Syllabus A+D 100 INTRODUCTION TO RESPONSIVE ARTS Spring Term, 2012 class website:

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1 Syllabus A+D 100 INTRODUCTION TO RESPONSIVE ARTS Spring Term, 2012 class website: Instructor Tiffany Funk :: tfunk4 (at) uic.edu Office hours by appointment only Schedule Tuesday / Thursday, 1:00pm - 3:40pm Room: A + A Building 3315 and 3320 Lab System Administrator John Messer :: jm2u (at) uic.edu This schedule is subject to modification Please feel free to make suggestions on the depth to which various materials are covered if the course is moving too quickly. The schedule will be updated online as the course progresses. You will be given adequate notification of any changes in regard assignment due-dates. Description This is a studio based course that introduces students to the theory and practice of Responsive Arts. Students will learn fundamental practices of electronic arts and interaction design including but not limited to circuit design, basic to intermediate electronics, and programming for interactivity. Through hands on exercises, students will explore basic electronic techniques and use of programmable microcontrollers (Arduino) to control interactive art, sound, light, and environments. Students will also be introduced to various professional new media artists and their work through survey lectures rooted in the history, theory, and current practices of responsive and new media art. Course Goals This course is designed to draw inspiration from the history of artists and designers who explore ideas and applications of interactivity to gain a practical experience with basic electronics, coding, and other techniques of digital art production.

2 This course also encourages the development of experimental art, interactive objects, and responsive environment project based on conceptual assignments. Students should also be inclined to research digital and experimental artworks and trends that they find personally interesting or compelling. Student Responsibilities and Requirements Project Lab Orientation: This is a hands-on orientation that takes place at the beginning of each semester in the Project Lab located in room 1400 of the A + A Building. This orientation offers an overview of the project lab s tools and how to properly use them to aid in the construction and completion of your projects. Upon completion of this orientation you will be certified to use the lab for two years. Regardless of whether you think you will be using the project lab, you must complete the orientation on your own time within the first 3 weeks of the course. Orientation session sign up sheets are located on the door of the Project Lab (A + A Building Room 1400). Please sign up as soon as possible for your orientation. Do not hesitate to ask if you have any questions regarding orientation or use of the Project Lab. Assignments This course focuses on the imaginative use of electronic tools in art making as well as surveying the recent history of new media art and responsive arts. A series of assignments can be found on the following pages that will support this focus. Please visit the homework & assignments page of the class website ( for more information and updates throughout the semester. Reading Materials Various excerpts from books (both in print and online), journals, articles, conferences, and videos will be available via the class blog, under the readings page. One suggested text for the course is Make: Electronics by Charles Platt. It is available to order in print or in ebook, epub,.mobi (Kindle-friendly), or.pdf form via the O Reilly Media website, or Amazon.com. Evaluation Comprehension of concepts and integration of artistic goals, acquired technical skills, and imaginative ingenuity will be considered. More importantly, participation in class discussions, lab sessions, and the amount of effort put into each class and outside work will be evaluated as will the ability to apply the techniques introduced in class in an innovated and inventive mater for creative assignments. Personal initiative and artistic development over the length of the semester will also be considered. Grading Class Participation is worth 10% of your final grade. Class participation includes lab time, workshops, critiques, discussions, and an overall active engagement in class. Blog assignments are worth 15% of your total grade and are graded upon the insight in your writing and your overall understanding and resourcefulness of the information given. Each week we will look at several new media artists and projects and you will be asked to submit a short one paragraph response about a specific topic (TBD weekly by instructor) to the class blog. Feel free to use the blog for things other than just required weekly responses. The blog is a place meant for you to share your ideas about class topics, resources, collaborative ideas, and interesting projects that you might come across. I will you a link to join the class blog, be sure to accept the invitation so you can post your weekly responses, if you have any problems please let me know. Blog posts are due Mondays, no later than 5:00pm. Assignments 1-3 are collectively worth 30% of your total grade (10% each). These assignments will be discussed in class and will be posted on the course website with adequate time for completion. The Final Project is worth 45% of your grade. The final project will consist of an artistic work or installation of your choosing utilizing the skills obtained in lab exercises and inspired by course content. Please see the homework and assignments section for my details. Assignments submitted after the due date will be penalized one letter grade. No assignments will be accepted for credit later than one week beyond the the due date. However, you may still choose to hand them in. Attendance Attendance is MANDATORY as there are lecture topics that cannot be made up outside of class. The instructor will NOT be available to personally re-teach a class if you are absent unless it was for an excused absence. Be considerate of other classmates and show up on time for class. Late arrivals are disruptive for everyone. Being late to class two times will be considered as one unexcused absence. Though the instructor keeps attendance records, it is the student s responsibility to also keep track of their absences and late arrivals. The instructor may, but is not obligated to, notify the student if their total number of absences is nearing critical.

3 Students are expected to utilize work time during class productively. If a student leaves class early without approval from the instructor, they will be marked as absent or tardy even if it is a "work in class" day or the instructor s lecture is completed before the class period ends. one absence = no penalty except for loss of instruction two absences = grade lowered 1/2 letter grade three absences = grade lowered one letter grade. four absences = four absences may result in an automatic failure Lab Policies Please review the New Media Arts / Industrial Design areas laptop policy. You can find a copy of it in the class FTP pick up folder. There is a required laboratory fee for this course which is used for software updates, course supporting materials, and supplies. No eating, or drinking in the lab. You are responsible for your class data! Back it up, store it in multiple locations, burn it to a disk, do whatever you have to do to ensure it s integrity. It is NOT recommended that you leave any data except for copies (not originals!) of the assignments on the server disk space of the lab. Reconfiguring the system on any computer so that it is unusable to other students may result in dismissal from the course. Lab Hours DVL LAB HOURS WILL BE POSTED ON THE FRONT DOOR 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. First Day Login Students with no prior DVL Account: Login using your NetID. (This is the character string before address.) Your password will be the first 4 letters of your last name and the last 4 digits of your UIN. Students with a DVL account from a previous semester: You should be able to login with your old DVL ID and password. If not, try your NetID and the password: the first 4 letters of your last name and the last 4 digits of your UIN. Homework and Assignments Blog posts: Every week you will be asked to post a one paragraph response to a specific topic, project, or artist discussed in class. These topics will be presented weekly and are TBD. You are to post your one paragraph weekly response to the class blog no later than Friday by 5:00pm. I will periodically be asking you to read short texts and essays and they will be distributed via the class website or through . For example you may be shown three artists work in a week and you could choose an artist to discuss on the blog (what you liked, what you didn t like, questions you might have about their work), or I may give you a more specific blog assignment to respond to a text or essay that I asked you to read. Remember this only has to be one paragraph but you are free to write more, include images, or interesting links. Assignment #1 Part #1 Using the Arduino and breadboard, light up and blink 3 LED's. Blink the LED's at a different rate *Further Instructions will be handed out in class one week prior to the due date* Part #2 Create a simple circuit that lights up 5 LED's using using a push button. Complete this exercise on the breadboard and present it in class on the due date. Create a circuit using a 10k potentiometer that can dim or brighten 3 LED's using the breadboard. Assignment #2

4 Creative Switch: Create 2 switch circuits with the basic LED circuit we built in class. You may need to add extra wire to your circuits so as to make them work in your design. The emphasis here is on creating small sculptures or design objects, which incorporate an original or unique switch method that you design. I expect you to spend a good amount of time on brain storming and on construction. The components of the circuit will be relatively simple for you you all - it's the mechanics of the switch (how it opens and closes that will be your "ingenious" solution. DELIVERABLES: - Present switch in class - Description and photos/movie in the FTP Course Drop Box prior to the start of class on Monday February 21, 2011 with the file name being your last name followed by assignment 1 (Example: Funk_Assignment2). *Further Instructions will be handed out / discussed in class one week prior to the due date.* Assignment #3: Due Thursdays Short presentations on various new media artists. A list will be provided that each student may choose from during the second week of class. These presentations will be approximately five minutes long, including images, videos, etc. to illustrate each artist s practice. These presentations, exported to.pdf, will be uploaded to the class blog. Assignment #4: Final Project, due Week 15, deliverables The final project will consist of an artistic work or installation of your choosing utilizing the skills obtained in lab exercises and inspired by course content accompanied by a 2-4 page paper and short presentation of your project in class. This can be a collaborative project, however, collaboration must be pre-approved. The final project must be pre-approved by the instructor and must be one not already covered in class. Be prepared to have ideas in mind for your final project in mind by the 7th week of the course. I know this sounds early but bear in mind you will need to order electronic parts and will need time to construct and work out kinks. I am open to you coming up with creative ways to execute your projects so please feel free to ask questions or suggest ideas. You will be graded on the creativity and functionality of your piece as well as your 2-4 page paper and final presentation during our final class critique on December 2nd. Your paper should discuss the work that you have produced. Please be sure to conceptually discuss your reasonings for your final piece as well as any inspirations that may have lead you to create the work and any other information you find important to your final project. :: Additional Resources :: Additional links to Arduino Resources, Lynda.com Tutorials for UIC students, and Ken Rinaldo s book can be accessed in the resources section of the course website. New Media & Interaction Design Sites Wemakemoneynotart : Rhizome: Infosthetics: Engadget: Gizmodo: Boing Boing: Select Sparks: Pasta & Vinegar: Visual Complexity: New Media Fix: ISEA: Arts Electronica: SIGGRAPH: Sabrina Raaf s Body + Tech Links: Ken Rinaldo s Links: Beverly Tang s Links: Steve Wilson s Links: Next Nature Blog (my personal favorite):

5 DIY Resources Instructables: Make Magazine: i-hacked: Electronics DIY: Craft Magazine: How Stuff Works: LifeHacker: Metku: Hack A Day: Kitsrus: Hacked Gadgets: ITP Physical Computing: Online Tools How to use a multimeter: Safety tips for multimeter use: Graphical Resistance Calculator: LED Series Designer: Ohms Law Calculator: Battery Life Calculation: Stores Make Store: Lady Ada: Sparkfun: Jameco: Electronic Goldmine: Digi Key: All Electronics: Newark: Parallax: MPJA: Mouser: Super Bright LEDs: Acroname Robotics: Radio Shack (A good place to go if you need something basic in a hurry) American Science and Surplus: Miscellaneous Resources Basic Electronic Definitions: Electronic Components Definitions and Descriptions: Electronic Symbols Chart: Basic Circuits: Graphical Representation of Ohms Law: Basic Electricity Tutorial- Switches: Basic Electricity Tutorial- MOSFET Transistor: Basic Electricity Tutorial- Relays: Ken Rinaldo s Tech Links: