End of Week 5 - BODY TIME~!

It's the busiest time of the quarter! With so much going on this week, the blog post may get a little lengthy so bear with me...

In Tuesday's section, we took a little field trip to the Digital Art Research Center to check out the really cool projects in the MFA Exhibition. There were some MFA students in and around their art (a rarity!) who explained their processes and inspirations. We saw some great interactive works - just in time for our next project: the Interactive piece.

Interactivity entails such a large spectrum of artworks and methodologies that it is difficult to narrow down a single type! For our interactive piece, the interactivity can be something simple: anything that responds to the viewer's body with text, sound, or image. We looked at two very different approaches to this project in today's section.

• The first is Twine; a software that creates non-linear stories with text. Using twine, it is possible to create a narrative that allows the viewer to interact with images, sounds, or videos. The software can be used online or downloaded for free! Here are some Twine tutorials to get started with... (Twine Playlist)

• The second is Processing; a software that creates visualizations and generative art. Processing is a powerful tool for beginners in coding with lots of examples and tutorials for creating interactive art. The software is also free for download! You can do some incredible things with Processing, including writing generative art! I created an example code for you guys to play with and explore (but will attach to a separate blog post).

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Next week's reading assignments are:

• Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep, Ch. 1-7
• Reader: Josefina
• Zinesters, Ch. 5
• Reader: Jeffery

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Finally, it is important to note that next week there is a scheduled worker's strike that will possibly shut down entrances to campus. In support of these workers, we will not be holding sections on Monday or Tuesday or lecture on Tuesday night and will not be crossing their picket lines. Therefore, our normal Tuesday section will be conducted as a 'work day', where I will be available online via email, google hangout, etc. during our normal section times (9am-1pm). Projects and reading responses are due by Thursday 5/10.

Additionally, I will be conducting Mid-Quarter reviews over email. Mid-Quarter reviews are updates from me to you on your progression in the course, including things that you are doing well in, things that you can improve, or what work you might be missing. Be on the lookout for emails from me by the end of Tuesday next week!