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COMP2720
Automating Tools for New Media

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THE WEB PAGES FOR THIS COURSE ARE ON THE ANU'S WATTLE SYSTEM

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Welcome to COMP2720 for 2009! This is a preliminary version of the website for this course which will be extensively revised this year. Brief Syllabus:

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

New in 2009:

In 2009, the underlying language support for this course will be the "processing" environment. Look at the website for this environment to appreciate the excitement that has been rightly associated with it. You can download the environment for free and play with it at home. You can also download many fascinating program components which will help you build your own unique works of interactive, digital art - we hope to teach you how to do just this in this course!

The textbook for 2009 will be "Processing - A Handbook for Visual Designers and Artists" by Casey Reas and Ben Fry. Get hold of this book if you want to prepare for the course beforehand.

The assessment for 2009 will be very heavily weighted towards assignment work.

Why arts students should take this course:

• In terms of the modern art world, the computer is not just another medium, it is a whole other range of media
• Computers are ubiquitous in the art world today.
• Even "old media" artists use computers and the web to promote and present art. The environment that you will learn can be, and is, used to present and promote new and old media art over the web.
• Both old and new media artists need to have a deep understanding of the way that computers can be commanded at a scripting level in order to impress their own creativity and individuality onto their work.
• The syntax of the processing language is a version of Java and it is similar to
  • JavaScript
  • ActionScript (in Flash)
  • ExtendScript (in Adobe Photoshop)
  • c#
  So learning processing will prepare arts students well for working creatively and professionally in a range of enviroments that they are likely to meet during their education and later careers.

Why computer science students should take this course:

• In modern times, the boundary between data visualisation and artistic practice is porus. That is, the techniques used by comptuer professionals to visualise and present data are heavily influenced by techniques invented by artists and vice versa.
• This course will, hopefully, teach you to be creative and manage creative projects.
• This course will address elements of the design and implementation of useable, humanistic, interactive interfaces.
• This course will include aspects of image and audio processing.
• This course will teach core computing concepts and skills.
• This course will be fun!

For more information contact Henry.Gardner@anu.edu.au.

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Last modified: 24/07/2009, 14:49