Weekly Schedule

In general, each week we'll have a workshop class on Monday, and a discussion class on Wednesday. You're expected to submit your assignments the day before class - Sketches are due before the Monday class, and Reading reflections are due before the Wednesday class. Submit your assignents via the homework submission form!

Week 1: Intro to magic

Monday · February 3

  • 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?
  • Slides

Wednesday · February 5

  • The aesthetics of code as an expressive medium: web art, virus art, performance art, installation art
  • Where do process-driven art exist? From demoscene to algorave
  • Workshop: Introduction to Strudel, a web-based music programming language – syntax and patterns
  • Slides

Assigned

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 · February 10

  • Sketch #1 share-outs
  • Workshop: Dive deeper into Strudel - rhythms, melodies, composition
  • Slides

Wednesday · February 12

  • Reading #1 Discussion
  • A brief history of algorithmic composition in electronic music
  • Computer Music: tools and practices
  • Slides

Assigned

Reading #2: Cascone, Kim. (2000). "The Aesthetics of Failure: Post-Digital Tendencies in Contemporary Computer Music." Computer Music Journal, 24(4)

Optional Reading: McLean, Alex & Dean, Roger T. (2018). The Oxford Handbook of Algorithmic Music, Chapter 1

Sketch #2: Rhythmic patterns in Strudel

Week 3: Making visuals with code

Monday · February 17

  • Sketch #2 share-outs
  • Workshop: Introduction to video synthesis and Hydra
  • Slides

Wednesday · February 19

  • Reading #2 Discussion
  • Glitches, Noise, Error: Generative art aesthetics and critical glitches
  • Slides

Assigned

Reading #3: Bauman, Peter. (2023). Casey Reas on the History of Generative Art Part I & Part II. Le Random

Sketch #3: Visual experiments with Hydra

Week 4: AUDIO + VISUAL = ?

Monday · February 24

  • Sketch #3 share-outs
  • Workshop: Create audio-reactive sketches with Hydra and Strudel
  • Slides

Wednesday · February 26

  • Reading #3 discussion
  • Subcultures to club cultures
  • History of audiovisuals, and techniques for audio-reactivity
  • Slides

Assigned

Reading: Schedel, Margaret & Uroskie, Andrew V. (2011). "Writing about Audiovisual Culture." Cinema Journal, 50(2)

Sketch #4: Audio-reactive visuals

Week 5: Networked and collaborative live coding

Monday · March 3

  • Sketch #4 share-outs
  • Workshop: Networked live coding, audiovisual jam with Flok
  • Slides

Wednesday · March 5

  • Reading #4 discussion
  • Live coding as a collaborative, performative system

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)

Midterm Project: Assigned, begin finding groups and brainstorming collaborative performance

Week 6: Doing it live

Monday · March 10

  • Examples of live coding performances
  • Live performance techniques: Technical setups, improvisation techniques, and methods for audience engagement

Wednesday · March 12

  • Reading #5 discussion
  • Midterm project pitch and feedback

Assigned

Reading #6: Collins, Nick; McLean, Alex; Rohrhuber, Julian & Ward, Adrian. (2022). "Live coding: A User's Manual." MIT Press. Chapter 7: What Does Live Coding Know?

Midterm Project: work on midterm performance

Week 7: Midterm

Monday · March 17

  • Midterm project workshop

Wednesday · March 19

  • Midterm performance!

Assigned

Documentation: Midterm performance reflection

Week 8: Expanded interfaces

Monday · March 24

  • Midterm debrief
  • Making things talk: MIDI and Web MIDI
  • Slides

Wednesday · March 26

  • Reading #6 discussion
  • Workshop: Rapid intro to various tools! Sonic Pi, p5.live, TouchDesigner, orca, SuperCollider, etc.
  • Slides

Assigned

Reading #7: Chun, Wendy Hui Kyong. (2011). "Programmed Visions: Software and Memory." MIT Press. Chapter 1

Sketch #5: Experiment with a new tool

Week 9: Radical practices

Monday · April 7

  • Reading #7 discussion
  • Live coding as a tool for decolonizing technology
  • Learning from decentralized organizing with Livecode.NYC
  • Creating alternative paradigms for resistance
  • Slides

Wednesday · April 9

  • Sketch #5 Presentations
  • Slides

Assigned

Reading #8: OSACC 2024 Report

Sketch #6: Coding as sourcery

Week 10: Code as Site

Monday · April 14

  • Sketch #6 share-outs
  • Introduction to site-specific immersive performance art
  • Public spaces and social interventions

Wednesday · April 16

  • Reading #8 discussion
  • Workshop: Live coding and site-specificity

Assigned

Reading #9: Earl, Benjamin. (2023). Coding in Situ

Sketch #7: Audiovisuals about a site

Final Project: Brainstorming expanded performance

Week 11: Expanded Interface++

Monday · April 21

  • Sketch #7 share-outs
  • Workshop: Expanded Interfaces - custom hardware, spatial audio, multichannel videos
  • Future directions and final performance development

Wednesday · April 23

  • Reading #9 discussion
  • Speculative workshop: Creative coding and generative AI

Assigned

Reading #10: Collins, Nick; McLean, Alex; Rohrhuber, Julian & Ward, Adrian. (2022). "Live coding: A User's Manual." MIT Press. Chapter 8: What Does Live Coding Want?

Final Project: Begin work on expanded performance

Week 12

Monday · April 28

  • Final performance pitch presentations

Wednesday · April 30

  • Guest Artist (tbd)

Assigned

Final Project: Continue development based on feedback

Week 13

Monday · May 5

  • Final performance demo & feedback

Wednesday · May 7

  • Technical workshop & rehearsal

Week 14

Monday · May 12

  • Technical workshop & rehearsal

Wednesday · May 14

  • Technical workshop & rehearsal

Thursday · May 15

  • Final Performance at EXIT