'''DXARTS 470: Sensing and Control Systems for Digital Art, Autumn 2013'''
'''MW 9:30‐11:20 Fremont Studio''' DXARTS 470 Sensing and Control is a an introductory studio course focused on the development of innovative processes and techniques for real‐time I/O, communication , and control within the context of contemporary experimental art practice. The course covers real‐time systems programming and basic digital / analog electronics, and looks to locate these techniques within a wider aesthetic framework and historical tradition. In building a critical language with which to analyse analyze relationships between real and virtual, static and mobile, local and remote, online and offline, students are encouraged to implement new tools, new systems and new presentational scenarios for performance, art installations, and other digital arts applications.
An intensive ten‐week course, we will cover basic techniques early‐on and reinforce them through extensive hands‐on work, availing ourselves of pre‐packaged hardware, software, and rapid‐prototyping tools.
'''Instructors'''COURSE INFORMATION*Class Time: MW 9:30‐11:20 Fremont Studio*Instructor: Robert Twomey [mailto:rtwomey@uw.edu rtwomey@uw.edu]. Office Hours: 1 hr immediately after class, so MW 11:30‐12:20.*Teaching Assistant: Shih‐Wei Lo [mailto:swlcomp@uw.edu swlcomp@uw.edu]*Email List: [mailto:dxarts470a_au13@uw.edu dxarts470a_au13@uw.edu]*Drop Box: https://catalyst.uw.edu/collectit/dropbox/rtwomey/29021
Robert Twomey (rtwomey@uw.edu). Office Hours ‐ MW 11:30‐12:20=Assignments and Grading=
Teaching Assistant ‐ Shih‐Wei Lo (swlcomp@uw.edu) Office HoursThe overall class grade will be broken down between weekly prompts and a final project:
Email List ‐ dxarts470a_au13@uw.edu*Weekly Prompts: 50%*Midterm Project: 20%*Final Project: 30%
Drop Box ‐ https://catalystGrading of all assignments will be based upon the quality of concept, experimentation, work ethic and realization.uw.edu/collectit/dropbox/rtwomey/29021
=Assignments The weekly projects are structured as creative prompts, incorporating material learned during the week. We will have abbreviated discussions of these works in class. The two main projects will account for 50% of your grade. To receive credit for the projects project, you will need to turn in visual documentation (minimum of three photos/videos) as appropriate, schematic diagrams, and Grading=source code for arduino, processing, and any other technologies you are using. These will be turned in to Drop Box in catalyst web‐tools.
You will do a small project each weekend between Wednesday class and Monday morning. These prompts will incorporate material learned during the week. We will have abbreviated discussions of these works on Monday mornings.
They will be graded on completion rather than given a point value. Together, the prompt responses will account for 50% of your grade.
The Mid‐Term and Final project account for the other 50% of your grade.
*Mid‐Term Project: An artwork where invisible parts share equal importance with visible parts.
*Final Project: open assignment.
To receive credit for each project, you will need to turn in visual documentation (minimum of three photos/videos) as appropriate, schematic diagrams, and source code for arduino, processing, and any other technologies you are using. These will be turned in to Drop Box in catalyst web‐tools.
Grading of all assignments will be based upon the quality of concept, experimentation, work ethic and realization.
The overall class grade will be broken down between weekly projects and a final project:
*Weekly Assignments: 50%
*Midterm Project: 20%
*Final Project: 30%
=Texts=
*Valentino Braitenberg, ''Vehicles'', 1984. Chapters 1-4.
*Rodney Brooks, ''Elephants Don't Play Chess'', 1990.
=Schedule=
'''Week 0'''*Day 1 (Week 0): Introduction and Light Blink. Intro Lecture. Read: Software. Prompt1: Meaningful Signal.'''Week 1'''*Day 2 (Week 1): Arduino, Digital I/O. Lecture: Arduino, Digital I/O*Day 3: Digital I/O continue. Prompt 2: Control Panel. '''Week 2'''*Day 4 (Week 2): Analog Input.*Day 5: Lab Timewith Analog and Digital. Read: Burnham. Homework: Bring an example of an artwork that supports (or challenges) Burnham's ideas, and be prepared to discuss the essay.'''Week 3'''*Day 6 (Week 3): Analog Output + Motor Basics.*Day 7 - : High Current Digital. Read: Weiner, McCarthy, Searle. Prompt 3: ThermostatFeedback. '''Week 4'''*Day 8 (Week 4)- : Midterm Project Intro. An artwork where invisible parts share equal importance with visible parts. Discuss System Aesthetics.*Day 9 - : Systems Aesthetics, Midterm Intro. Homework: Work on Mid-term project'''Week 5'''*Day 10 (Week 5) - : In-Class Work. Check in individually on mid-term project ideas.*Day 11 - In-Class Work. : Control Flow and Timings.'''Week 6'''*Day 12 (Week 6) - : Mid-term Critique.*Day 13 - : Mid-term Critique continued'''Week 7'''*Day 14 (Week 7) - :Veterans Day. no class*Day 15 - : Networks and Networked Hardware. Read: Brecht.'''Week 8'''*Day 16 (Week 8) - : Wireless Sensors. *Day 17 - : Physical MotionComputing. Introduce accelerometers. Read: Braitenberg and Brookes. Prompt 4: Live networking. '''Week 9'''*Day 18 (Week 9) - : Live Networking Exercise. Braitenberg Discussion. Homework: Final Project Proposal.*Day 19 - : State Machines. Read: Breazeal.'''Week 10'''*Day 20 (Week 10)- : Guest Lecture, Q&A time. Work on projects.*Day 21 - : Q&A Time. Work on projects.*'''Finals Week / '''*Final Critiques ExtrasFeedback/Thermostat Activities.reading a temperature sensor. Download file "tempsensor.zip"thermostat. displays info to serial monitor. Download file "thermostat.zip"temperature playback. Download file "tempPlayback.zip"Proportional-integral-derivative (PID) control. (wikipedia) requires tuning. PID Library.
=Lab Kit=
*Complete three weekend projects: late work will not be accepted.
*Complete a final project and presentation: late work will not be accepted. Creative experimentation is required and expected: attempt the impossible; use your imagination to stretch the boundaries of any and all assignments.
=Policies=
