(-Note: This is now a 2 semester long course. The Fall MPSM377 is followed in the
Spring by
MPSM311, which includes substantively the content of "Programming for Artists".)
The purpose of this studio course is to provide skills and information
that will be useful for artists who use electrical devices in their artworks.
Essentially, this is a course for introducing artists to ways of working with electricity in
their artwork.
It covers AC/DC current and how to work with it safely. We start from scratch and show how
to use components
(like resistors, capacitors, transisitors and relays), read schematics and build electrical
circuits. The ultimate goal is for
artists to incorporate this knowledge in the production of a final project of their own
design.
The second (digital) part of the course involves writing software (programming), especially
programming microcontrollers. These may
be used in sculptural installation, performance, robotics, wearable art, etc. Many examples
will
be shown.
We're currently using the Atmel series of chips (microcontrollers), the same ones used in
the popular "Arduino board".
The idea is to process information about environmental conditions such as light, pressure
and sound
and to respond with controllable switches, timers, motors and sound devices.
The course involves interfacing microcontrollers with interactive multimedia software
environments including Processing,
MAX/MSP/Jitter and pd.