Teaching / Courses / Intro to Media Arts

Information and Syllabus

Intro to Media Arts

Instructor: Robert Spahr
Contact: rob@robertspahr.com  AIM: rospahr
Office Hours: TBA

Course Syllabus Location: http://www.robertspahr.com/ima/

Required Text:

Wardrip-Fruin, Noah & Montfort, Nick. The New Media Reader. Cambridge, MA: MIT Press

Suggested Text:
Castro, Elizabeth. HTML, XHTML, and CSS, Sixth Edition (Visual Quickstart Guide). Peachpit Press

Description:

Introduction to Media Arts exposes students to a wide range of technology and concepts related to web documents, digital images, sound and video. Students learn basic XHTML, CSS, image editing, creating, sampling and editing sound, shooting and editing video, as well as exporting media into optimized formats for the web. This course does not provide comprehensive instruction in all of these media, as much as give the student a chance to explore and discover their interests, while they continue to develop a personal artistic vision. We explore the creative possibilites of artists working in new media, as well as the social and political issues contained in the history of the web and open source software. Students will learn about computing in the arts, as well as theories and trends in new media. Throughout the class students will discuss the required readings, present their work before the class and gain insight from regular critiques.

Syllabus:

8/29 & 8/31
Introduction to class, open source software, XHTML+CSS Basics. First Project Assigned

Reading: NMR: pg 3-11 "Inventing the Medium", pg 13-25 "New Media from Borges to XHTML"
Lecture Notes 1  Lecture Notes 2  Lecture Notes 3  Lecture Notes 4  Lecture Notes 5  

9/5 & 9/7
XHTML+CSS and an Image Editor (Photoshop / GIMP) continued.

9/12
Javascript & Open Studio Session -- Javascript Examples  Lecture Notes 6
Reading: NMR: pg 83-88 "Happenings", pg 791-797 "The World Wide Web"

9/14
Open Studio Session. Work on Hypermedia Collage Project.  Lecture Notes7  

9/19
Open Studio Session. Work on Hypermedia Collage Project.
Reading Discussion and a written one page response is due at the beginning of class for "Inventing the Medium", "New Media from Borges to XHTML" "Happenings" & "The World Wide Web"

9/21
Open Studio Session. Work on Hypermedia Collage Project.

9/26
Open Studio Session. Work on Hypermedia Collage Project.
Reading: NMR: pg 193-209 "Two Selections by Marshall McLuhan", pg 211-226 "Experiments in Art and Technology"

9/28
Open Studio Session. Work on Hypermedia Collage Project.

10/3
Critique First Project.

10/5
Introduction to Audacity. Second Project Assigned
Reading Discussion of "Two Selections by Marshall McLuhan" & "Experiments in Art and Technology"
Creation Sequence
Fontana Mix by John Cage realized by Max Neuhaus -  http://www.ubu.com/aspen/aspen5and6/fontana.html
In class listening to John Cage:Prepared Piano, and Steve Riech:Early Work and Drumming

10/10   Open Studio Session. Work on Sound Project.

10/12   Open Studio Session. Work on Sound Project.

10/17   Open Studio Session. Work on Sound Project.

10/19   Open Studio Session. Work on Sound Project.
Reading Project: "Paul Graham: Taste For Makers"
http://www.paulgraham.com/taste.html

10/24 & 10/26   Open Studio Session. Work on Sound Project.

10/31   Critique of Second Project

11/2   Critique of Second Project

11/7   Open Studio Session. - Dziga Vertov: Man with the Movie Camera (excerpts)  - Creation Sequence - Lab Exercise

11/9   Open Studio Session - Discussion of SQURL ART
Reading: NMR: pg 227-229 "Cybernated Art", pg 463-470 "Will there be condominiums in Data Space?", pg 711-735 "Time Frames", pg 643-647 "The Fantasy Beyond Control"

11/14  Final Cut Pro - Open Studio Session. Work on Video Project.
Reading Discussion of "Cybernated Art", "Will there be condominiums in Data Space?", "Time Frames", "The Fantasy Beyond Control"

11/16   Open Studio Session. Work on Video Project.

11/21 & 11/23    No Class meeting - Thanksgiving Recess

11/28   Open Studio Session. Work on Video Project.

11/30   Open Studio Session. Work on Video Project.

12/5   Open Studio Session. Work due for the SQURL Art Event.

12/7    Set up for the SQURL Art Event

12/12 Final Critique of website and video Project.

Project 1: Hypertext / Hyperimage Collage

Using the name of the street where you grew up as a starting point, create a hypertext/hyperimage collage expanding and interpreting the meaning, metaphors and thoughts the street name contains. Consider the formal choices of color, image, scale, text and composition when you compose your collage. The site navigation can contribute to, and/or eliminate discovery and mystery, as well as structure the unfolding of a narrative. How are your creating a feeling of wholeness from each discreet part? What visual strategies are you using to create your gestalt? Consider how you will integrate the sound Project #2 and video Project #3 into your site design. Burn the collage to a CD. Include all source materials, notes, sketches and documentation on the CD in a folder labeled "Source."

Project 2: Explorations in Sound: Sampled and Created

Exploration 1. Sampled Sound
Using the street name from Project #1 as a point of departure, use the program Audacity to create a piece 30 seconds to 2 minutes in length using sampled sound with editing, pasting and multi-tracking. - Mix and export as a .mp3 file format and burn to a CD. Include all source materials, notes, sketches and documentation on the CD in a folder labeled "Source."

Exploration 2. Sound Machine, Performance and Score
Part A - Sound Machine: Create a sound machine (using our definition of a machine) that creates a variety of sounds. This can be created out of anything. This can be a physical object, or a virtual machine. Write a 1 minute composition for your machine and be prepared to play it for the class. The score for your composition must be written on paper and presented at the time of your performance. The methodology you use should make sense to you and your machines capabilites. You will be graded on the aesthetics of your machine, performance and written score. A photograph of the machine, a one minute recording of your composition and a digital image of your written score should be burned to CD. Include all source materials, notes, sketches and documentation on the CD in a folder labeled "Source."

Part B - Sound Mix: Using Audacity create a 1 minute piece using the recording of your composition from Part A and combine that with a sound sample from the internet. Continue to mix sounds until the piece contains the metaphors and meanings related to the street name where you grew up. Be sure to use editing, pasting and multi-tracking - Mix and export as a .mp3 file format and burn to a CD. Include all source materials, notes, sketches and documentation on the CD in a folder labeled "Source."

Project 3: Digital Video

Video Composition
Using images, found footage, and video you shoot yourself, create a silent video 3-5 minutes in length. Once again using the street name where you grew up as your starting point, develop a sequence of visual motifs that specifically deal with movement, light and space. How are you dealing with motion, lighting, darkness, point of view, theme, narrative, and/or non-narrative? What are the visual dynamics you are using to structure this video? The final video should be in QuickTime format and burned to CD. Include all source materials, notes, sketches and documentation on the CD in a folder labeled "Source."

Integrate assigments #2 and #3 into your site design of Project #1.

Evaluation:

Your final grade will be determined by the hypermedia collage, the sound projects and the video project, your attendance and participation in reading discussions and critiques.

Artwork will be graded on artistic, creative and intellectual merit.

Grades will be based on the following:

All Projects and projects are due at the beginning of class.

Late reading responses will not be accepted. Late projects will result in a letter grade deduction.

Web Resources:

Suggested NYC Galleries for Nov. 3rd Trip
EYEBEAM
540 W. 21st St. NYC
http://www.eyebeam.org/

bitforms
529 west 20th street, nyc
http://www.bitforms.com

A Rebel in Defense of Tradition (Steve Riech)
http://www.thenation.com/doc/20061106/schiff

XHTML Beginers Tutorial
http://www.davesite.com/webstation/XHTML/

XHTML Advanced Tutorial
http://www.webdevelopersnotes.com/tutorials/adhtml/index.php3

Open Source Definition
http://www.opensource.org/docs/definition_plain.php

History of the World Wide Web
http://www.w3.org/History.XHTML

Multimedia Design: Navigation Maps and Storyboards
http://www.usu.edu/sanderso/multinet/wwwnavi.XHTML

The Freesound project - loads of cool FREE sound samples
http://freesound.iua.upf.edu/samplesViewSingle.php?id=16475
The Freesound Project is a collaborative database of Creative Commons licensed sounds. Freesound focuses only on sound, not songs.

Audacity Sound Editor
http://audacity.sourceforge.net/
Note: Using audacity, you will want to import ONLY .aiff and .au, .mp3 file formats. You are also LIMITED to ONE sampling rate. Please check/change the sampling rates in your sound file tracks. In audacity all sampling rates must be the same throughout the whole project to work with the file and play the audio. If they aren't a window will pop up telling you to make them the same.

Audacity User Manual
http://audacity.sourceforge.net/manual-1.2/

Apple's Final Cut Pro 5 Support
http://www.apple.com/software/pro/training/courses/fcp200.html
Video tutorials are a great way to get started with Final Cut Pro. Or, download and print the PDF-based tutorials.

UBUWEB
http://www.ubu.com/

Aspen: The Multimedia Magazine in a Box
http://www.ubu.com/aspen/