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Classes meet Mondays, 5:15 – 8:00pm. You're expected to submit your assignments by noon on Monday, before the next session. Submit your assignments via the homework submission form >u<
Table of Contents
Week 1: Intro to magic
Monday · September 1 ⊹ Slides
- Introduction to Syllabus
- History and ethos of the global live coding scenes: What can we learn from a creative tech culture that's 20 years old?
- Workshop: Introduction to Strudel, a web-based music programming language – syntax and patterns
Assigned:
- Make a blog and post its link to our course slack channel. You can also use your personal blog if you already have one. See Documentation Guideline for detailed instruction.
- Reading #1: Collins, Nick; McLean, Alex; Rohrhuber, Julian & Ward, Adrian. (2022). "Live coding: A User's Manual." MIT Press. Chapter 1: Introduction to Live Coding (page 1-8, until "Navigating the Book")
- Sketch #1: First experiments with Strudel
Week 2: Making music with code
Monday · September 8 ⊹ Slides
- Sketch #1 share-outs
- Workshop: Dive deeper into Strudel - rhythms, melodies, composition
- Reading #1 Discussion
- Lecture: A brief history of algorithmic composition in electronic music
Assigned:
Week 3: Glitches, Noises, Errors
Monday · September 15 ⊹ Slides
- Reading #2 Discussion
- Lecture: What's in a glitch
- Sketch #2 share-outs
- Workshop: Introduction to Hydra video synth
Assigned:
- Reading #3: Casey Reas on the History of Generative Art Part I & Part II. Le Random.
- Sketch #3: First Experiment with Hydra
Week 4: Audio + Visual = ???
Monday · September 22
- Reading #3 Discussion
- Lecture: Very brief history of Audiovisuals
- From Subcultures to Club Cultures
- Sketch #3 share-outs
- (Just enough music theory)
- Workshop: Hydra in Strudel!
Assigned:
- Reading #4: Schedel, M., & Uroskie, A. V. (2011). "Writing about Audiovisual Culture." Cinema Journal, 50(2), 144-150.
- Sketch #4: shared patterns in sound and visuals
Fall Break - No Class
Week 5: Networked and Collaborative Livecoding
Sunday · October 12
- Reading #4 Discussion
- Midterm Performance Announcement
- Networks and Networked performances
- Sketch #4 share-outs
- In-class Midterm project planning
Assigned
- Reading #5: Collins, Nick; McLean, Alex; Rohrhuber, Julian & Ward, Adrian. (2022). "Live coding: A User's Manual." MIT Press. Chapter 5: Live Coding's Liveness(es)
- Optional Reading: SENEIDA. (2024) Overview of Sonic Cyberfeminism in Electronic Music: Ana Roman
- Reading reflection #5 is due before week 8, alongside midterm documentation
Week 6: Midterm Preparation
Monday · October 13
- Workshop: Collaborative live coding with Flok
- Midterm development
Assigned:
- Midterm planning form + performance score (group)
TBD
Assigned:
- Midterm performance documentation
- Reading reflection #5 is due together
Week 8: Making Things Talk (to each other)
Monday · October 27
- Midterm recap :)
- Intro to protocols for creative developers
- MIDI & Web MIDI
- An overview of the live coding tool belt
Assigned:
- Tools research + Beginner-friendly tutorial
- Reading #6: Wendy Hui Kyong Chun, Programmed Visions: Software and Memories, Chapter 1 On Sourcery and Source Codes (p. 19-34, before “Bureaucracies within the Machine”)
Week 9: Decolonizing Technology
Monday · November 3
- Decolonization: How dominant technology paradigms reinforce colonial structures
- Artists and community technology projects
- Tutorial presentations
Assigned:
- Sketch: Livecoding for magical communication
- Reading #7: OSACC 2024 Report - wander through the various links and topics mentioned in this report!
Week 10: Code as Site
Monday · November 10
- Live Coding and Site Specificity
- Code as Site: Desktop performances
- Sonic and visual walking
Assigned:
- Sketch: A site of your choice
- Reading #8: Earl, Benjamin (2024). Coding in Situ
Week 11: Expanded Interface++
Monday · November 17
- Sketch #7 share-outs
- Workshop: Expanded Interfaces
- Future directions and final performance development
- Reading #9 discussion
Assigned:
Week 12: Speculative Interface
Monday · November 24
- Speculative workshop: Creative coding and generative AI
- Final performance pitch presentations
- Guest Artist (tbd)
Assigned:
Week 13
Monday · December 1
- Final performance demo & feedback
- Technical workshop & rehearsal
Week 14
Monday · December 8
- Technical workshop & rehearsal
- Final performance preparation
Date TBD