Interaction as Art Medium (IMNY-UT 249)

While traditional forms of art such as painting and sculpture only expect intellectual communication with the spectator, interactive arts consider the audience as active participants and directly involve their physical bodies and actions. Interactive art invites its audience to have a conversation with the artwork or even be part of it. Well designed interactions add new meanings to the artwork and enhance effective and memorable communication with the viewer through their magical quality. Artists have achieved interactivity in their art through different strategies based on various technologies. For example, some projects have physical interfaces such as buttons and knobs, some projects react to the audience’s presence or specific body movements, and yet others require collaborations between the audience as part of the interaction process. Some artwork involves interactions that require a long period of time for the engagement. In many of these interactive art projects, interaction methods are deeply embedded into the soul and voice of the work itself. In this class, we will explore interaction as an artistic medium. We will be looking at interactive media art history through the lens of interaction and technology to explore their potential as art making tools. Every 1-2 weeks, you will be introduced to a new interaction strategy along with a group of artists and projects. You will learn about relevant technologies and skills for the interaction strategies and build your own project to be in conversation with the artists and projects. You will also explore and discuss the future of interactions and how interactive art can contribute to innovations in interactions, and vice versa. You will also learn about how to contextualize and articulate your project in an artistic way. The assignments include reading, short writing, hands-on labs, and production assignments. Technical topics covered in class include but are not limited to: physical computing, sensing, and interaction design.

Interactive Media Arts (Undergraduate)
2 credits – 7 Weeks

Sections (Spring 2022)


IMNY-UT 249-000 (22306)
03/22/2022 – 05/09/2022 Tue
9:00 AM – 11:00 AM (Morning)
at Brooklyn Campus
Instructed by Song, Yeseul

Topics in Physical Computing and Experimental Interfaces (IMNY-UT 248)

Physical Computing is an approach to computer-human interaction design that starts by considering how humans express themselves physically and how computers can sense that expression. This course is designed to provide students with hands-on experience in researching, designing, and building physical interfaces for computers and other digital devices. Physical computing takes a hands-on approach. Students will learn to understand electronic sensors, connect them to computers, write programs, and build enclosures to hold sensors and controls. They will also learn to integrate all of these skills in the design of devices which respond to human physical expression.

Interactive Media Arts (Undergraduate)
2 credits – 6 Weeks

Sections (Summer 2021)


IMNY-UT 248-000 (6304)
07/06/2021 – 08/15/2021 Tue
9:00 AM – 1:00 PM (Morning)
at Brooklyn Campus
Instructed by Song, Yeseul

Intro to Physical Comp (ITPG-GT 2301)

This course expands the students’ palette for physical interaction design with computational media. We look away from the limitations of the mouse, keyboard and monitor interface of today’s computers, and start instead with the expressive capabilities of the human body. We consider uses of the computer for more than just information retrieval and processing, and at locations other than the home or the office. The platform for the class is a microcontroller, a single-chip computer that can fit in your hand. The core technical concepts include digital, analog and serial input and output. Core interaction design concepts include user observation, affordances, and converting physical action into digital information. Students have weekly lab exercises to build skills with the microcontroller and related tools, and longer assignments in which they apply the principles from weekly labs in creative applications. Both individual work and group work is required.

Interactive Telecommunications (Graduate)
4 credits – 14 Weeks

Sections (Fall 2024)


ITPG-GT 2301-000 (15684)
09/03/2024 – 12/10/2024 Tue
3:00 PM – 5:00 PM (Late afternoon)
at Brooklyn Campus
Instructed by Galvao Cesar de Oliveira, Pedro


ITPG-GT 2301-000 (15742)
09/03/2024 – 12/10/2024 Tue
3:00 PM – 5:00 PM (Late afternoon)
at Brooklyn Campus
Instructed by Feddersen, Jeffery


ITPG-GT 2301-000 (15685)
09/03/2024 – 12/10/2024 Tue
9:00 AM – 12:00 AM (Morning)
at Brooklyn Campus
Instructed by Rozin, Daniel


ITPG-GT 2301-000 (15686)
09/03/2024 – 12/10/2024 Tue
9:00 AM – 12:00 AM (Morning)
at Brooklyn Campus
Instructed by Igoe, Thomas


ITPG-GT 2301-000 (15687)
09/03/2024 – 12/10/2024 Tue
9:00 AM – 12:00 AM (Morning)
at Brooklyn Campus
Instructed by Song, Yeseul


ITPG-GT 2301-000 (15688)
09/03/2024 – 12/10/2024 Tue
3:00 PM – 5:00 PM (Late afternoon)
at Brooklyn Campus
Instructed by Rozin, Daniel


ITPG-GT 2301-000 (15689)
09/03/2024 – 12/10/2024 Tue
9:00 AM – 12:00 AM (Morning)
at Brooklyn Campus
Instructed by Rios, David

Intangible Interaction (ITPG-GT 2055)

Touchless devices and systems have become an essential part of our built environment—for example, automatic doors, automatic toilets, faucets, hand sanitizer dispensers, thermometers, and even paper towel dispensers have sensors that allow them to detect when they are needed. You might have experienced interactive artwork or exhibits that are activated responding to your presence and body movement—for example, interfaces where people can type with different body postures, musical instruments that you can play by waving your arms in the air, or mechanical systems that respond to your breath. Intangible interactions are those that we engage in without involving direct physical contact. Intangible interfaces don’t have a tangible form that explicitly instructs us how to interact with them, and these interactions utilize other forms of feedback than those we feel through touch. While technologies used for intangible interaction such as sensors and computer vision are now more available and accessible, philosophy and knowledge around the design and implementation of effective intangible interactions is a much less documented subject.

Interactive Telecommunications (Graduate)
4 credits – 14 Weeks

Sections (Spring 2025)


ITPG-GT 2055-000 (11395)
01/22/2025 – 04/30/2025 Wed
9:00 AM – 12:00 AM (Morning)
at Brooklyn Campus
Instructed by Song, Yeseul


ITPG-GT 2055-000 (11396)
01/21/2025 – 05/06/2025 Tue
6:00 PM – 8:00 PM (Evening)
at Brooklyn Campus
Instructed by Song, Yeseul