/*This studio is structured into four units in order to foster a range of conceptual and technical creative approaches and a trajectory from group workshops to individual projects. Please note that the below outline is subject to change according to emergent properties of the class.
The syllabus indicates when a reading will be discussed in class and when it is strongly suggested but will not be formally discussed due to the overall necessary balance of live work, coding, and history/theory*/
UNIT 1: READYMADE MIXED REALITY
Week 1: January 26: Performance & Entanglement
aesthetics and conditions of entanglement
screenings: historical and contemporary virtuality
introductions
workshop in site-specific / geo-locative practice
introduction to LAYAR Augmented Reality geo-layer database
Reading: Chris Salter, Entangled: introduction
Week 2: February 2: New Poetics of Embodied Space
collaborative geo-locative micro-performances
Reading: N. Katherine Hayles, How We Became Posthuman: Prologue
Assignment: Places of Seeing
Collection of materials for next week’s vision AR tutorial. Each member of the group is given a different task
1. scenographer: responsive image
find or create target image (must exist physically – book, object, on clothing or as tattoo – and virtually – as jpg or png)
(in ++resources: see layar vision layar for guidelines for machine recognizable images)
2. animator
create animated gif from or in response to group content
3. scenographer: geo-spatial
alter (expand or edit) geo-spatial content to improve immersion, cohesion, aesthetic, etc.
(in ++resources, may need to reference ftp access, mysql databases, and layar xyz)
4. scenographer: object
find or create an “extension” – an object for use in live performance
Week 3: February 9: Hybrid Objects and Bodies
workshop in readymade machine-vision with augmented objects and images
discussion of Salter and Hayles
performance lab
Assigned Reading: Wendy Chun, Computers That Roar
Task: Install Xcode / openFrameworks: SEE LOG (week 3: 2/9) for instructions
UNIT 2: COMMAND LINES & INSTRUCTION SETS
Week 4: February 16: Constraints, Codes & Machine Language
computers as metaphor, conceptual instructions, recipes;
basic programming and compiling in c++; human-machine dialogues with input and output text, pointers and memory addresses
Task: Performative Poetics of the Command Line
Download in-class + extra examples here (see readme to review compiling). To review concepts, study the C++ tutorial here, looking over compilers, basics of c++, control structures and functions. The goal is to familiarize yourself with the language and its structures so don’t worry if you aren’t able to master all of the material. Attempt the following exercise:
* Roll a 10-sided die once here.
*Choose a word based on your roll: 1.PORT / 2.MEMORY / 3.PING / 4.DOMAIN / 5.PAYLOAD / 6.SNIFFER / 7.INJECTION / 8.HACKING / 9.SERVER / 10.PACKET
*Compose a text of 1 sentence or less that responds creatively to your word (considering human/geo-physical and virtual/computational references)
*Create a performative command line text to present in class next week, working with the examples provided and the c++ tutorial
To compile downloaded examples:
1. launch terminal
2.navigate to your folder (e.g.: cd ~/Documents/MixedReality)
helpful commands:
ls (lists files in folder)
../ (back up to previous directory)
3. compile w/ g++ by typing: g++ filename.cpp
type ls to see that executable has been created
4.run executable by typing: ./a.out
Week 5: February 23: Human Time & Machine Time
Introduction to Xcode and openframeworks: environment, variables, loops, text + machine poetics
Lab: $ whereis memory?
Reading: Steve Dixon: Digital Double
openFrameworks examples from wk 5
UNIT 3: PERFORMING CODE
Week 6: March 2: Digital Doubles
discussion of Dixon
workshop in capturing and sequencing performative images, real-time processing of video and live feeds; performing live and virtual selves
Week 7: March 9: Collaborative Projects Lab
Week 8: March 16: Double Happening, Session 1
mid-term event conceived as mixed reality (post-)happening followed by afternoon critiques
Week 9: March 23: Double Happening, Session 2
mid-term event conceived asmixed reality (post-)happening followed by afternoon critiques
Week 10: March 30: Machine Vision
working with opencv for face and eye detection; performing with computer vision, surveillance, invisibility
Reading: Maaike Bleeker, Anatomy Live: Performance and the Operating Theatre
UNIT 4: MIXED REALITY PROJECTS LAB
Week 11: April 6:Live Anatomy
workshop with machine vision and kinect sensor to access anatomical structures and gestures; anatomical theatre performance workshop
Suggested Reading: Lisa Gitelman, Always Already New
Task: Final Project proposals for week 12ons
Week 12: April 13:Ubiquitous Gesture
workshop with Abe using smartphone and tablet as gestural device
afternoon launch of mixed reality projects lab
Week 13: April 20: Final Event & Critiques part 1
Week 14: April 27: Break; //No CLASS – CRIT WEEK
Course leaders available for 1-on-1 advising sessions with schedules TBA
Week 15: May 4: Final Event & Critiques part 2