jan 16
  • No Class - MLK Day

Jan 18
  • Email instructor by Thursday evening (tomorrow, 11pm): a portrait image for copper fabric workshop

  • readings due: Art in the Age of Digital Distribution by Mark Tribe and Reena Jana, from New Media Art (due one week from today)

  • Post to Blog: response due Tuesday at 5:00pm, Topic is: research 2 of the artists mentioned in the reading. Pick one work by each of those artists that interests you, and which wasn't mentioned in the reading. Describe what is most important / exciting about the work. include images. Post should be at least 2, well written paragraphs.
    Be prepared to answer the question: 'What is New Media Art?' in class

  • Read pp 1-5 ONLY: Basic Electronics
  • Review: Lecture One

  • BEGIN project: Creative Switches

WEEK 3

interaction design | Machine Art
Jan 23
  • Bring (to next class): Two unusal items that you have found to be conductive - to share with the rest of the class

  • BEGIN work on: Creative Switch Project

  • Bring components of your Creative Switch project to work on in the next class****

Jan 25
  • Continued: Soft circuit workshop with Copper fabric
  • Refer to: Paper Circuits with Copper Tape for backing pattern

  • Demos:
  • Inner workings of various Mechanical Switches (tilt, ball, reed relay, etc)
  • Paper Circuit building materials including copper tape, thread, ink, and playdoh/ puddies - also LED stickers, spring wire, and other ALT materials

  • REVIEW: OHM's Law and the working relationship between Voltage, Current, and Resistence | Water Analogy

WEEK 4

Basic Electronics 1.2
Jan 30
  • Work On: Creative Switch I

  • Remember to document the 'making of' your creative switch(es) for the instructable portion of the assignment!

Feb 1
  • Work in class on Creative Switches project - Individual Meetings on Projects

  • REVIEW: Working safely with electricity

  • DEMOS:
  • Add a potentiometer, pot slider, or a photo resistor into an LED circuit
  • Methods + techniques for rugged fabrication: hot glue, silcone glue, and heat shrink

  • Switches: Reed switch, cd coaster, bookmark, tilt switches, mat pressure switch

  • Cabaret Mechanical Movement
  • Project Due Next Class: Creative Switch I

  • Post to Blog: Documentation of your creative switch construction in the format of an Instructables project: include pictures (and/ or video) plus written descriptions of all the materials and construction steps, start to finish. See homework page for full specs.
  • Bring your cameras to document your work+ others using it during/after crits

WEEK 5

Intro to Arduino
Feb 6
  • Critique and Documentation of Creative Switches project
  • Download and install the Arduino software to your laptops

  • Be sure to bring in your laptops next class!

  • Watch: Jesse Schell video online: Big Brother, Video Game Psychology & Obedient Humans

  • Post to Blog: 1) What is plausible and what is implausible about the future that Jesse Schell describes and, most importantly, make a clear case for why.

Feb 8
  • Read: Getting Started with Arduino, Pages 30-70
  • DUE: Make an account on Thingiverse (it's free). Email two 3d models that you would like to mash up. Make sure they are .stl files. This is due evening before the next class - ie, sunday evening.

WEEK 6

Arduino: basic sensing + output
Feb 13

Feb 15
  • Post blog response: to NeMe (by Huhtamo) reading, due by next class

  • ARTIST PRESENTATION LIST - SIGN UP with your selection asap!!!
  • A list will be emailed to you of artists for the Artist Presentation Assignment
    - EMAIL instructor with top two preferences for Presentation by the start of next class

WEEK 7

Continued Building with Arduino & Electronic Circuits
Feb 20
  • EMAIL to instructor: One paragraph description + an image of the artist/ designer/ collaborative you have chosen for your Artist Presentation
  • Work on: Artist Presentation Assignment

Feb 22

WEEK 8

Programming
Feb 27
  • DUE: Artist Presentation Assignment - your pdfs by the start of next class

  • Email instructor with 2 or 3 project proposals by the start of next class. Each proposal should be at least one substantial paragraph in length. Be as specific as you can in your descriptions. The instructor will email feedback on the viability and technical suggestions for each of the proposals

Mar 1
  • TBA

WEEK 9

Arduino: Sensors --- Detecting Movement, Light, Motion, Vibration, Soun
Mar 6
  • Post to Blog: 2 intitial sketchs/ drawings of your Interactive assignment project with a one paragraph project proposal/ description.

  • Work on Interactive Assignment - Send Parts list via email to instructor including links to where the parts will be purchased

Mar 8

  • Work on: Interaction Assignment

  • Make the body/ structure for your project and/ OR find source code that you can use.

  • Bring all your materials to the next class and BE PREPARED TO WORK ON YOUR PROJECTS IN CLASS!!! Even if all your supplies are not yet in, you can and must work on the circuit, the programming, or the body/ sculptural aspects of your project.

WEEK 10

Project Work
Mar 13
  • Work in Class & Individual Meetings - In Class Work Time for Interaction Assignment

  • Schedule Extra Build Session / Meeting for Interactive Projects - Thurs 11:30am - 2pm (Mar 16) and Friday 12-3pm (Mar17)

  • Demo: Drawbot Continued ~ Testing and Calibration
  • Demo: Use Code Lab to generate Patterns
  • Work on Interactive Assignment

Mar 15
  • Artist Presentations Continued

  • BIG PUSH DAY !!!!

  • Work in Class - In Class Work Time for Interaction Assignment
  • Work on Interactive Assignment DUE

Week 11

CRITIQUE

Mar 27
  • CRITIQUE - INTERACTIVE ASSIGNMENT DUE

  • Artist Links - Site Specificity
  • Work on Interactive Assignment

  • Post to Blog:
    - Your Arduino Code (for the Interactive Art project)
    - The LIST of all the electronic components needed for your Interactive Art project. Include prices for the parts as well as links to vendors.

Mar 29
  • Class Cancelled due to illness - Make Up Work Session TBA
  • BEGIN work on Final Project

  • EMAIL 3 project ideas to the Instructor with one to two sentence descriptions for each - DUE the evening before next class.

WEEK 12

CRITIQUE

April 3
  • EMAIL 3 project ideas to the Instructor with one to two sentence descriptions for each - DUE the evening before next class.

  • Work On: Final Project!!!

  • Place your online orders today for any parts you can't get locally!!

April 5

 
  • Post to Blog: your one page final project proposal plus 3 sketches

  • Include in your blog at least three questions that you want to get feedback on. The questions may address conceptual, material, or technical choices / challenges.

  • Read: Art Against Information by Mitchell Whitelaw (due one week from today)

  • Post to Blog - Reactions: Art against Information

  • Place your online orders today for any parts you can't get locally!!

WEEK 13

Final Project Work

Apr 10
  • Petcha Kucha - Speed Round of project proposals - opportunity for project collaboration

  • Continued: Artist Presentations

  • Continued: Individual Meetings

  • Demos:
    • - using transistors + motors
    - Pulse sensor? Audio Sensor? UltraSonic Sensor? InfraRed Remote Control?
    - Variable power supplies
    - LCD Display
  • Work On: Final project

  • Place your online orders IMMEDIATELY for any parts you can't get locally!!

April 12 
  • Work On Final Project

  • ADD these items to your final project blog post (do not make a new post, just add to the old one by hitting the 'edit' button)
    - 1) the detailed initial tasks to complete the work
    - 2) a budget list for your project including links to real parts, part numbers, and a budget total
    - 3) links to sample code and (optionally) circuit layouts

WEEK 14

Final Project
April 17
  • Work On: Final Project

  • Group Critique: In class presentations of the works in progress

April 19
  • Group Critique: Rapid round table presentations of the works in progress

  • Work On: Final Installation

WEEK 14

Final Presentations

April 24
  • Final Project Presentations
  • Due: Final Presentation
April 28
  • Final Project Presentations