Description:

This course is an introduction to creative practices within digital technologies. A broad survey of the history of digital arts is examined in tandem with a survey of software including Adobe Photoshop, Macromedia Flash, and Macromedia Dreamweaver. In addition, the course covers scanning, image optimization, and the foundations of HTML. Students apply knowledge and skills to creative projects throughout the term. There are lectures, reading assignments, studio projects and critiques during the course designed to aid the student in developing visual literacy and critical thinking skills in relation to the digital arts.

Requirements:

Active student participation throughout all aspects of this course will make your experience much more meaningful and is necessary for the successfully completion of the assigned work.  There are reading/research assignments, weekly discussions, student presentations, critiques and the production of work during this course. Students are expected to be present for all class meetings. Please email the instructor if you must miss a class. More than 2 excused absences will seriously jeopardize your standing in this course.

Students will be evaluated based on the following: Participation/attitude, creative/conceptual work, technical dexterity and progress over the term.

Midterm Project,

Drawing upon our readings and skills acquired, students work to create their own non-linear interactive web piece. The project is to be inspired by Olia Olialina's “My boyfriend came back from the War.” The instructor must approve projects and all research is to be documented on personal web sites.

Final Project

Building on the midterm project, class readings, and skills acquired student’s work to design a web-based project of their own choosing. The instructor must approve projects and all work is to be documented on individual websites. (Final can be created in HTML, Flash, or a combination of both.)

>> I do not accept late work! <<

Research/weblogs/websites: 

All students are expected to visit and contribute to the class weblog on a regular basis. Please post a brief response to our readings each week--can be focused on one artist that inspired you. Each student is expected to create and maintain a personal website for this class. All research, documentation, and creative work should be posted on your site for peer review and comments. In-class presentation materials should be located on your website.

Subscribe to the Rhizome Net Art News List.

Office hours/help:

I am available for technical help or to discuss individual projects via office hours and email. If you would like to schedule a time to meet with me, please check my calendar (link above) and email me an appropriate time that works with both our schedules. Please do not leave voice mail! I am also readily available via email and will regularly respond within a few hours. Please note: if your technical question is easily answered in the book or online, i will direct you to look it up--half of the challenge of digital arts is finding answers to your technical hurdles. If you have done research and still cannot find a solution, do not hesitate to email me.

Books:

Required (Available at the Bennington Bookstore):
Christiane Paul, Digital Art, Thames and Hudson, 2003.
David Sawyer McFarland, Dreamweaver MX 2004, The Missing Manual, O'Reilly Press, 2004.

Strongly Recommended:
Elaine Weinmann, Peter Lourekas, Photoshop CS for Windows and Macintosh : Visual QuickStart Guide
Katherine Ulrich, Macromedia Flash MX 2004 for Windows and Macintosh : Visual QuickStart Guide, 2004.

This schedule is a guide and is subject to change over the course of the term.


Session 1

2.23.05

Introduction to the course.

What is digital art?
Intro to HTML.

Session 2

3.2.05

Read:

Handout: Rachel Greene, Web Work, A History of Internet Art, Art Forum

http://computer.howstuffworks.com/operating-system.htm/printable
http://computer.howstuffworks.com/internet-infrastructure.htm/printable
http://computer.howstuffworks.com/web-server.htm/printable

Intro to Dreamweaver. Bennington server space/accounts. FTP

Due:

Create biographical text-based web page inspired by Heath Bunting's _readme.html.


Session 3

3.9.05

Read:

From Digital Art: “Introduction” page 7-26.
From DW Missing Manual, page 1-25

More Dreamweaver, site architecture.

Due:


Write one-page html document in response to the Introduction to Digital Art using Dreamweaver. Be sure to include links and experiment with font, color etc.

Session 4

3.16.05

Read:

From Digital Art: “Digital Technologies as a Tool” page 27-66.

Review work to date.
Image optimization with Photoshop/Image Ready.

Due:

Table Tutorial from "Missing Manual" page 244-264
Site map for student pages, draft ideas for design.


Session 5

3.23.05

Read:

From Digital Art: “Digital Technologies as a Medium: forms of digital art, Installation” page 67-96.

More Dreamweaver.

Due:

Student home pages complete and located on servers.


Session 6

3.30.05

Read:

From Digital Art: “Digital Technologies as a Medium: Film, video and animation, Internet art and nomadic networks, Software art. Page 96-125.

Frames. Work on frames/midterm projects, individual meetings with Robert.


Session 7

4.6.05

Due:


Ideas presentation and draft version of site architecture for Midterm project inspired by Olia Olialina's “My boyfriend came back from the War.” Frames. Work on midterm projects.

Session 8

4.13.05

Long Weekend | No Classes


Session 9

4.20.05

Read:


From Digital Art: “Digital Technologies as a Medium: Virtual reality and augmented reality, sound and music.” Page 125-138

Midterm projects due. In class presentations and discussion.


Session 10

4.27.05

Read:

From Digital Art: “Themes in Digital Art: Artificial Life, Artificial intelligence and intelligent agents, Telepresence, telematics, and telerobotics.” Page  139-164.

Flash

Due:

First draft of ideas for final project.


Session 11

5.4.05

Read:

From Digital Art: “Themes in Digital Art: Body and identity, Databases, data visualization, and mapping.” Page 165-189.

More Flash


Session 12

5.11.05

Read:

From Digital Art: “Themes in Digital Art: Beyond the book: text and narrative environments, Gaming, Tactical media, activism, and hacktivism, Technologies of the future.” Page 189-215

Final project discussions and work.

Session 13

5.18.05

Final project discussions and work.

Session 14

5.25.05

Last Class. Final projects due. (All work from the term must be complete and located on student web pages by the start of class.)