Category Archives: Graduate

Courses for IMA Juniors and Seniors Only

Listening Machines (Digital Synesthesia: Seeing Sound) (ITPG-GT 3018)

“In even the tiniest fragment of digital sound (especially music) there lies a multiplicity of information hidden within. Using audio analysis techniques, this data can be distilled into a vast array of characteristics that describe various different features of the sound. These include things like the loudness, pitch, or the spectrum of frequencies being detected. Through additional analysis, these data points can be used to detect higher level musical features representing things like tempo, rhythm, or melody. Furthermore, the sound and music information can be used to train deep learning models that can then make accurate predictions (eg. what a sound is, what genre a song is, what mood a song evokes). Or, we can use machine learning for generative purposes using the data to guide the creation of new sounds, synthesizers, or even entire songs. The preceding are activities that fall under the areas of digital signal processing, music information retrieval, and machine learning, a trifecta that form the technological foundation for the research area known as machine listening. With a focus on ambient sound and music, this class will explore how tools and techniques from the field of machine listening can become a powerful aspect, or even strategy, in the realm of creative applications. This course will not cover, nor will it assume knowledge of, the underlying technical aspects of machine listening, or music theory. Resources for further pursuance of each week’s topics will be provided but will not be required for class. Instead, our aim will be on understanding what these techniques are doing, when and where to apply them, and how to access and apply them effectively through powerful software libraries. This high level approach will allow us to keep our efforts directed towards creative experimentation without becoming bogged down. Ultimately, students will synthesize the semester’s work into their own creative application involving sound. Here are some examples of the types of projects this class could support: An app that visualizes audio through graphics or DMX/LED lighting to create synesthesia-like effects An automatic system for transcribing music based off of a recording or real-time input A music remixing system where tracks are automatically selected, spliced, processed, and rearranged A musical instrument that adapts to its player based on real-time analysis of the played sound A synthesizer that uses machine learning to optimize and tune its parameters A music education software that visualizes rhythm and melody for the purpose of instruction A rhythm game that derives its gameplay from music information (Guitar Hero, Rock Band, DDR) A tool that analyzes the health of a machine based on its sound through a contact microphone The course will be taught in JavaScript with ICM-level programming experience recommended. No formal training in sound or music is expected or required. This course will be a great fit for any student that is interested in sound and wants to explore it more deeply. Please feel free to reach out to me via email with any questions about the class.”

Interactive Telecommunications (Graduate)
2 credits – 7 Weeks

Sections (Fall 2023)


ITPG-GT 3018-000 (21877)09/11/2023 – 10/23/2023 Mon6:00 PM – 8:00 PM (Evening)at Brooklyn CampusInstructed by

Writing Good Code (ITPG-GT 3014)

As software projects become more complex, it becomes increasingly important to keep the code organized and manageable; otherwise, it becomes extremely difficult to implement new ideas, and the project is much more likely to be prone to mysterious and frustrating bugs. This course will demonstrate several approaches to organizing code for larger-scale projects, including how to write and name functions and classes, DRY (Don’t Repeat Yourself), pure functions, unit testing and Test-Driven Development (TDD), and why to avoid “magic numbers” and global variables. The focus of the course will be on JavaScript, using P5.js, but the principles will apply to most languages. We will be doing an ongoing, step-by-step, in-class refactor* of a complex sketch. We will also be using version control to track our changes every class. Students will be expected to complete weekly readings and assignments, and to refactor one of their previous projects, using the principles learned in this course. * Refactoring means rewriting the code, without any changes to how the program behaves. Students should have some programming experience prior to taking this course, and would ideally have an existing software project they would like to develop.

Interactive Telecommunications (Graduate)
1 credits – 1 Week

Sections (Spring 2025)


ITPG-GT 3014-000 (11433)

Experiments on the Embodied Web (ITPG-GT 3013)

Today’s internet, made up of mostly text documents and two-dimensional images and videos, is the result of historical limitations in bandwidth, graphics processing and input devices. These limitations have made the internet a place where the mind goes, but the body cannot follow. Recent advances in motion capture devices, graphics processing, machine learning, bandwidth and browsers, however, are paving the way for the body to find its place online. Experiments on the Embodied Web will explore the new realm of embodied interactions in the browser across networks. The course will include discussion of influential works in the development of online embodied interaction, including the works of Kit Galloway and Sherrie Rabinowitz, Susan Kozel, and Laurie Anderson. Together we’ll explore pose detection across webRTC peer connections in p5.js and Three.js. Experience with Node, HTML and JavaScript is helpful but not required. ICM level programming experience is required. Prerequisite: ICM / ICM: Media (ITPG-GT 2233 / ITPG-GT 2048)

Interactive Telecommunications (Graduate)
1 credits – 1 Day

Sections (Fall 2024)


ITPG-GT 3013-000 (15725)

Low-fi/High-impact (ITPG-GT 3012)

Lo-fi/High-impact is a hands-on workshop for learning rapid response prototyping and distribution techniques. We’ll look at examples of zine makers and artist and activist collectives, like the Guerrilla Girls, Dysturb, and the Illuminator, who create campaigns and interventions with purposeful urgency, and then flex our own creative muscles for getting ideas out of our heads and into our hands. Leveraging materials within reach, we’ll explore three paper-based methods of production: foldable books, enclosures, and wheatpasting. Using the cameo table-top cutting machines, the color and B&W printers on the floor, and materials sourced from our recycling bins, students will have the opportunity to try various techniques and have guided studio time to develop their own creative application/s for what they’ve learned. We will move quickly and get a little messy, and the outcomes will be reflective of the process!

Interactive Telecommunications (Graduate)
1 credits – 15 Weeks

Sections (Fall 2023)


ITPG-GT 3012-000 (21872)

Augmented Hacking (ITPG-GT 2356)

With recent advances in hardware and software, millions of us now carry unprecedented spatial computing and world sensing technologies in our pockets. With these technologies in hand, how do we design AR experiences that are contextual at the core – that are sensitive to the spaces we inhabit and the behaviors of people in those spaces? How do we augment this better understanding of reality? This course will be a hands-on workshop where we create spatially aware, contextually driven AR applications unique to particular situations. We will examine the opportunities and challenges when designing for site-specific experiences – museums, live events, retail, medical settings, industrial environments, schools, and others. Topics will include image and object recognition, world mapping, people tracking, location anchors, the ARKit “depth api” (LiDAR enabled features), spatial audio, scene understanding and semantics, and more. For design and development, we’ll primarily use Apple technologies – ARKit, RealityKit and RealityComposer. We’ll also tap a variety of cloud services to store, move, process, and bring intelligence to the data generated and consumed in our experiences. 3D modeling skills are helpful but not required. While we’ll cover the basics, students should expect to spend additional time outside of class learning Swift and other related programming concepts. Full-time access to an iOS device (LiDAR-enabled is ideal but not required) and a Mac laptop running the latest operating systems are required. As part of the design process, we’ll host workshops and guest critiques with designers from top studios around New York City as well as directly interfacing with various teams at Apple.

Interactive Telecommunications (Graduate)
4 credits – 14 Weeks

Sections (Fall 2023)


ITPG-GT 2356-000 (21868)09/07/2023 – 12/14/2023 Thu3:00 PM – 5:00 PM (Late afternoon)at Brooklyn CampusInstructed by Lam, Nien · Buys, Sebastian

Electronic Rituals, Oracles and Fortune-Telling (IMNY-UT 289)

According to anthropologists Filip de Boeck and René Devisch, divination “constitutes a space in which cognitive structures are transformed and new relations are generated in and between the human body, the social body and the cosmos.” In this class, students will learn the history of divination, engage in the practice of divination, and speculate on what forms divination might take in a world where the human body, the social body, and even the cosmos(!) are digitally mediated. Starting with an understanding of ritual and folk culture, we will track the history of fortune-telling from the casting of lots to computer-generated randomness to the contemporary revival of Tarot; from reading entrails to astrology to data science; from glossolalia to surrealist writing practices to the “ghost in the machine” of artificial intelligence. Weekly readings and assignments culminate in a final project.

Interactive Media Arts (Undergraduate)
4 credits – 15 Weeks

Sections (Fall 2022)


IMNY-UT 289-000 (21942)09/07/2022 – 12/14/2022 Mon,Wed5:00 PM – 6:00 PM (Late afternoon)at Brooklyn CampusInstructed by Parrish, Allison

Interactive Multi-Screen Experiences (ITPG-GT 3002)

Credits: 2
Duration: 6 Weeks
Dates: Fri

We experience screens daily in many forms: in our hands, on our desktops, on walls and public installations as we travel. This course will explore the creative possibilities of real-time interactive and reactive art on screens in various forms. Using the recently developed p5VideoKit we will create standalone installations. p5VideoKit is a new library of live video effects – building on p5js – presented as a dashboard for mixing video in the browser. This library allows the user to apply visual effects to live video from connected cameras and sensors or streaming from devices on the internet. p5VideoKit is open source and can be extended with the user’s p5js code for a plethora of visual effects and interactivity. One possible application of p5Videokit would be a public facing installation allowing anonymous people on the street to use their hand held devices to interact with large street facing screens, thereby collaborating on real time creation of “digital graffiti”. Building on ICM, students will learn how to adapt simple sketches into components of p5VideoKit so that algorithms can be quickly composited and orchestrated into more complex works. Students will also learn how to edit and share code beyond the p5js editor, use nodejs/javascript to automate deployment of installations, and remotely configure dedicated computers with long running installations. Several dedicated computers and screens will be available to preview installations on the floor and street facing areas of the 370 Jay Street campus. Prerequisites: ICM or equivalent coding experience. About John Henry Thompson: http://johnhenrythompson.com

Interactive Telecommunications (Graduate)
2 credits – 6 Weeks

Mobile App Development Lab (ITPG-GT 2372)

One of the most transformative consumer products in history, the iPhone remains the standard bearer for great design and user experience. With the latest versions of iOS and iPhone, Apple puts depth sensing and augmented reality in our pockets. How do we take advantage of this incredible platform to produce our own compelling experiences? This course will be a hands-on workshop where we explore the world beyond generic apps and push the boundaries of what’s possible on iOS hardware. Each week, you’ll be asked to complete a programming exercise meant to foster your understanding of iOS application development. We’ll leverage existing open source libraries to quickly build out your app with features such as real time communication and cloud storage. We aim to create distributed instruments for computed expression. Full-time access to an iOS device and a Mac laptop computer running the latest operating system and development tools are required. Prereq: Some programming experience (such as ICM) and willingness to learn Apple’s Swift programming language.

Interactive Telecommunications (Graduate)
4 credits – 15 Weeks

Sections (Spring 2025)


ITPG-GT 2372-000 (11411)01/21/2025 – 05/06/2025 Tue9:00 AM – 12:00 AM (Morning)at Brooklyn CampusInstructed by Thompson, John

Designing for Well-Being (ITPG-GT 3000)

This course would focus on the questions of 1) what makes people healthy? and 2) how can we design tools and environments that support healthy lifestyles? Key topics to be covered include public health concepts like the multiple determinants of health and the social-ecological framework, plus a little evolutionary biology; the role of behavior in health, key tenets of behavioral economics and behavior change strategies; and systems thinking concepts from Donella Meadows and others. Students will come away with a much more sophisticated understanding of the complex system of factors and forces that affect people’s health; understanding of key systems concepts and some techniques for understanding systems; and experience designing for behavior at scale. A potential final project could be to reimagine/redesign a popular commercial service so that it would have a more health-producing impact — or, alternatively, to focus on designing changes to the ITP environment that would promote better health for students, faculty and staff. About Steve Downs: www.stevedowns.net

Interactive Telecommunications (Graduate)
2 credits – 6 Weeks

Sections (Fall 2025)


ITPG-GT 3000-000 (11381)10/24/2025 – 12/05/2025 Fri12:00 AM – 2:00 PM (Early afternoon)at Brooklyn CampusInstructed by Downs, Stephen

No Screens Allowed (ITPG-GT 3010)

“Since the introduction of the iPhone in 2007, the touchscreen has become the dominant manner for navigating Mobile devices. UX pattern best practices are enshrined in documents such as Apple’s ‘HIG’ (Human Interface Guidelines) or Google’s more recent Material Design. ‘No Screens Allowed’ is a class that challenges this ’Touchscreen first’ interaction approach. Taught in the Kotlin language, students will prototype solutions in response to Instructor directed assignments. The various projects structured to interrogate mobile device capabilities such as: Voice Recognition, Computer Vision, Machine Learning, and built in sensors. Students will be provided with identical hardware: Pixel 3 phones running Android, the chosen development platform for the class. Successful completion of Introduction to Computational Media and Introduction to Physical Computing are required for entry into class. “

Interactive Telecommunications (Graduate)
4 credits – 14 Weeks

Sections (Spring 2024)


ITPG-GT 3010-000 (14801)01/25/2024 – 05/02/2024 Thu6:00 PM – 8:00 PM (Evening)at Brooklyn CampusInstructed by Jones, Brian

Serious Games (ITPG-GT 3001)

This introductory course will focus on giving students a practical understanding of how to make ‘serious’ video games. That is, games that challenge the player to think and learn. This is a class where we will be ideating and producing playable games each week over 7 weeks using the open-source Godot game engine. By the end of the course, you’ll have a small portfolio of ‘serious’ games to show and build upon. Throughout the course, students will become familiar with concepts such as iterative design, play testing, object-oriented programming, user-interface design, animation and basic art for 2D games. They will take a design-based approach to content creation, developing a proficiency in the Godot game engine and the overall indie-game development pipeline.

Interactive Telecommunications (Graduate)
2 credits – 8 Weeks

Sections (Spring 2023)


ITPG-GT 3001-000 (22327)01/23/2023 – 03/20/2023 Mon3:00 PM – 5:00 PM (Late afternoon)at Brooklyn CampusInstructed by Grewell, Christian

Introduction to Quantum Technologies (ITPG-GT 3003)

Quantum technologies are the next frontier of electronics and computing. Quantum Computers, Quantum Sensors, Quantum Materials are just beginning to emerge from laboratories and enter the realm of practical application. The course introduces the underlying principles of quantum physics, and reviews emerging capabilities of quantum computers and related technologies. Coursework will include programming quantum algorithms on a simulator, and running programs on actual cloud-based quantum computing hardware. The topics will be highly technical and will require the study of scientific principles and experimental apparatus. We will cover some basic mathematical operations in linear algebra, and we’ll be encountering some equations from physics and computer science.

Interactive Telecommunications (Graduate)
2 credits – 7 Weeks

Sections (Spring 2025)


ITPG-GT 3003-000 (11429)03/17/2025 – 05/05/2025 Mon6:00 PM – 8:00 PM (Evening)at Brooklyn CampusInstructed by Shakar, Gregory

Modern Artifacts: Interactive Public Art for the People (ITPG-GT 3005)

Credits: 4
Duration: 14 Weeks
Dates: Thu

In an era of remote everything, how can we create artwork that brings us back together IRL? This course explores our connection to physical objects within the context of community. How can sculpture, installation, immersive, and public art nurture our neighborhoods via collaboration, play, ritual, self-expression, and awe? Students will work collaboratively to radically imagine bold, sculptural, immersive works using innovative and lo-if techniques integrated with technology. Hands-on workshops include experiments creating found sculptures, AR prototypes, projection mapping, real-time interactive multimedia content, and more. We’ll reference ancient monuments, sacred objects, NYC relics, street art and contemporary works to envision new artifacts that create awareness by reflecting the needs of our communities. Prerequisite: Comm Lab: Hypercinema About Ali Santana: http://www.alisantana.com/bio

Interactive Telecommunications (Graduate)
4 credits – 14 Weeks

Code Your Way (ITPG-GT 3007)

Credits: 4
Duration: 14 Weeks
Dates: Mon

This course provides students an opportunity to sharpen their coding skills in several ways: by reviewing fundamental programming concepts, acquiring techniques to systematically develop code-driven projects, and then implementing those to develop an independent project with the structure and support of a classroom learning community. The first part of the semester consists of weekly exercises to practice strategies for learning new algorithms, writing pseudocode, pair programming, debugging, refactoring, version control, and more. Screen-based code examples for the activities and assignments draw inspiration from the history of creative coding. The second part of the semester shifts to a project development studio format for students to apply these strategies to a self-directed project. This could be an existing idea or one devised during the course. Ultimately this course aims to empower students to reflect on their process and teach themselves how to program with greater efficiency and independence. It is a direct follow-up to Introduction to Computational Media (ICM) or for anyone interested in advancing their coding practice. Examples and exercises will be provided in JavaScript using the p5.js library. However, students are welcome to consult the instructor about working with another programming library, framework, or language with which they have interest or prior experience. Prerequisite: ICM or equivalent experience

Interactive Telecommunications (Graduate)
4 credits – 14 Weeks

Blockchain Aesthetics (ITPG-GT 2360)

This1-pt course examines the evolving paradigm of “Blockchain Aesthetics” using an interdisciplinary Art History and Science and Technology Studies (STS) perspective. Students will learn and discuss the dominant methods, concepts, and strategies of applied blockchain technology in contemporary digital art, and together attempt to analyze and theorize the potential affordances and harms of this new artistic medium as it intervenes in established visual art institutions and communities (e.g., from museums and galleries to auction houses, social media and the decentralized web). The class will also look backwards in history to situate “Blockchain Aesthetics,” and the wide artistic realm of “Crypto Art,” in a broad cultural and technological history beyond NFTs, highlighting how ideas around cryptography, contracts, reproducibility, decentralization, scarcity and financialization developed in modern and contemporary art. Approaching the blockchain as a novel artistic tool and a technology of power, this course considers recent aesthetic evaluations of Crypto Art against its sociopolitical, infrastructural, and ecological impact, centering its contested potential for—and negation of—equity.

Interactive Telecommunications (Graduate)
1 credits – 16 Weeks

Sections (Spring 2023)


ITPG-GT 2360-000 (22318)

Future Mapper (ITPG-GT 2362)

Credits: 4
Duration: 15 Weeks
Dates: Tue

As you know, projection mapping and Light Art are becoming popular again because of large-scale pop-up installations worldwide: ARTECHOUSE, SuperReal, Meow Wolf, and TeamLab. Technology has advanced over the years, but how people enjoy light art have not changed so much. How do your ideas and artwork fit into these site-specific installations? This class is for anyone interested in creating a site-specific installation using mapping technologies to create new experiences for the public audience. This class guides students through conceptual and technical processes of project and artist development. It consists of three parts: Project & Artist Development, Projection Mapping, and LED Mapping. We will research and discuss the history of visual artwork, public engagement, and technical exercises using real international contests and festival sites. The student will learn the latest Projection and LED Mapping techniques using Madmapper. And we will also focus on advanced techniques like multi-projector projection, projector calculation, Interactive Mapping, and software & hardware to culminate in a final project. The class will also invite guest speakers to discuss the nuts and bolts of their art and business. About Chika Iijima: www.mappathon.com, www.imagima.com

Interactive Telecommunications (Graduate)
4 credits – 15 Weeks

Biophilic Experiences – activating our sensory relationship to nature (ITPG-GT 2361)

Credits: 2
Duration: 6 Weeks
Dates: Fri

As the scale of human impact on global climate and ecosystems deepens, we see the need to alter our trajectory, to be more inclusive of other species in our imagining of the future. This class sets out to investigate the relationships we humans have with nature and non-human animals, to dive deep into the meaning and utility of being in relationship, and ultimately to translate these ideas into tangible, multimedia experiences that expose a larger audience to a multi-species worldview. This class sits at the intersection of art, science, and technology. It combines studio practice and research with example case studies and critical texts. Together, we will meet artists, designers and scientists who build multispecies futures through urban ecology, biology, and public art. This class is for students who are eager to develop XD (experience design) and storytelling skills. The course follows a research-driven process that results in a design proposal and proof-of-concept that can be pitched to a public arts org. Keywords: bioArt, interactive installations, experience design, research, eco-activism

Interactive Telecommunications (Graduate)
2 credits – 6 Weeks

Media-making as Healing Practice (ITPG-GT 2358)

Where does healing reside in media-making? How do we approach creating artistic processes and tools that move towards minimizing harm, supporting collective care, and understanding what healing means for ourselves and with one another? This course examines socially-engaged artistic processes and frameworks that reconstruct, reclaim, and decolonize ‘healing.’ Together, we will gather embodied data from our bodyminds, build language through readings, and map out artists in the field exploring disability, racial trauma, queerness, and diaspora within media and performing arts. Subsequently, we will develop our own processes as our final project: weaving together storytelling, embodied strategies, tool-making, performances, and/ or space-making.

Interactive Telecommunications (Graduate)
4 credits – 15 Weeks

Sections (Spring 2023)


ITPG-GT 2358-000 (22317)01/25/2023 – 05/03/2023 Wed3:00 PM – 5:00 PM (Late afternoon)at Brooklyn CampusInstructed by Lin, Yo-Yo

Through the Lens: Modalities of AR (ITPG-GT 2368)

Credits: 2
Duration: 7 Weeks
Dates: Thu

In this course, students will explore the fundamentals of augmented reality by dissecting the interaction between camera, computer, and user. Each week we will focus on a different AR modality: image, face, body, environment, and object, and consider their real-world applications. Through weekly explorations, we will examine the existing affordances of AR as well as their impact. This course will culminate in a final project, and our tool of choice will be Lens Studio. Course syllabus: https://docs.google.com/document/d/1wMWVnDdzgz2bbsCNp7jRAiCe1job4glq61o67sWAP00/edit?usp=sharing

Interactive Telecommunications (Graduate)
2 credits – 7 Weeks

Noodles Prototyping in Performance (ITPG-GT 2367)

Cooking programs with an image based language is a fundamental skill in the production and design of modern digital processes. Visual programming is not only an alternative way to code, but a solution to approach generative and interactive media. This class reviews the past, present and future of visual programming languages used to procedurally generate and manipulate media such as Max/MSP(Nato.0 55 3d), Isadora, Quartz composer, Touch designer, Houdini, cables.gl and Unreal Engine among others. The core of this course is the study of Unreal Engine’s Blueprint Visual Scripting system as a way to produce an interactive program in an executable form using only Visual Programing. We will study how to create actors, functions, interfaces and how they communicate with each other. We will also take a look into 2 other visual editors, The material/shader editor for the creation of HLSL like shaders and visuals and the new Metasound editor for the manipulation, generation and sequence of sound within the engine. A general understanding of Unreal Engine is a prerequisite for this class. Students will learn how to use blueprints to produce an interactive program that can be a video game, an installation or a Real Time digital Performance.

Interactive Telecommunications (Graduate)
4 credits – 15 Weeks

Sections (Spring 2023)


ITPG-GT 2367-000 (22316)01/23/2023 – 05/08/2023 Mon12:00 AM – 2:00 PM (Early afternoon)at Brooklyn CampusInstructed by Morales, Victor