Articles by ap1607

Socially Engaged Art and Digital Practice +

Clarinda Mac Low | Syllabus | ITPG-GT.2156 | Wed 6:00pm to 8:30pm in 370 Jay St, Room 407 Meetings:14
4 Point, All, analysis, art, capitalism, community, computers, critical, criticalthinking, dialogue, digital, digitalart, digitalpractice, discussions, Elective, engaged, Evening, Fall 2025, Graduate, interestingreadings, internet, itp, life, materials, network, networks, online, participatory, performance, practice, presentations, projects, reading, readings, research, social, socialjustice, sociallyengaged, sociallyengagedart, socialpractice, technology, Wednesday, Yes
Last updated: March 24, 2025

Artificial intelligence, basic communication, data processing, image manipulation, and even financial systems have transformed our social and political worlds and our artistic practice. This course will examine the material, ethical, and esthetic implications of a digital and networked world through the lens of socially engaged art, where art and creative work intersect directly with people and civic life. This includes discussion of how digital and networked tools both increase and complicate physical, economic, and cultural accessibility, and the ethical and social implications of the newest technologies. We will focus especially on the impact that new technologies have on the environment.

We will concentrate on creating projects that examine and critique the inner workings of digital practice through socially engaged work. Students will be asked to propose several projects as thought experiments, and fully realize one online/digital socially engaged project. We will review and discuss the different definitions of “socially engaged art” and address the ethics of developing new technologies, including discussions about “best practices,” and investigate how we approach the physical and digital social spaces around us.

We will look at artists like Stephanie Dinkins, Kyle McDonald, Ari Melenciano, and the group Forensic Architecture. We will have some meetings and activities in public spaces, field trips to organizations such as Eyebeam and Genspace, and guest lecturers.

Please feel free to reach out to me directly if you have questions about taking the course, or the course content.

Disrupting (with) Technology: Computational Political Action (Topics in ITP) +

Theo Ellin Ballew | Syllabus | ITPG-GT.2379 | Fri 12:20pm to 2:50pm in 370 Jay St, Room 410 Meetings:7-First Half
2 Point, All, Elective, Fall 2025, Friday, Graduate, Midday, New, No Tags, Yes
Last updated: March 24, 2025

This course explores “disruptive” political action that employs new technology. We look at initiatives with various ends and means—some noble, some explosively controversial, and others patently abhorrent. The level of “disruption” also varies extremely—from bureaucratic inconvenience to civilian casualties. However, all the actions express ideological or political protest, either by disrupting technology-driven systems themselves, or by appropriating technology to disrupt non-technical systems of power. Organized via mode of disruption, the class will focus less on the political ends of each action, and more on the modes of achieving those ends. We will also read theorists like Audre Lorde, Laboria Cuboniks, Tung Hui-Hu, Mark Fisher, Hito Steyerl and McKenzie Wark, to help us think about how/when/if recent technology may disrupt, rather than preserve, the status quo. In a world where our technology seems ever more aligned with hegemonic power structures, we must look at the moments where it is used, instead, to veer from them—if we are to see that technology clearly at all. Students will leave the class with a solid grasp of what it means for technology to be complicit in political disruption. Throughout, students will keep an ideation journal in the medium of their choosing, in which they plan their own disruptions and document one guided mini-disruption.

Computational Letterforms and Layout +

Allison Parrish | Syllabus | ITPG-GT.2051 | Thur 6:00pm to 8:30pm in 370 Jay St, Room 409 Meetings:14
4 Point, art, artistic, blended, communication, conceptual, Elective, font, generative, Graduate, graphics, language, machine_learning, manipulation, poetry, programming, python, readings, Spring 2025, text, theory, writing, Yes
Last updated: November 11, 2024

Language is more than just words and meanings. Language is material: it’s paper and ink, pixels and screens, fingertips on keyboards. In this course, students will gain an understanding of how language’s material manifestations are represented digitally, and learn computational techniques in order to create new work and new systems that challenge conventions in type design and page layout. Topics include asemic writing, concrete poetry, markup languages, character encodings, generative typography, and printing technologies (including pen plotters). Readings and lectures in the class draw from the fields of computation, critical theory, literary studies, art history, mathematics and graphic design. A series of production-oriented assignments lead up to a final project. In addition to critique, sessions will feature class discussions and technical tutorials. 

Prerequisites: Introduction to Computational Media or equivalent programming experience.

Computational Approaches to Narrative +

Allison Parrish | Syllabus | ITPG-GT.2198 | Tues 6:00pm to 8:30pm in 370 Jay St, Room 408 Meetings:14
4 Point, coding, computation, Elective, enjoyable, game_design, Graduate, In-Person, informative, interactivefiction, narrative, nonlinearstorytelling, practical, programming, python, reading, Spring 2025, stories, theory, Yes
Last updated: November 11, 2024

Beginning with the release of Crowther and Woods’ “Colossal Cave Adventure” in 1977, the potential and unique affordances of computation as a means of storytelling have become more and more apparent. Combining approaches from literary theory, anthropology, computational creativity and game design, this class considers how narrative structure can be represented as data and enacted through computation, and invites students to implement practical prototypes of their own interactive and procedurally-generated narratives using a variety of technologies.

Topics include (but are not limited to) hypertext fiction, “choose your own adventure”-style branching narratives, text adventures, visual novels, story generation from grammars and agent-based simulations. Students will complete a series of bite-size weekly assignments to present for in-class critique. Each session will also feature lectures, class discussion, and technical tutorials.

Prerequisites: Introduction to Computational Media or equivalent programming experience.

Web Art as Site +

Theo Ellin Ballew | Syllabus | ITPG-GT.2094 | Fri 12:10pm to 2:40pm in 370 Jay St, Room 407 Meetings:14
4 Point, art,, css, Elective, github, Graduate, html, In-Person, internet, jquery, readings, Spring 2025, unity, webart, web_design, Yes
Last updated: November 11, 2024

WEB ART AS SITE addresses the history and practice of art made for and inseparable from the web, while teaching basic coding for the web. We explore key examples of web art from the early days of the internet through today, asking questions about this idiosyncratic artistic medium like: How do different forms of interaction characterize the viewer and/or the artist? What happens to our reading practice when text is animated or animates? How is an internet-native work encountered, and how does the path we take to reach it affect our reading? Who is able to see a work of web art, and what does access/privilege look like in this landscape? How are differently-abled people considered in a web artwork? What feels difficult or aggressive in web art, and when is that useful? How do artists obscure or reveal the duration of a work, and how does that affect our reading? What are the many different forms of instruction or guidance online? As we ask these questions, we exploit the internet pedagogically, collaborating online, playing with anonymity, and breaking the internet spaces we know.

Students learn web coding through specialized online tutorials; most of class time is reserved for discussion (of web art and supplementary readings) and critique. Throughout the semester, students will produce two major works of web art. Students need only a standard laptop, and will not be expected to purchase any software or text (cost of materials: $0).

Biophilic Experiences – activating our sensory relationship to nature +

Leslie E Ruckman | ITPG-GT.2361 | Fri 3:20pm to 5:50pm in Meetings:7-First Half
2 Point, Elective, Graduate, In-Person, Spring 2025, Yes
Last updated: November 11, 2024

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.

Biophilic Experiences – activating our sensory relationship to nature +

Leslie E Ruckman | ITPG-GT.2361 | Fri 3:20pm to 5:50pm in Meetings:7-First Half
2 Point, Elective, Graduate, In-Person, Spring 2025, Yes
Last updated: November 7, 2024

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.

Biophilic Experiences – activating our sensory relationship to nature +

Leslie E Ruckman | ITPG-GT.2361 | Fri 3:20pm to 5:50pm in Meetings:7-First Half
2 Point, Elective, Graduate, In-Person, Spring 2025, Yes
Last updated: November 5, 2024

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.

Biophilic Experiences – activating our sensory relationship to nature +

Leslie E Ruckman | ITPG-GT.2361 | Fri 3:20pm to 5:50pm in Meetings:7-First Half
2 Point, Elective, Graduate, In-Person, Spring 2025, Yes
Last updated: November 4, 2024

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.

Biophilic Experiences – activating our sensory relationship to nature +

Leslie E Ruckman | ITPG-GT.2361 | Fri 3:20pm to 5:50pm in Meetings:7-First Half
2 Point, Elective, Graduate, In-Person, Spring 2025, Yes
Last updated: November 4, 2024

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.

Biophilic Experiences – activating our sensory relationship to nature +

Leslie E Ruckman | ITPG-GT.2361 | Fri 3:20pm to 5:50pm in Meetings:7-First Half
2 Point, Elective, Graduate, In-Person, Spring 2025, Yes
Last updated: November 4, 2024

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.

Biophilic Experiences – activating our sensory relationship to nature +

Leslie E Ruckman | ITPG-GT.2361 | Fri 3:20pm to 5:50pm in Meetings:7-First Half
2 Point, Elective, Graduate, In-Person, Spring 2025, Yes
Last updated: November 4, 2024

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.

Biophilic Experiences – activating our sensory relationship to nature +

Leslie E Ruckman | ITPG-GT.2361 | Fri 3:20pm to 5:50pm in Meetings:7-First Half
2 Point, Elective, Graduate, In-Person, Spring 2025, Yes
Last updated: November 4, 2024

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.

Biophilic Experiences – activating our sensory relationship to nature +

Leslie E Ruckman | ITPG-GT.2361 | Fri 3:20pm to 5:50pm in Meetings:7-First Half
2 Point, Elective, Graduate, In-Person, Spring 2025, Yes
Last updated: November 4, 2024

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.

Biophilic Experiences – activating our sensory relationship to nature +

Leslie E Ruckman | ITPG-GT.2361 | Fri 3:20pm to 5:50pm in Meetings:7-First Half
2 Point, Elective, Graduate, In-Person, Spring 2025, Yes
Last updated: October 30, 2024

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.

Biophilic Experiences – activating our sensory relationship to nature +

Leslie E Ruckman | ITPG-GT.2361 | Fri 3:20pm to 5:50pm in Meetings:7-First Half
2 Point, Elective, Graduate, In-Person, Spring 2025, Yes
Last updated: October 28, 2024

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.

Programming with Data +

Allison Parrish | Syllabus | ITPG-GT.3049 | Mon 6:00pm to 8:30pm in Meetings:14
4 Point, Elective, Fall 2024, Graduate, New, Spring 2025, Yes
Last updated: March 7, 2024

Data is the means by which we turn experience into something that can be published, compared, and analyzed. Data can facilitate the production of new knowledge about the world—but it can also be used as a method of control and exploitation. As such, the ability to understand and work with data is indispensable both for those who want to uncover truth, and those who want to hold power to account. This intensive course serves as an introduction to essential computational tools and techniques for working with data. The course is designed for artists, designers, and researchers in the humanities who have no previous programming experience. Covered topics include: the Python programming language, Jupyter Notebook, data formats, regular expressions, Pandas, web scraping, relational database concepts, simple data visualization and data-driven text generation. Weekly technical tutorials and short readings culminate in a self-directed final project.

Prerequisite: ICM / ICM: Media (ITPG-GT 2233 / ITPG-GT 2048)