Digital Art and Philosophy

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Contact information: MelanieSwan.com/contact.html.

Short Course Syllabus below, Semester-length Course Syllabus here

Class Flyer: The University of the Commons presents this class Tuesdays Feb-Mar 2013 (2/12, 2/19, 2/26, 3/5, 3/12), 6:30-8:30 PM (Sign Up Here!) Location: Emerald Tablet Gallery, 80 Fresno St, North Beach, San Francisco CA 94133

Short Course Syllabus: Digital Art and Philosophy (5 weeks, 2 hour sessions)

Description: This course provides an understanding of digital art and related philosophical issues. Readings covering the main themes of each class are listed. The class consists of the presentation of digital art examples together with a discussion of the assigned readings and other text excerpts. Readings are preliminary and may be subject to change. Format: lecture and discussion. Optional: respond to the class material in writing, performance, or digital art work.

PDFs of all class readings:

http://dl.dropbox.com/u/5344454/DigitalArt.zip

2/12     Introduction. Digital Arts and Philosophy. SLIDES

www.meetup.com/uotcsf/events/101711512/

What is digital art and what philosophers are saying about it?

"What is New Media?" (Lev Manovich, 2002, pp 43-48, from "The Language of New Media")

“Review of A Philosophy of Computer Art by Dominic Lopes” (Timothy Binkley, 2010, pp 1-3)

2/19     The Design Aesthetics of Meaning-Making: Information Visualization. SLIDES

http://www.meetup.com/uotcsf/events/101920082/

The creative process and making information meaningful within a design aesthetic

“Aesthetics of Information Visualization” (Warren Sack, 2013)

“Authenticity and Computer Art” (Margaret A. Boden, 2006, pp 1-11)

2/26     Democratized Creativity: Performance, Music, Virtual Reality, Gaming. SLIDES

http://www.meetup.com/uotcsf/events/dfvzgfyrdbjc/

"What is performance?" and the activities, design, behaviors, and meaning of virtual environments

“Performance is the Thing” (Dzifa Benson, 2006)

“Videogames and Aesthetics” (Grant Tavinor, 2010)

3/5       Natural Aesthetics: BioArt, Biomimicry, Generative Art, SynBio. SLIDES

http://www.meetup.com/uotcsf/events/dfvzgfyrfbhb/

Machine-generated art and related issues like creative process, aesthetics, cultural co-creation, archival, and ownership

“What is Generative Art?” (Margaret A. Boden, 2009, Section I and V)

“The Further Exploits of AARON, [the artificial intelligence] Painter” (Harold Cohen, 1995)

3/12     Portable ArtTech: Identity, Fashion, Wearable Electronics, the Future. SLIDES

The farther future of human identity, computing, art, and sociality and attendant philosophical issues.

http://www.meetup.com/uotcsf/events/101922742/

"Nietzsche, the Overhuman, and Transhumanism” (Stefan Sorgner, 2009)

"Vitality of Digital Creation” (Timothy Binkley, 1997)