Code + Walking = Art

Summer 2009; Center for Digital Arts and Experimental Media (DXARTS), University of Washington.

This seminar will expose students to non-traditional methods of art creation and aesthetic appreciation: computer programming and walking/observing carefully around the city. During the course we will find out the similarity between these activities and we will trace parallels between art production, art appreciation, creativity, imagination, computer science, city behaviors, relationships between places and subjects, and relationships between people depending on the environment. Some class sessions will include lectures, demonstrations, and theoretical background. Students will learn the basics of software programming focusing on algorithmic audio and video manipulation. Taking advantage of computer mobility with laptops, other class sessions will be practical assignments, and hand-on experimentation in different indoor and outdoors locations of the city. Collaborative work is encouraged during the entire course, not only to approach key elements of the field, but also to stimulate students to experience and reflect on their lives as students of the university.