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Experiments in Networked Performance

Teachers
Todd Anderson, Tiri Kananuruk
Guests
Sebastián Morales Prado
Organizers
Neta Bomani, Galen Macdonald, Todd Anderson, Tiri Kananuruk
Date
Section 1: June 5, 2023 to July 8, 2023
Section 2: June 5, 2023 to July 8, 2023

Time
Section 1: 10am-1pm EST, Mondays and Wednesdays, June 5 to June 28, plus Wed-Fri-Sat July 5-8, 2023 Section 2: 7pm-10pm EST, Mondays and Wednesdays, June 5 to June 28, plus Wed-Fri-Sat July 5-8, 2023
Location
Online (Zoom) with option to attend hybrid final week in-person at Recess in NYC
Cost
$1400 Scholarships available learn more...
Deadline
Applications closed on April 30, 2023

Apply Now

Description

In this month long, twice-a-week online class we will explore new relationships between audience and performer, and between in-person and remote audiences. We will especially be focusing on the way technology can create new, less passive forms of audienceship and how that role can extend beyond a single physical space. Some questions we will consider: What does performance mean when the audience is a participant? What does it mean for performance to feel “live” and why does it matter? How can our bodies gain back their presence in digital performance? Can we experience connections in tangible ways regardless of the distance? We will learn about real-time networking by building websites and connecting them through WebSockets. We will put our bodies in digital space using WiFi-enabled sensors and networked micro-controllers. We will discuss this history of telematic performance and analyze contemporary works by visiting guests. This class will be taught online through Zoom and other online platforms and will culminate in a live performance for an online audience produced in New York City. Participants are invited to come to NYC to put on the final show, but can also participate remotely from anywhere in the world.

Outcomes

Course of Study

  • Class 0 (Mid-May): Pre-Class - We will ship out microcontrollers to students and those microcontrollers will connect to our webpage before the class starts. Students will complete some basic web programming tutorials to prepare for the first day.
  • Class 1 (Mon 6/5): Introduction - Review plan and community agreement, history of digital performance and telepresence, Introduce Glitch and HTML/CSS/JS
  • Class 2 (Wed 6/7:) Connecting - Websockets, Chatrooms, Networked Instruments, Mobile controllers
  • Class 3 (Mon 6/12): Experiments in Networked Hardware Performance I - Server + Sensor Input - Go over class micro controller and its included sensors. Connect microcontroller to web pages
  • Class 4 (Wed 6/14): Body in Digital l - Camera - Body / face detection
  • Class 5 (Mon 6/19): Telematic - OBS. Livestreaming, Touchdesigner
  • Class 6 (Wed 6/21): Storytelling in a Digital World - Devising, Storyteling with a participatory audience, Roles
  • Class 7 (Mon 6/26): Body in Digital ll - Mic, Speech & Computer Poetry - Speech recognition, Pitch detection, Cut-ups, Generative Text
  • Class 8 (Wed 6/28): Play - Role-Playing and Rules Based Interaction, Performing inside of Online Games / Worlds
  • Classes 9 and 10 and the Final show will be taught in a hybrid format at Recess in New York City, with the option to attend in person or online
  • Class 9 (Wed 7/5): Experiments in Networked Hardware Performance Il - Output - Guest Teacher: Sebastien Morales Prado. Connecting microcontrollers to physical objects in space. Make groups for final show
  • Class 10 (Fri 7/7): Final Perfomance Prep - Workshop final performances, Rehearsal
  • Final Show (Sat 7/8) - A livestreamed public performance for an online audience, produced at Recess in NYC with a mix of online and in-person performers.

Expectations

Time & Workload
  • Participants can expect no more than 2 hours of work per week on readings and assignments
  • In the final week of the class, participants will be expected to work in a group in and outside of class to produce an experimental online performance for the final show on Saturday
Technical/Performance Experience
  • No technical or performance experience is required for this class, however we will prioritize applicants that have some experience in EITHER programming or the performing arts (music, dance, theater, poetry, role-playing, performance art).
Learning Outcomes

In this class, participants will learn:

  • The basics of making simple web sites
  • An introduction to real-time networking with websockets
  • How to perform digitally using the computer’s camera and microphone
  • How to use hardware sensors and connect them to the internet
  • How to devise experimental performances for a participatory audience
  • How technology infrastructure and tech companies mediate our online interactions
  • How to collaborate with other performers not in the same location

Is this class for me?

This class may be for you if you:

  • have an interest in or past experience in performing in front of a live audience
  • like doing weird things inside of virtual worlds or MMOs
  • are interested in new ways of being with others online
  • think critically about how technology and tech companies mediate our online interactions
  • like to use productivity software for unproductive purposes
  • want to learn how to connect the physical and digital using Javascript, and a little bit of Arduino
  • like to move or make people move

The class may NOT be for you if you:

  • are looking for an app development or VR/AR development class
  • don’t want to make work for a live audience

FAQ

Is class on Monday, Wednesday, or both?

Both! Both sections meet on both Monday and Wednesday, one section meets 10am-1pm and the other meets 7pm-10pm. This means you will need to be available on both Monday and Wednesday to attend this class.

I can’t travel to NYC. Can I still attend the class / be in the final show?

Yes! The first 4 weeks of class will all be on online, and the last week will be hybrid, meaning participants can attend at Recess in NYC, but also can attend online through zoom. The final show livestream will be produced in NYC, but it will be an online event meaning participants can still perform and participate remotely

I don’t like to be perceived, do I have to perform on camera?

Not necessarily! We’ll be working in collaborative groups which will often involve some people being more the focus of attention and others working behind the scenes. There are many different ways to perform and you can find one that feels comfortable for you!

Meet the Teachers & Guests

organizer and teacher

Todd Anderson

Todd Anderson is a digital poet, software artist and educator based in New York City. He has been making experimental software art for over 10 years including the live interactive poetry project Hotwriting, the Chrome Extension ARG 'An Experience', the performance-inside-the-browser extension HitchHiker, and multiple plays and performances with the multidisciplinary group H0t Club. He is perhaps best known as the host and curator of WordHack, the monthly language+technology talk series in NYC running every third Thursday since 2014.

he/him · website · twitter · instagram

organizer and teacher

Tiri Kananuruk

Bangkok-born, New York-based Tiri Kananuruk is a performance artist and educator. Her works focus on the manipulation of sound, the disruption of time. How technologies change the meaning and the ways we communicate. She utilizes mistakes, both human and machine, as means of improvisation. She holds a BA in Exhibition Design from Chulalongkorn University in Bangkok, and a Master in Interactive Telecommunications from Tisch School of the Arts at New York University. Tiri has lectured at the University of the Arts in Philadelphia and the School for Poetic Computation. She is currently an adjunct professor at Collaborative Arts, New York University. She was a new media artist resident at Mana Contemporary (2019), CultureHub New York (2020), Barnard Movement Lab (NUUM)(2020), and Media Art Exploration (NUUM)(2021). She is a NEW INC Member in the Creative Science track. She is a founding member of NUUM collective. She is a co-founder of MORAKANA along with Sebastián Morales.

she/any · website · twitter · instagram

guest

Sebastián Morales Prado

Sebastián Morales Prado is a Mexican artist, engineer, and researcher based in New York. His practice develops interactive works hybridizing robotics, digital culture, and living systems. Sebastian is the co-founder of MORAKANA among with Tiri Kananuruk, they exhibited and performed at The National Gallery of Singapore as part of the exhibition Novel Ways of Being, the Gwangju Media Art Platform in Korea, and CultureHub in New York. Sebastian has spoken at conferences including Radical Networks, and ArtTech Forum in Venice, Italy. He has lectured at CUNY, UArts , and SFPC. Sebastian was an artist in residence at Autodesk Pier 9 (2015), a New Media Artist resident at Mana Contemporary (2018), and Research Fellow at the ITP at NYU (2018).

he/him · website · instagram

organizer

Neta Bomani

Neta Bomani is a learner and educator who is interested in understanding the practice of reading and parsing information as a collaborative process between human and non-human computers. Neta’s work combines social practices, workshops, archives, oral histories, computation, printmaking, zines, and publishing, to create artifacts that engage abolitionist, black feminist, and do-it-yourself philosophies. Neta received a graduate degree in Interactive Telecommunications from the Tisch School of the Arts at New York University. Neta has taught at the School for Poetic Computation, the New School, New York University, Princeton University, the University of Texas, and in the after school program at P.S. 15 Magnet School of the Arts in Brooklyn, NY. Neta has studied under American Artist, Fred Moten, Kameelah Janan Rasheed, Mariame Kaba, Ruha Benjamin, Simone Browne, and many others who inform Neta’s work. Neta’s work has appeared at the Queens Museum, the Barnard Zine Library, The Kitchen, and the Met Library. Neta is one of seven co-directors at the School for Poetic Computation, and one of two co-directors at Sojourners for Justice Press, an imprint of Haymarket Books.

any pronouns · website · twitter · instagram

organizer

Galen Macdonald

Galen Macdonald is an artist and arts organizer based in Tkaronto/Toronto whose work currently straddles hand craft, kinetic sculpture, poetry, and new media. He uses whatever tools are available to make delicate and limited tools for communication.

How do I apply?

Apply Now

Applications open until Applications closed on April 30, 2023.

You can expect to hear back from us about the status of your application on May 8, 2023. Please email us at admissions@sfpc.study with any questions you have.

How much does it cost to attend?

For classes, it costs $1400 + processing fees, for a one-time payment. We also offer payment plans. Participants can schedule weekly or 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.

Applicant FAQ

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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