| Introduction to Sound Practices |
2001 (001) |
Eshovo Momoh |
Mon/Wed
6:45 PM - 9:15 PM
In Person
|
|
Description
This course will introduce students to basic techniques of working with sound as an artistic material. As a prerequisite for many of the department?s upper level offerings, the class is designed to familiarize the student with both the technology and the historical and aesthetic background relevant to our facilities and courses, to the field of ?sound art? and experimental music in general, and to the application of sound in other disciplines (video, film, performance, installations, etc.) Equipment covered will include microphones, mixers, analog and digital audio recorders, signal processors and analog synthesizers. Hard-disk based recording and editing (ProTools) is introduced, but the focus is on more traditional analog studio technology. The physics of sound will be a recurring subject.
Examples of music and sound art, created using similar technology to that in our studios, will be played or performed and discussed in class. The listening list will vary according to the instructors? preferences. Readings are similarly set according to the instructors? syllabus: some sections employ more or less reading than others, contact specific instructors for details.
Students are expected to use studio time to complete weekly assignments, which are designed to hone technical skills and, in most cases, foster artistic innovation. Some of these projects can incorporate outside resources (such as the student?s own computers and recordings), but the emphasis is on mastering the studio.
|
Class Number
1755
|
Credits
3
|
Department
Art & Technology / Sound Practices
Area of Study
Digital Communication
Location
MacLean 420
|
| Introduction to Sound Practices |
2001 (002) |
Whitney D. Johnson |
Wed
9:00 AM - 3:00 PM
In Person
|
|
Description
This course will introduce students to basic techniques of working with sound as an artistic material. As a prerequisite for many of the department?s upper level offerings, the class is designed to familiarize the student with both the technology and the historical and aesthetic background relevant to our facilities and courses, to the field of ?sound art? and experimental music in general, and to the application of sound in other disciplines (video, film, performance, installations, etc.) Equipment covered will include microphones, mixers, analog and digital audio recorders, signal processors and analog synthesizers. Hard-disk based recording and editing (ProTools) is introduced, but the focus is on more traditional analog studio technology. The physics of sound will be a recurring subject.
Examples of music and sound art, created using similar technology to that in our studios, will be played or performed and discussed in class. The listening list will vary according to the instructors? preferences. Readings are similarly set according to the instructors? syllabus: some sections employ more or less reading than others, contact specific instructors for details.
Students are expected to use studio time to complete weekly assignments, which are designed to hone technical skills and, in most cases, foster artistic innovation. Some of these projects can incorporate outside resources (such as the student?s own computers and recordings), but the emphasis is on mastering the studio.
|
Class Number
1756
|
Credits
3
|
Department
Art & Technology / Sound Practices
Area of Study
Digital Communication
Location
MacLean 420
|
| Introduction to Sound Practices |
2001 (003) |
James Paul Wetzel |
Thurs
9:00 AM - 3:00 PM
In Person
|
|
Description
This course will introduce students to basic techniques of working with sound as an artistic material. As a prerequisite for many of the department?s upper level offerings, the class is designed to familiarize the student with both the technology and the historical and aesthetic background relevant to our facilities and courses, to the field of ?sound art? and experimental music in general, and to the application of sound in other disciplines (video, film, performance, installations, etc.) Equipment covered will include microphones, mixers, analog and digital audio recorders, signal processors and analog synthesizers. Hard-disk based recording and editing (ProTools) is introduced, but the focus is on more traditional analog studio technology. The physics of sound will be a recurring subject.
Examples of music and sound art, created using similar technology to that in our studios, will be played or performed and discussed in class. The listening list will vary according to the instructors? preferences. Readings are similarly set according to the instructors? syllabus: some sections employ more or less reading than others, contact specific instructors for details.
Students are expected to use studio time to complete weekly assignments, which are designed to hone technical skills and, in most cases, foster artistic innovation. Some of these projects can incorporate outside resources (such as the student?s own computers and recordings), but the emphasis is on mastering the studio.
|
Class Number
1762
|
Credits
3
|
Department
Art & Technology / Sound Practices
Area of Study
Digital Communication
Location
MacLean 420
|
| Mechanisms, Movement & Meaning |
2010 (001) |
Dan Miller |
Tues
9:00 AM - 3:00 PM
In Person
|
|
Description
Consider how object based movement creates both meaning and tone, and how movement functions much like non-verbal communication. We'll attempt to approach the technical matters of controlling motion from the aesthetic perspective of an animator or a dancer. The course introduces basic techniques for creating moving parts appropriate for a broad range of creative and material practices. Technical matters covered through exercises include motors, speed control, fabrication of moving parts and simple circuits for motor control. Self-determined projects will demonstrate mastery of skills and concepts.
|
Class Number
1109
|
Credits
3
|
Department
Art & Technology / Sound Practices
Area of Study
Art and Science
Location
MacLean B1-07
|
| Art and Technology Practices |
2101 (001) |
Dan Miller, Garrett Johnson |
Thurs, Thurs
9:00 AM - 3:00 PM, 9:00 AM - 3:00 PM
In Person
|
|
Description
This team-taught, introductory course provides a foundation for most additional coursework in the Art and Technology Studies department. Students are given a broad interdisciplinary grounding in the skills, concepts, and hands-on experiences they will need to engage the potentials of new technologies in art making. Every other week, a lecture and discussion group exposes students to concepts of electronic media, perception, inter-media composition, emerging venues, and other issues important to artists working with technologically based media. Students will attend a morning & afternoon section each day to gain hands-on experience with a variety of forms and techniques central to technologically-based art making.
|
Class Number
1107
|
Credits
3
|
Department
Art & Technology / Sound Practices
Area of Study
Game Design, Art and Science
Location
MacLean 401, MacLean B1-07
|
| Art and Technology Practices |
2101 (001) |
Dan Miller, Garrett Johnson |
Thurs, Thurs
9:00 AM - 3:00 PM, 9:00 AM - 3:00 PM
In Person
|
|
Description
This team-taught, introductory course provides a foundation for most additional coursework in the Art and Technology Studies department. Students are given a broad interdisciplinary grounding in the skills, concepts, and hands-on experiences they will need to engage the potentials of new technologies in art making. Every other week, a lecture and discussion group exposes students to concepts of electronic media, perception, inter-media composition, emerging venues, and other issues important to artists working with technologically based media. Students will attend a morning & afternoon section each day to gain hands-on experience with a variety of forms and techniques central to technologically-based art making.
|
Class Number
1107
|
Credits
3
|
Department
Art & Technology / Sound Practices
Area of Study
Game Design, Art and Science
Location
MacLean 401, MacLean B1-07
|
| Sophomore Seminar: Interdisciplinary |
2900 (016) |
Lee Blalock |
Wed
12:15 PM - 3:00 PM
In Person
|
|
Description
What are the concerns that drive one's creative practice? How does one set the terms for its future development? Sophomore Seminar offers strategies for students to explore, reflect upon, and connect common themes and interests in the development of an emerging creative practice that will serve as the basis of their ongoing studies at SAIC and beyond. Students will examine historical and contemporary influences and contextualize their work in relation to the diverse art-worlds of the 21st Century. Readings, screenings, and field trips will vary each semester. Presentations by visiting artists and guest speakers will provide the opportunity for students to hear unique perspectives on sustaining a creative practice. One-on-one meetings with faculty will provide students with individualized mentorship throughout the semester. During interdisciplinary critiques, students will explore a variety of formats and tools to analyze work and provide peer feedback. The class mid-term project asks students to imagine a plan for their creative life and devise a self-directed course of study for their time at school. The course concludes with an assignment asking students to develop and document a project or body of work demonstrating how the interplay of ideas, technical skills, and formal concerns evolve through iteration, experimentation and revision.
Prerequisite: Must be a sophomore to enroll.
Prerequisites
Prerequisite: Must be a sophomore to enroll.
|
Class Number
2112
|
Credits
3
|
Department
Art & Technology / Sound Practices
Location
MacLean 414
|
| Digital Audio Production |
3003 (001) |
Allie n Steve Mullen |
Wed
9:00 AM - 3:00 PM
In Person
|
|
Description
This course is offered for those students interested in developing skills in the creation and application of digital audio. Using Apple's Logic software, students interested in exploring sound or music are introduced to audio manipulation techniques that allow them to create soundtracks, to record and produce songs or dance tracks, realize abstract sound pieces or manipulate sound for installations.
Techniques of sound manipulation are introduced, including audio recording and editing, looping, and sound destruction. MIDI, drum programming, the use of software synthesis and basic music and composition techniques are addressed according to the needs of individual students.
The class is structured to encourage the interaction of students with a wide range of technical ability in audio from beginners to advanced artists in the early stages of a professional practice.
|
Class Number
2270
|
Credits
3
|
Department
Art & Technology / Sound Practices
Location
MacLean 431
|
| Digital Music: Concepts, Structures, Materials |
3005 (001) |
William Harper |
Thurs
9:00 AM - 3:00 PM
In Person
|
|
Description
This course introduces students to the fundamental materials of music composition, the structures used to shape these materials, and techniques and strategies students can use to create fully formed pieces of music. Referencing traditional and experimental practices from many cultures and histories, we examine the basic musical elements of rhythm, meter, tonal organization, harmony, and timbre. These are applied in a digital studio environment via sampling, sound synthesis, looping, and live recording using Apple's Logic digital audio workstation.
Musical works by artists from diverse backgrounds and identities are analyzed to understand how these materials and concepts are used to sculpt emotional expressions, narrative forms, abstract constructions, or conceptual statements. Students work with these references, elements, and materials to make their own work in genres of their own choice. No style of music is off limits.
Course work will vary but typically includes participation in weekly experiments and the presentation of self-devised projects at midterm and the end of the semester. Students work with the materials, structures, and techniques introduced to make their own work in genres of their own choice.
|
Class Number
2235
|
Credits
3
|
Department
Art & Technology / Sound Practices
Location
MacLean 431
|
| Acoustic Ecology and Phonography |
3006 (001) |
Eric Leonardson |
Fri
9:00 AM - 3:00 PM
In Person
|
|
Description
This course is founded on exploring and understanding the richness and diversity of our sound environment: the sounds that are present, how they constantly change in time, their impact socially and individually, and how they can be attentively recorded and creatively deployed. Research conducted through recording will serve as a basis for discussion of acoustic ecology: an interdisciplinary concern with the social, scientific, and aesthetic interrelationships between individuals and their environment mediated by sound. Students will gain technical and critical skills and an understanding of the reciprocity of listening and sound-making, leading to increasing the potential for effective public engagement and social practice, and engaging with human perception and technology in human and non-human eco-systems.
Coursework is supplemented by examining works by artists and writers including Steven Feld, R. Murray Schafer, Annea Lockwood, Pauline Oliveros, Chris Watson, Hildegard Westerkamp, Luz Maria Sanchez, Amanda Gutierrez, Leah Barclay, Christopher DeLaurenti, Jonathan Sterne, Francisco Lopez, Norman Long, Viv Corringham, Christina Kubisch, Andra McCartney, Jean-François Augoyard, Henri Torgue, Andrea Polli, Manuel Rocha Irtube and others.
Assigned projects include but are not limited to field recording, soundwalking, mapping, habitat monitoring and restoration, learning and cognition, communications, and soundscape composition. These lead to independent individual or collaborative projects.
|
Class Number
2118
|
Credits
3
|
Department
Art & Technology / Sound Practices
Area of Study
Community & Social Engagement, Public Space, Site, Landscape
Location
MacLean 522
|
| Analog Electronics |
3007 (001) |
Brett Ian Balogh |
Tues
9:00 AM - 3:00 PM
In Person
|
|
Description
Even though we live in a primarily analog world, most of our experience of modernity is digital. We will examine the similarities and differences of these two worlds through the lens of electronics, focusing on the role of analog systems in art-making. The course provides a hands-on exploration of analog sound and video circuit elements and systems as well as a survey of relevant artists, artworks and practices. Students will be able to make a variety of works, including performance, interactive objects and environments, still images, audiovisual instruments, audio pieces, and video, to name a few.
Course activities will be supported by the purchase of a kit of resources to facilitate hands-on exploration. Each student will research a topic of interest and will respond to it through the lens of their own practice in the creation of a final project. No prior skills in electronics or art and technology studies are required; however, curiosity and a willingness to learn are a must.
|
Class Number
1111
|
Credits
3
|
Department
Art & Technology / Sound Practices
Area of Study
Art and Science, Social Media and the Web
Location
MacLean 423
|
| Olfactory Art |
3009 (001) |
Tedd Neenan |
Tues
9:00 AM - 3:00 PM
In Person
|
|
Description
Students will investigate scent as an expressive medium. They will have access to the ATS Perfume Organ and specialized lab equipment. Course content includes basic aromatic blending, hydro-distillation extraction techniques and how to impregnate scent into various media. At least TWO works of Olfactory Art are to be completed. The last one is considered the FINAL and should be an opus ready for gallery/performance/experiential application.Students should leave this class with the ability to thoughtfully engage Olfactory Work as practitioners, researchers and thinkers within personal, historical, theoretical and conceptual contexts.
|
Class Number
1112
|
Credits
3
|
Department
Art & Technology / Sound Practices
Area of Study
Art and Science
Location
Michigan B1-19
|
| Sound and Image |
3011 (001) |
James Paul Wetzel |
Tues
9:00 AM - 3:00 PM
In Person
|
|
Description
This course focuses on the relationship of sound to moving image, and introduces post-production techniques and strategies that address this relationship as a compositional imperative. Thorough instruction is given on digital audio post-production techniques for moving image, including recording, sound file imports, soundtrack composition and assembly, sound design, and mixing in stereo and surround-sound. This is supplemented by presentations on acoustics and auditory perception. Assigned readings in theories and strategies of sound-image relationships inform studio instruction. Assigned projects focus on gaining post-production skills, and students produce independent projects of their own that integrate sound and moving image.
Artists include Chantal Dumas, Walter Verdin, Deborah Stratman, Lucrecia Martel, Martin Scorcese, Abigail Child, Frederic Moffet, Gyorgi Palvi, Francis Ford Coppola, Gary Hill, and others. Writings in theory include texts by Michel Chion, Rick Altman, and others.
The student?s independent image-and-sound work is foregrounded and supported; supplemental assigned projects include sound sequence composition and ADR recording and mixing.
Prerequisites
SOUND 2001 or FVNM 2004 or FVNM 5020
|
Class Number
1757
|
Credits
3
|
Department
Art & Technology / Sound Practices
Area of Study
Digital Communication
Location
MacLean 1413
|
| Sound Now: Improvisation |
3012 (001) |
Damon Locks |
Tues
9:00 AM - 3:00 PM
In Person
|
|
Description
The focus of this class will be on improvisation within and without traditions and in relationship and juxtaposition to genre and structure. There are many manifestations across cultures of freedom and transformation through improvisation. We will look at improvisational sound, music and performance and their potentials and outcomes -- from moments of imaginative exploration inside the form, to the search for freedom, discovery and re-contextualization. We will dig into the need for improvisation, its effect on the audience, and its power to provoke cultural change. Can improvisation be a practice as a whole, an approach to all forms?
Improvisation in performance and practice takes us to new places that are of the moment and a way forward, as exemplified in the work of the provocative Egyptian vocalist Umm Kalsoum who broke gender norms; Sun Ra¿s sonic storytelling and myth building based on Black American cultural signifiers; the genre-bending deconstructive electronic manipulations of Mixmaster Mike. The students¿ individual and collective explorations of improvisation in their own practice will be fueled by discussions, recordings, performance documentation and texts by artists, practitioners, and writers, including Rob Mazurek, Tomeka Reid & Nicole Mitchell, Wadada Leo Smith, Sun Ra, Umm Kalsoum, Kid Koala & Mixmaster Mike, and more.
Students engage in a variety of in-class approaches to individual and collective improvisation. These include exercises on exploring and expanding one's instrument of choice, close-listening and responsive-listening projects aimed at increased attention to collaborators in the moment, and projects in which cross-cultural and historical approaches to improvisation are analyzed and mobilized towards individual interpretation. These are amplified by meetings with visiting artists who share their experiences of improvisation in a wide range of contexts.
|
Class Number
1764
|
Credits
6
|
Department
Art & Technology / Sound Practices
Area of Study
Art/Design and Politics
Location
MacLean 522
|
| Women Artists in Cyberspace |
3018 (001) |
Judy Malloy |
TBD - TBD
All Online
|
|
Description
With a concentration on creative practice in online environments, students will focus on the work of women, from the early days of computing, to the late 20th century, to the 21st century. In addition to lectures, readings, and traversals, practicum segments will guide student creation of online works that explore and expand on the role of women in cyberspace. Beginning with the work of women software engineers, such as black mathematician Katherine Johnson, and engineer and transgender activist Lynn Conway -- and with a project-oriented focus -- the course will look at the cyberspace-based work of women artist innovators, including ECHONYC founder, Stacy Horn; Cave Automatic Virtual Environment developer Carolina Cruz-Neira; and Ping Fu and Colleen Bushell's role in graphical interface design for Mosaic. At its core, the course will focus on the works of women cyberartists, including Joan Jonas, Sherrie Rabinowitz, Nancy Paterson, Brenda Laurel, Pamela Z, Char Davies, Lynn Hershman Leeson, Shu Lea Cheang, Tamiko Thiel, Carla Gannis, and Micha Cardenas. Students will create women-centered virtual art works, including graphic narratives and electronic manuscripts, and/or archives, online essays, or criticism.
Note that because Women Artists in Cyberspace is an asynchronous class, attendance on a specific day or time is not required.
|
Class Number
1119
|
Credits
3
|
Department
Art & Technology / Sound Practices
Area of Study
Digital Communication, Digital Imaging, Gender and Sexuality
Location
Online
|
| Analog Synthesis |
3019 (001) |
Austen Brown |
Wed
9:00 AM - 3:00 PM
In Person
|
|
Description
This course considers the building blocks of modular analog synthesis-
oscillators, amplifiers, and filters, using vintage and modern analog equipment. The course also considers various frequency and amplitude modulation techniques, including ring modulation and frequency shifting. These techniques are contextualized in a brief survey of the history of `classical' analog synthesis music, both European and American, with some analysis of classical studio technique in the work of composers such as Stockhausen, Berio, Koenig, Subotnik, Oliveros, Babbit, etc. Weekly compositional projects emphasize particular technical and aesthetic problems.
|
Class Number
2119
|
Credits
3
|
Department
Art & Technology / Sound Practices
Location
MacLean 416
|
| Electronic Textiles and the Body |
3026 (001) |
Anke Loh, Christine Anne Shallenberg |
Fri
9:00 AM - 3:00 PM
In Person
|
|
Description
Through lectures, readings and demos this studio class will focus on the use of e-textiles in art, design and fashion, with a focus on user-centered design, fashion applications, and embodied, tactile and sensory e-textiles with the potential for therapeutic, stimulating and engaging applications. Topics will include different types of sensing systems for stretchable/flexible/soft textiles with compatible sensors and electronics, as well as the opportunities and challenges of e-textiles in the areas of fashion and interior design. The class will cover reliability, sustainability and future trends. Professional practice field trips within the Chicago region will cover developing ventures in technology, art or wearables.
Students will be introduced to techniques for building electronic components using non-traditional and soft materials and programming for Arduino to integrate sensors into expressive forms, expand their understanding of wearable technology history through readings and artists working at the intersection of technology and the body and improve their ability to synthesize ideas and to see a project through from research to final presentation and to consider the best form of presentation.
Readings, lectures and screenings will vary.
Example of suggested readings:
Haptics by Lynette Jones, 2018
Smart Textiles: fundamentals, design, and interaction by Stefan Schneegass (University of Stuttgart) and Oliver Amft (University of Passau), 2017
Crafting Wearables: blending technology with fashion by Sibel Deren Guler, et al., 2016
Wearing Embodied Emotions: a practice based design research on wearable technology by Secil Ugur, 2013
Course work includes weekly reading responses, a mid-term, and a final project. Students can expect to produce a body of work consisting of 3-5 finished pieces during the semester.
Departmental consent required: junior level and up preferred.
Please send brief paragraph why you wish to take this course, portfolio 5-10 images of work relevant to this class, and a list of classes you have taken in fashion and/ or art & technology.
|
Class Number
2113
|
Credits
3
|
Department
Art & Technology / Sound Practices
Area of Study
Costume Design, Community & Social Engagement, Art and Science
Location
MacLean 423
|
| Electronic Textiles and the Body |
3026 (001) |
Anke Loh, Christine Anne Shallenberg |
Fri
9:00 AM - 3:00 PM
In Person
|
|
Description
Through lectures, readings and demos this studio class will focus on the use of e-textiles in art, design and fashion, with a focus on user-centered design, fashion applications, and embodied, tactile and sensory e-textiles with the potential for therapeutic, stimulating and engaging applications. Topics will include different types of sensing systems for stretchable/flexible/soft textiles with compatible sensors and electronics, as well as the opportunities and challenges of e-textiles in the areas of fashion and interior design. The class will cover reliability, sustainability and future trends. Professional practice field trips within the Chicago region will cover developing ventures in technology, art or wearables.
Students will be introduced to techniques for building electronic components using non-traditional and soft materials and programming for Arduino to integrate sensors into expressive forms, expand their understanding of wearable technology history through readings and artists working at the intersection of technology and the body and improve their ability to synthesize ideas and to see a project through from research to final presentation and to consider the best form of presentation.
Readings, lectures and screenings will vary.
Example of suggested readings:
Haptics by Lynette Jones, 2018
Smart Textiles: fundamentals, design, and interaction by Stefan Schneegass (University of Stuttgart) and Oliver Amft (University of Passau), 2017
Crafting Wearables: blending technology with fashion by Sibel Deren Guler, et al., 2016
Wearing Embodied Emotions: a practice based design research on wearable technology by Secil Ugur, 2013
Course work includes weekly reading responses, a mid-term, and a final project. Students can expect to produce a body of work consisting of 3-5 finished pieces during the semester.
Departmental consent required: junior level and up preferred.
Please send brief paragraph why you wish to take this course, portfolio 5-10 images of work relevant to this class, and a list of classes you have taken in fashion and/ or art & technology.
|
Class Number
2113
|
Credits
3
|
Department
Art & Technology / Sound Practices
Area of Study
Costume Design, Community & Social Engagement, Art and Science
Location
MacLean 423
|
| Air, Fluid and Actuators |
3033 (001) |
Dan Miller |
Wed
9:00 AM - 3:00 PM
In Person
|
|
Description
This kinetics course will explore the activation of art projects with materials that flow, inflate, pump, pour and move in unique ways. Demonstrations will introduce: basic electronics, pneumatics, air-muscles, inflatables, pumps, motors, actuators and the necessary means to power these devices. This course will explore materials and their unique properties when activated by these processes. Students will learn various techniques to animate and control art projects, including the use of the Arduino micro-controller and sensors.
Throughout the course, screenings and readings will introduce students to artists who work with kinetics, robotics and related fields. Artists shown and discussed in class include: Theo Jansen, Rapheal Lozano-Hemmer, Chico Mac Murtrie, Rebecca Horn. Students will be introduced to organizations, galleries and networks that support this type of art work including ARS Electronica, Rhizome and Bitforms gallery.
A series of workshops and smaller assignments will expose students to the potentials of these devices and processes in art making. Next, students will develop projects that utilize one or more of the systems covered in class. Students will be guided in project proposal development where ideas will be explored in group discussions. Mechanical and electronic fabrication techniques will be further explored through project development. Completed projects will be evaluated in group critiques.
|
Class Number
2390
|
Credits
3
|
Department
Art & Technology / Sound Practices
Area of Study
Art and Science
Location
MacLean B1-07
|
| Introduction to Computer Vision |
3039 (001) |
Douglas Rosman |
Wed
9:00 AM - 3:00 PM
In Person
|
|
Description
Computer vision allows machines to see and understand their environment. This course will equip students with the practical skills and critical theory needed to both employ and critically engage these techniques. Real-time body tracking, facial recognition and gesture analysis using RGB+D and LiDAR sensors, artificial intelligence and machine learning will be emphasized. Students will explore and critique contemporary applications ranging from automated mass surveillance to interactive installations. A final project will build on in-class workshops, technical exercises, critical readings and discussions.
|
Class Number
1114
|
Credits
3
|
Department
Art & Technology / Sound Practices
Location
MacLean 401
|
