Below is a basic outline of the activities you’ll engage in as part of this course.
The first week will coordinate teams across both courses in building a common understanding of the challenges and opportunities involved in exploring and producing unsettling, otherworldly technologies.
| Assignments | Type | Due |
|---|---|---|
| Introductions: What’s Spooky? | Independent | Thursday, Feb 4 |
We will follow a three-week cycle of research, investigation, design and review. Each design exploration module will include an introduction lecture, a guest speaker, readings and screenings, discussions, technical workshop(s), desk crits and a final project critique. The projects will involve a speculative prompt for critical making.
| Assignments | Type | Due |
|---|---|---|
| Investigation - The Unexplained | Independent | Thursday, Mar 4 |
| Investigation - Ubiquitous Presence | Collaborative | Tuesday, Mar 30 |
Following the investgations, we’ll take stock, reflect on the outcomes to date and examine where we’re at. This will lead to a synthesis of ideas into a proposal which blends the supernatural, space and technology as an installation/intervention.
| Assignments | Type | Due |
|---|---|---|
| Synthesis Report | Independent | Thursday, April 1 |
| Integrated Proposal | Collaborative | Thursday, April 8 |
The remainder of the semester will be used to build a set of responsive, networked prototypes for deployment for public conversations. The organization of schedules, build time, and delegation of tasks will be accomplished by the student teams.
At the end of the semester, collaborative teams will work together to identify a shared approach for a critically-informed responsive mobile environment, prepare a working prototype, and deliver supporting process and outcome documentation.
| Assignments | Type | Due |
|---|---|---|
| Final Project: Internal Crit | Collaborative | Thursday, Apr 29 |
| Final Project: Showcase | Collaborative | Tuesday, May 4 |
| Final Project: Reflection | Collaborative | Thursday, May 6 |
| Final Documentation | Collaborative | Thursday, May 12 |
| Date | Activities | Assignments |
|---|---|---|
| Tues, Feb 2 | Introduction to the course and concepts Introduction to Spooky Technology Intro Assignment: What’s Spooky about Technology Today? Given |
|
| Thurs, Feb 4 | Guest Lecture: Dan Lockton Review of Introductions Assignment |
| Date | Type | Description |
|---|---|---|
| Tues, Feb 9 | Intro | Breakdowns in Understanding |
| Thur, Feb 11 | Cases | Glitches, Hacking and Hoaxes |
| Tues, Feb 16 | Methods | Critical Engineering |
| Thur, Feb 18 | Proposal | Feedback on creative project proposals 15 mins per person + office hours |
| Tues, Feb 23 | No Classes | Break day |
| Thur, Feb 25 | Tech | Tools for Prototying Hybrid Objects with Particle |
| Tues, Mar 2 | Guest | Irene Alvarado Guest Lecture: Teachable Machine. Feedback on creative project |
| Thur, Mar 4 | Review | ZipCrit of creative project. Prepare a lightning Demo - 5 mins per student. |
| Date | Type | Description |
|---|---|---|
| Tues, Mar 9 | Intro | Networked Anxieties and Alternative IoTs Tech Talk: Sensor Smoothing |
| Thurs, Mar 11 | Cases | Ubiquitous Presence: Augmented Rituals and Practices Tech Talk: Interfacing with I2C and SDA |
| Tues, Mar 16 | Methods | Debrief on Warmup and Think pieces. Group work. Tech Talk: Accelerometers + Serial |
| Thurs, Mar 18 | Methods | Project Introduction and Group Discussion onDiagetic Prototypes + Material Speculation Guest Talk: Haider Ali Akmal, Joe Lindley and Paul Coulton - Tarot of Things |
| Tues, Mar 23 | Tech | Tech Talk: Building Alexa Skills; Feedback on creative project proposal refinement; 20 mins per person + office hours |
| Thurs, Mar 25 | Tech | Tech Talk: Building Alexa Skills (continued). Discussion on proposal. |
| Tues, Mar 30 | Desk Crits | Feedback on creative project development; 20 mins per group + office hours |
| Thurs, Apr 1 | Review | Crit of creative project. Prepare a lightning Demo - 10 mins per group; 20 mins discussion |
| Date | Activities | Assignments |
|---|---|---|
| Tues, Mar 30 | Introduction to Final Project | Synthesis Report given |
| Thur, Apr 1 | In-Class Synthesis Reports - 5 minutes per student | |
| Tues, Apr 6 | Synthesis, Topic Definition and Team Formation |
| Date | Type | Description |
|---|---|---|
| Tues, Apr 6 | Intro | Synthesis. Project Given. Precedent - The Multiplexer Room |
| Thurs, Apr 8 | Talk | Guest Talk: Haunted Machines. Teamstorming |
| Tues, Apr 13 | Concepts | Review of Driving Questions. Developing Imaginary Abstracts. In Class Exercise |
| Thurs, Apr 15 | No Class | Carnival Weekend |
| Tues, Apr 20 | Prototyping | Materalizing Alternatives In Class Exercise |
| Thurs, Apr 22 | Concepts | Scenography and Diagetic Designs. Group Work |
| Tues, Apr 27 | Prototyping | Draft Technical Prototype/Design Review Desk Crits |
| Thurs, Apr 29 | Concepts | Draft Supporting Materials Review Desk Crits |
| Tues, May 4 | Prototyping | Technical Prototype Revision Desk Crits / Group Work |
| Thurs, May 6 | Dry Run | Internal Crit/ Dry Run Feedback from invited guests. Discussion on staging. |
| Tues, May 11 | Exhibit | Digital Exhibition |
| Thurs, May 13 | Reflection | Debrief and reflection on exhibition. Feedback from returning guests. |