Syllabus

Schedule: T / TH   3:30-6:15pm  
Instructor: Sabrina Raaf, Associate Professor of New Media Arts  
Email: sraaf1 @ uic.edu  
 Office Hours: by appointment 
New Media Lab Specialist: Shane Hope: shope@uic.edu
NMA Lab Website
Digifab Student Survey

Description
This course offers a comprehensive exploration of rapid prototyping as it applies to the creation of new media art works from concept development to execution. Students with a variety of interests and skill levels are introduced to art historical and contemporary artworks that incorporate technology. Students are also taught fundamental skills in digital fabrication, including laser cutting, 3d printing, and CNC milling/routing. Topics surveyed in the course will be tailored to student interests, and may include: computational form-generation, materiality and culture, wearables, subversive crafting, mold-making and casting, and other topics/ techniques. Through a small number of exploratory assignments and a public capstone project, students will bolster interdisciplinary problem-solving abilities and explore digital fabrication and computation as a media for curiosity-driven experimentation. Through self-directed research, class discussions and critiques, students will develop projects using the concepts and skills learned to augment the student’s own practice and interests.

Student Responsibilities and Requirements
This course is designed to draw inspiration from the history of artists and designers who explore ideas and applications of digital fabrication. This course also encourages the development of experimental art, critical objects, and material exploration based on conceptual assignments. Students will learn the role that materiality plays in imbuing objects with meaning, culture, and history. Students should also be inclined to research materials and experimental processes that they find personally interesting or compelling.

This studio course is structured around a series of tutorials in the realm of fabrication, which culminate in a final project. Emphasis will be given to the creative development of the project, through a complete iterative design process, pursued individually or collaboratively. Tutorials and workshops are aimed to support and inform this creative process, providing modules  of  skill-sets and technologies. Throughout the duration of the course, participants are asked to utilize the class blog to collect and share resources and praxes. To investigate creative works in the realm of calm technologies and information arts, each participant will select a research topic, shared with the class during as an in-class research report presentation. Students will present work-in-progress during class critiques to receive qualitative feedback from the instructor and the class.

Course Goals

In sum, students will:

  • Draw inspiration from the history of artists and designers who explore ideas and applications of Digital Fabrication and materials exploration.

  • Gain practical experience with fabrication equipment, software, and other techniques of digital art production.

  • Develop experimental work/ projects based on conceptual assignments.

  • Research digital and experimental art works and trends.

  • By the end of the semester, each student must present finished projects and be able to fully explain and independently demonstrate each step in the fabrication process.

Students are expected to:

  • understand the potential for each piece of equipment and realize how it is simply a tool that may be combined with a variety of other traditional and nontraditional processes

  • self-teach a variety of design software used in the fabrication processes

  • learn the relevant vocabulary associated with each type process covered

  • understand the capabilities, limitations and proper operation of each piece of equipment

  • be able to take your concept through all stages of the fabrication process from design to independent operation of the equipment and be able to clearly explain the process to others.

Class Structure:

  • Students may be divided – by the instructor – into research teams.

  • Each team will be assigned a particular digifab technique and given a time frame in which they are to research it, create a simple demo piece, and finally lead a lead a presentation in which they will teach what they have learned to the rest of the class.

  • Upon the completion of all presentations, the teams then will rotate to a different technique and build upon the research of the previous group, and  present the new material.

Required Course Materials
• Students should have access to a personal laptop; OSX, Windows and Linux are all acceptable.
• ACCC is lending laptops and hotspots to students who need them: https://accc.uic.edu/online-learning/online-learning-students/basic-requirements-students/technology-tools-students/

Lab Orientations
All lab orientations will be virtual this Fall. Stay tuned for links to video orientations from the New Media Lab, Woodshop, Photo, and Moving Image Labs. The orientations will offer an overview of lab tools and how to properly use them to aid in the construction and completion of your projects. The labs will serve as service bureaus this semester, and will carry out fabrication jobs upon request. Policies on equipment checkout/ reservations/ and usage may be found here: SAAH Resource Folder 

Assignments
This class focuses on the imaginative use of digital fabrication software + tools and materiality in art-making as well as surveying the recent history of new media and responsive arts. A series of assignments will be announced over the course of the semester that will support this focus. Please visit the homework & assignments page of the class website for more information and updates throughout the semester.

Reading Materials
Various articles and excerpts from journals, conferences, and books covering topics such as critical theory, experimental new media art, and computer graphics will be handed out in class as reading assignments.

Evaluation
Comprehension of concepts and integration of artistic goals, acquired technical skills, and imaginative ingenuity will be considered. More importantly, participation in class discussions, lab sessions, and the amount of effort put into each class and outside work will be evaluated as will the ability to apply the techniques introduced in class in an innovative and inventive mater for creative assignments. Personal initiative and artistic development over the length of the semester will also be considered. Assignments are invitations to invent and experiment. Creative and ambitious experiments will be evaluated high, while obvious and easily attained solutions are evaluated low. Participants are encouraged to capitalize on their individual backgrounds, artistic and applied, but are expected to excel in the chosen context. The complexity of the workshops will increase as the semester progresses. Active contribution during class is required. You are expected to be resourceful to your peer students and seek help when needed. All exercises must be completed  to pass the course.

** Full Attendance, Grading, Accommodations, and Digital Privacy Policy HERE **

Grading

  • Practical homework assignments will help you gain technical skill and broaden your understanding of digital fabrication. They are worth 30% cumulatively.
  • Short Homework assignments are weighted at approximately 15% of the total grade. These assignments will be discussed in class and will be posted on the course website with adequate time for completion.
  • Blog assignments count towards 10% of your total grade and are graded upon the insight in your writing and your overall understanding and resourcefulness of the information given. 
  • Participation is worth 15% of your grade. Class participation includes lab time, workshops, critiques, discussions, and overall active engagement in class.
  • The final project is worth 20% of your grade.The final project will consist of an artistic work or installation of your choosing, utilizing the skills obtained in lab exercises and inspired by course content. Please see the homework and assignments section for details.
  • The final project documentation (video and photo) is worth 10% of your final grade. THIS DOCUMENTATION IS IMPERATIVE.

Lab Policies
There is a required laboratory fee for this course which is used for course materials, prototyping supplies, and orders from commercial vendors (such as Shapeways) – all of which you will keep.

Image Reproduction Disclaimer
Projects created in this course may be used by the Department for purposes of promotion for students, the Department, or the University in general. The Department may also use these materials for instructional purposes in future courses. The Instructor may also use your projects as examples of work completed in the class.

Building Access Policy – AEH
As a member of the UIC Art community, you have 7:30am-7pm swipe card access to the ArtEx building. For the safety of the community, please **do not prop open doors** or allow unauthorized people to enter the building.