ucsd-et4a

VIS147B: Electronic Technologies for Art II - Fall 2024

Jim Campbell, Ambiguous Icon 5 (Running Falling), 2001 - (22 x 28 x 2 inches. Custom electronics, 768 LEDs. Edition of 1)

Description

A continuation of the electronics curriculum. Design of programmable microcontroller systems for creating artworks that are able to respond to complex sets of input conditions, perform algorithmic and procedural processing, and generate real time output. Program or materials fees may apply. Purchase of components kit required. Two production-course limitation.

This quarter will start with an initial review with focus on implementing 1:1 interaction and embedded behavior in simple input/output systems. It will then move to broader considerations of what constitutes “intelligent” systems, the ways in which intelligence can be embodied in space through electronic hardware, and what creative possibilities arise from our interaction with electronic technologies. Students will be challenged to think critically about ethical considerations in designing hardware, and what it means to interact with “smart” vs inert objects. Students will be asked to create and interact with functional responsive systems. We will situate our work in conceptual approaches including Systems Art, Cybernetics, Distributed Cognition, and Affective Computing.

Details

Instructor: Dr. Robert Twomey
Class: Wed 9:00-noon
Location: SME 102 (Ground floor classroom)
Office Hours:
- in person: Wednesday 1-2pm (Envision)
- online: Friday noon-1pm (Discord)

Course objectives

Experiential learning.
To reinforce principles of hardware interaction and the fundamentals of sensors and actuators.
To learn advanced electronic and software techniques on an as needed basis, motivated by projects.
To learn to research what electronics are necessary to achieve a creative vision, and how to work with them.
To shape independent vision for how electronic technologies integrate into individual creative goals.

A student who successfully completes this course will:

Be able to design and create functional electronic artworks incorporating a variety of hardware and software technologies.
Have a working knowledge of projects and practitioners employing electronic technologies for art.
Demonstrate a satisfactory ability to critique and engage in a discussion about creative work employing electronic technologies and hardware-based interaction.
Be able to think critically about electronic technologies and relate them to historical art methods.

Prequisites: VIS 147A. Open to media, studio, ICAM, and speculative design majors.

Resources

Canvas: https://canvas.ucsd.edu/courses/60624
Discord: check canvas
Hardware:
- Arduino - arduino.cc
- Basic maker kit - ELEGOO UNO Project Super Starter Kit or similar. (hopefully you have this from 147a)
- … more to come!
Makerspaces
- SME 102: our classroom and crit space!
- Envision Makerspace: https://jacobsschool.ucsd.edu/envision
  - EnVision is located on the 3rd floor of the SME building, rooms 301 - 306
  - Open M-F, 9a - 8p and Sat/Sun, 12p - 4p
- Design Innovation Building (DIB) Makerspace https://makerspace.ucsd.edu/

Schedule

(Subject to change. Always check back here for the most up to date information)

Week	Topic
1	Intro, Review, and Meaningful Signals Course Policies and setup; Review Exercises; Assign HW1
2	Making Things Move Analog Input/Output; Assign HW2
3	Sensors and Sensations Advanced Sensors; Project 1 Work Time
4	Imagination Board Project 1 Critique; Intro to Imagination Board
5	Spooky Action at a Distance Remote Sensing; Remote Control; Transistors, Solenoids, and External Power
6	Networks Networked Arduino; Distributed Sensors;
7	Responsive Environments Situated Computing; Smart Objects; Ubiquitous Computing; Networked Free-for-All with MQTT
8	Once More with Feeling(s) Final Project Ideation and Workshopping; Project 2
9	Final Project Work Time In class work on Project 2
10	Work Time and Working Critique
Finals	Submit Documentation

Grading

Graded activities

35% Exercises – approximately 6 weekly exercises
45% Projects – 3 total at approximately 15% each
10% Digital Sketchbook - cumulative
10% Participation

Work will be evaluated on the quality of concept, the degree of experimentation (both aesthetic and technical), and final realization (again, aesthetic and technical). Prompts and rubrics will be provided with more specific details regarding each assignment and breakdowns

Description of Assignments and Exams

Exercises We will have regular, weekly assignments employing the tools and techniques covered in class. These will be short activities with clearly stated creative prompts and technical requirements. Projects will be graded on satisfactory completion with additional credit for creative, technical, expressive extension beyond requirements.

Projects We will have three projects over the semester due approximately midterm and final. Project prompts will be announced on Canvas. For each project students will submit a project archive containing a statement of concept, source code, documentation of the work (photos, video, circuit diagrams as appropriate), discussion of results, and future directions. When assigned, students will submit a proposal/concept for their project to receive instructor feedback, and then work to complete the project. Projects will be presented and critiqued in class and project archives will be submitted for grading.

Digital Sketchbook For this class you will maintain a cumulative digital sketchbook documenting your exercises and projects. This includes images of sketches, circuit diagrams, textual descriptions/questions, and photos and links to video of complete work. There will be periodic graded checks of the sketchbook (beginning, midterm, and end) of quarter for a grade. NOTE: Be sure to make slides and all videos accessible by the instructor.

Participation Contributions to class discussions and active participation in small group work are essential to both the momentum of the course and the development of your ideas. This requires that you come to class prepared (having completed assigned reading and writing) and ready to participate in class activities. This course is based on project-based learning and you are expected to contribute as a responsible member of the community. See the participation evaluation in the Grading Scale below for more information.

Grading Scale

A+ = 97-100 | A = 93-97 | A- = 90-93
B+ = 87-90 | B = 83-87 | B- = 80-83
C+ = 77-80 | C = 73-77 | C- = 70-73
D = 60-70
F = below 60%

Here is a description of the kind of participation in the course that would earn you an A, B, C, etc. Your instructor may use pluses and minuses to reflect your participation more fairly, but this is a general description for each letter grade.

A – Excellent
Excellent participation is marked by near-perfect attendance and rigorous preparation for class work. You respond to questions and activities with enthusiasm and insight and you listen and respond thoughtfully to your peers. You submit assignments on time, adhering to posted requirements, and demonstrate a thorough engagement with the assignment. You respond creatively to any feedback you receive (from both your peers and instructor). You are an active contributor to classroom community.

B – Good
Good participation is marked by near-perfect attendance and thorough preparation for class. You respond to questions with specificity and make active contributions to class. You submit assignments on time, and demonstrate a thorough engagement with the assignment. You respond effectively to the feedback you receive (from both your peers and instructor). You are a regular and reliable contributor to classroom community.

C – Satisfactory
Satisfactory participation is marked by regular attendance and preparation for class. You respond to questions when prompted and participate in classroom activities, though you may sometimes be distracted. You are present in class, with few absences, and have done some of the work some of the time. You submit assignments and make some efforts toward revision proposals and final submission. You are involved in classroom activities, but you offer minimal feedback and you may not always contribute fully to classroom community.

D – Unsatisfactory
Unsatisfactory participation is marked by multiple absences from class and a consistent lack of preparation. You may regularly be distracted by materials/technology not directly related to class. You submit late or incomplete work. You are absent for classroom activities, or do not work cooperatively in collaborative environments.

F—Failing
Failing participation is marked by excessive absences, a habitual lack of preparation, and failure to engage in classroom activities and development processes.

Policies

Course-specific policies and rules.

UCSD Course Policies and Resources

Attendance

On-time attendance is required as well as work inside and outside of section. Please notify your instructor in advance if you must be absent for illness or family emergency. Any absences must be cleared with the instructor, or justified with written documentation (e.g. letter from team, etc.). We do not differentiate between mental and physical health and in either case please be in communication for when you need to take a day off. After a student misses a week’s worth of classes each subsequent missed class will result in the reduction of the final grade by a full letter grade (i.e., A to B, B- to C-) Excessive tardiness or leaving early will also impact your grade and will follow the same rubric.

Late Work

An assignment may receive an F if a student does not participate in every phase of the development of the project and meet all deadlines for preliminary materials (proposals, drafts, work in progress, etc.). Failure to submit any of the graded course assignments is grounds for failure in the course. If an exercise or project, plus required addenda, is not submitted in class on the date due, it will be considered late and will lose one 5% for each day or part of a day past due. Assignments are due in class and via online submission, as specified in assignment descriptions. Any late submissions must be approved by your faculty instructor well in advance of the due date.

Academic Integrity

Integrity of scholarship is essential for an academic community. The University expects that both faculty and students will honor this principle and in so doing protect the validity of University intellectual work. For students, this means that all academic work will be done by the individual to whom it is assigned, without unauthorized aid of any kind. http://senate.ucsd.edu/Operating-Procedures/Senate-Manual/Appendices/2

Other People’s Code

We will use many open source resources to make our work. It is ok to use others’ code, or their 3d models. However, you need to cite your sources, and you need to do transformative work/make it your own.

Students with Disabilities

Students registered with the Office for Students with Disabilities are to provide copies of their AFA letters to both the course instructor and the OSD Liaison of the Visual Arts Department . If you have any questions about utilizing your OSD accommodation, please contact Dept. OSD Liaison at vis-ug@ucsd.edu or 858-534-2860. You may also contact the Office of Students with Disabilities directly at osd@ucsd.edu or 858-534-4382. http://disabilities.ucsd.edu/

UCSD Course Policies and Resources

Students are responsible for knowing the university academic policies and resources found on this page):

Adding and dropping courses
Exams
Grades and grade points

References

Land Acknowledgment

This public acknowledgment serves to honor and respect Indigenous peoples and their land on which our campus resides. UC San Diego was built upon the territory of the Kumeyaay Nation. From time immemorial, the Kumeyaay people have been a part of this land. Today, the Kumeyaay people continue to maintain their political sovereignty and cultural traditions as vital members of the San Diego community.