Radical Software, Critical Artware — jonCates, at the School of the Art Institute of Chicago (2001–2014) Syllabi summary, covering over a decade of development for Digital Art
Course description
Software is a medium for creative expression. Students learn to think critically about code-based practices while developing their own experimental Digital Art in the context of Media Art Hystories from FLUXUS to Internet Art (net•art) and Glitch Art. Students also connect and compare the field of Software Art to early Video Art. Radical Software, published from 1970–1974, is a founding text of early Video Art. Thirty years later, artists can create their own software applications and creative coding communities online, as Radical Software once predicted. Students learn to develop and discuss Critical Artware, programing and performing realtime audio-video processing, Glitch Art, games, instruction sets, and using source code itself as a found material. This course also critically analyzes the power of technological positivism while empowering students with technical skills to create their own Artware.
Course objectives
- Understand the Media Art Hystories context of software as an artistic medium
- Explore relationships between source codes, Conceptual Art && creativity itself
- Develop critical approaches to Artware (software development / code-based art practices)
- Create experimental works using various programming languages and digital environments
Artworks taught include
- All Wrongs Reversed ©1982 — JODI (2004)
- WrongBrowser — JODI (2001)
- Biennale•py — 0100101110101101 (Eva and Franco Mattes) in collaboration with epidemiC, at the 2001 Venice Biennale (2001)
- SOD — JODI (2000)
- QQQ — Feng Mengbo (1999) and Q4U — Feng Mengbo (2003)
- nato.0+55 + 3D Modular — Netochka Nezvanova (1998)
- Heritage Gold 1.0 — Mongrel (1998)
- Untitled Game — JODI (Joan Heemskerk and Dirk Paesmans) (1996–2001)
- Sandin Image Processor — Dan Sandin (1971–1973)
- Baldessari Sings LeWitt — John Baldessari (1972)
- Disappearing Music for Face — Mieko Shiomi (1964)
Visiting Artists include
- JODI (Dirk Paesmans & Joan Heemskerk)
- Golan Levin
- Jake Elliott and Tamas Kemenczy (creators of Kentucky Route Zero)
Required readings
- Utopia — Thomas More (1516)
- Radical Software — Raindance Corporation (1970–1974)
- criticalartware interviews — Raindance Corporation (2000s)
- Software Studies: GLITCH — Olga Goriunova + Alexei Shulgin (2008)
- Exe.cut[up]able statements — Florian Cramer (2003)
Technologies taught include
- Processing — Casey Reas and Ben Fry (2001 — present)
- openFrameworks — Zachary Lieberman, Theo Watson, and Arturo Castro (2005–2023)
- OpenCV — Intel (2000)
- OpenGL — Silicon Graphics (1991 / 1992)
- Apple Developer tools from ResEdit to Xcode, Interface Builder, etc
- Object Oriented Progarmming principles, Python, Javascript, and other languages
- Pure Data — Miller S. Puckette (1996–2022)
- Image/ine — Steina Vasulka and Tom Demeyer (1996–2001)
- SoftVNS — David Rokeby (2002)
- Jitter for Max/MSP — Josh Kit Clayton, Cycling74 (2003)
- Glitch Art, ie datamoshing with aPpRoPiRaTe! — Sven Koenig (2005)
- Carnivore — Radical Software Group (2001)
- Satromizer — bensyverson (2001), Glitch Art plugin created as an assignment in the course itself, then becoming one of the first Glitch Art apps for iOS
This syllabus is released under the COPY-IT-RIGHT ethic, open to copy faithfully and share freely.
