Art and Interaction in New Media COMP1720

Course overview

Course description

This course will introduce coding in the context of New Media. Topics covered may include the nature of New Media applications, New Media data formats and data manipulation, program organisation, control structures, writing and debugging New Media programs.

In terms of the modern art world, the computer is not just another medium, it is a whole other range of media. Students will experience and experiment with a large suite of programming components which have been used to construct interactive works of New Media art. They will learn how to conceptualise, brainstorm, plan and realise an original and creative New Media work of their own and to embed that work in a web page.

In modern times, the boundary between data visualisation and artistic practice is porus. That is, the techniques used by computer professionals to visualise and present data are heavily influenced by techniques invented by artists and vice versa. Students will gain an appreciation of the techniques and impact of good visual design.

Textbooks

Reas, Casey, and Ben Fry. 2007. Processing: a programming handbook for visual designers and artists Cambridge USA: MIT Press. ISBN 9780262182621

Workload

Thirty one-hour lectures and ten two-hour laboratory sessions