School
for
Poetic
Computation
Poetics & Protocols of Sampling explores sampling as a creative, ideological, and political act in music production from the late 20th century to today. We’ll examine sampling through concepts of authorship, community, and identity, with a focus on oppressed voices, centering LGBTQIA+ and non-Western perspectives. The class’s aim is to consider the social, cultural, and political layers of sampling, giving space for critical analysis of modern (historical avant-garde), postmodern (pastiche and appropriation), and contemporary theories. Additionally, we’ll explore the ways in which applications of sampling in hiphop, house, and several other genres can be seen on a lineage with musical traditions informed by syncretic faith systems in the Americas, and examine conceptual frameworks to deepen our understanding of this sound production technique. We will also assess how services like Splice, and Tracklib, repositories like the Free Music Archive, and the Library of Congress, along with large language models, and social media, impact sampling’s accessibility and ethical implications.
Images courtesy of teachers.
Participants can expect to learn about a variety of approaches to sampling, appropriation, and remixing, and will be exposed to a variety of resources and tools.
Students can expect to spend 3–4 hours per week on assignments, which may include small creative projects, organizing media, journaling, reading, watching, or listening. Throughout the class, you’ll explore different approaches to sampling, appropriation, and remixing, and engage with a range of tools and references.
In the final weeks, additional time may be needed as participants develop and share their final projects. These will come together as a collective compilation or mixtape that reflects the group’s experiments, collaborations, and evolving practices.
This class may be for you if you:
This class may NOT be for you if you:
Devin Kenny is an artist, writer, and musician.
Born on the South Side of Chicago, Illinois, Kenny relocated to New York City as a teenager. Kenny went on to receive a Master of Fine Arts from University of California, Los Angeles, in addition to attending the Whitney Independent Study Program in New York. Kenny has participated in residencies at the Rauschenberg Foundation, SOMA Mexico, Bemis Center, MFAH Core, Shandaken Projects, and the Skowhegan School of Painting and Sculpture. Kenny has exhibited, performed, and lectured across the United States, and in galleries and institutions abroad. Select venues include MoMA PS1, The Kitchen, Performance Space, REDCAT, Queens Museum, Museum of Contemporary Art Santa Barbara, CAM in Houston, and the IMT Gallery in London among others. substack: devinkkenny instagram: crashingwavy and on Nina Protocol and Bandcamp as Devin KKenny.
they/them
· website
· twitter
· instagram
Maybe Tucker is a Black lesbian poet, dj, and hopefully more. They are fond of weird sounds, horror movies, and making things up. They are curious about Blackness as a means for computation. You can find them online as @grlcomputer on instagram and soundcloud.
they/them
· website
· twitter
· instagram
Applications open until Applications closed on August 3, 2025.
You can expect to hear back from us about the status of your application on August 19, 2025. Please email us at admissions@sfpc.study with any questions you have.
For 10 classes, it costs $1200 + processing fees, for a one-time payment. We also offer payment plans. Participants can schedule monthly payments of the same amount. First and last payments must be made before the start and end of class. *Processing fees apply for each payment.
SFPC processes all payments via Withfriends and Stripe. Please email admissions@sfpc.study if these payment options don't work for you.
For more information about what we look for in applicants, scholarships, and other frequently asked questions, please visit our applicant FAQ.
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