IMNY-UT.232 • Interactive Media Arts (IMA) • NYU Tisch School of the Arts • Spring 2024
*This is a living document and subject to change
| Meeting Time | Thu 9:00am - 12:00pm ET |
| Location | 370 Jay Street Brooklyn • Room 410 |
| Remote Access | This is an in-person course, but just in case 1. Log into NYU 2. Zoom meeting |
| Instructor | Ellen Nickles Contact [email protected] On weekdays I aim to respond within 24 hours between 8:00am - 5:00pm Student Hours Mon & Thu 1:00pm – 3:00pm Zoom or in person Sign up here |
| Graduate Assistant | Lily Crandall Contact [email protected] Student Hours Wed 12:00pm - 2:00pm Zoom or in person Sign up here |
| Extra Support | Resident office hours (schedule) The Coding Lab (schedule or drop-in help) |
| Quick Links | Our Miro board Submit assignments on Brightspace Photography and technical resources Our Google Drive folder with class slides and readings |
- Jan 25 • Week 1
- Welcome! What is photography?
- Workshop: Then and Now
- Feb 1 • Week 2
- Share Homework / Elements of Photograph
- Workshop: Making Photographs with p5.js
- Feb 8 • Week 3
- Share Homework
- Workshop: Multiple Cameras, Simultaneous Captures
- Feb 15 • Week 4
- Share Homework
- Workshop: Alternative Shutter Buttons 1
- Feb 22 • Week 5
- Workshop: Alternative Shutter Buttons 2
- Share Homework
- Feb 29 • Week 6
- Workshop: Networked Camera
- Artist Talk: Jason Isolini
- Mar 7 • Week 7
- Share Homework
- Workshop: AI Camera
- Mar 14 • Week 8
- Workshop: AR Camera
- Artist Talk: Kat Mustatea
- Mar 21 • No Class (Spring Break)
- Mar 28 • Week 9
- Share Homework
- Workshop: Photobooth 1
- Apr 4 • Week 10
- Workshop: Photobooth 2
- Apr 11 • Week 11
- Share Homework
- Final Project Assigned
- Design Lab Intro with Rob Ryan
- Apr 18 • Week 12
- Final Project Proposals
- Apr 25 • Week 13
- Final Project User Testing
- May 2 • Week 14
- Final Project Presentations
- Course Description
- Learning Objectives
- Format
- Community Guidelines
- Communication and Support
- Tools
- Assessment and Evaluation
- Policies
- Statements
What are all the ways that you saw or made a photograph this week? How are those ways similar and different? How do those pictures function in your life and in society? What is a photograph? This course repeatedly asks these questions by using emerging computational tools to design alternative forms of making and interacting with photographs. The forms and applications of these tools, such as those for creative coding, physical computing, and machine learning, are explored weekly in technical tutorials and hands-on workshops. These are informed by discussions of critical debates in photography and various practitioners working with photographs, past and present. The homework includes readings, short writing responses, and photography assignments. Prerequisites: Comm Lab: HyperCinema (or similar coursework exploring communication and storytelling with digital tools) and New York’s IMA Creative Computing (or similar coursework with creative coding using the p5.js JavaScript library and programming for physical computing using Arduino microcontrollers). Note that prior experience with physical computing using the Arduino platform is required for this course. Please feel free to contact the instructor if you have any questions about the course.
At the completion of this course, we will be able to:
- describe the creative potential of emerging computational technologies in photography;
- discuss historical and contemporary ideas about photography, including its tools and uses in the cultural landscape;
- respond to these ideas by experimenting with the expressive possibilities of creative coding techniques, sensors, machine learning models, and other digital tools;
- create alternative ways to engage in photographic practices using these tools.
Experimental Photography (XPhoto) is a 14-week course that meets once a week in person at the scheduled times. Class time is structured as a mixture of homework review, discussion, group work, lecture, demonstrations, and hands-on tutorials. There are reading, writing, and creative assignments to do before each class. You are expected to come to class with an open-mind, curiosity, questions, a laptop, and any other supplies specified for the individual dates on the schedule.
For the most part each class is organized into two parts. The first half will be devoted to homework review to reflect on our work, develop our visual literacy skills (reading and interpreting images), and co-create a visual learning experience. The second half will be dedicated to technical workshops to introduce new techniques to apply in our creative practices. In the mix will be lectures and discussions about photography history and photographers, as well as in-class activities to further engage with the ideas presented in the course.
In keeping with the ITP/IMA Code of Conduct, this course is committed to providing an inclusive, welcoming, and harassment-free space for everyone in our community. Harassment or discrimination in any form will not be tolerated, and this applies to any interactions and content.
We understand the classroom as a space for practicing freedom; where one may challenge psychic, social, and cultural borders and create meaningful artistic expressions. To do so we must acknowledge and embrace the different identities and backgrounds we inhabit. This means that we will use requested pronouns, respect self-identifications, and be mindful of special needs. Disagreement is encouraged and supported, however, our differences affect our conceptualization and experience of reality, and it is extremely important to remember that certain gender, race, sex, and class identities are more privileged while others are undermined and marginalized. Consequently, this makes some people feel more protected or vulnerable during debates and discussions. A collaborative effort between the learners and instructor is needed to create a supportive learning environment. While everyone should feel free to experiment creatively and conceptually, if a class member points out that something you have said or shared with the group is offensive, avoid being defensive; instead approach the discussion as a valuable opportunity for us to grow and learn from one another. Alternatively, if you feel that something said in discussion or included in a piece of work is harmful, you are encouraged to speak with me.
Adapted from voidLab by way of Stalgia Grigg
During class, we will use our Miro board, a free and online whiteboard with chat functionality to take notes, collaborate, and share links and our photographs.
- You must check your NYU email for important updates about class.
- You are welcome to attend Student Hours in person or on Zoom. Links to sign up are posted above under Course Information.
- Use our course website here on GitHub to check the schedule (updated as needed based on our pace and interests), assignment descriptions, links to course materials including readings in Google Drive.
- Use NYU Brightspace to submit assignments and to receive written assignment feedback and grades.
Your success in this class is important to me. We all learn differently and require different kinds of accommodations. If there are aspects of this course that prevent you from learning or exclude you in any way, I invite you to communicate this with me. In addition, if you ever feel that you are struggling with the material or falling behind for other reasons, please reach out to me.We’ll work together to ensure that you have proper support.
Additional forms of support:
- Meet with our course graduate assistant.
- Look out for the ITP/IMA residents' office hours.
- Visit The Coding Lab to ask ITP student mentors about code.
Tips for asking for technical help:
- Clearly describe what you want to happen and what is happening instead.
- Give enough information in order for someone to recreate the problem.
- If applicable, provide a link to the code itself.
When in doubt, it’s ALWAYS better to contact me sooner rather than later about attendance, assignments, or anything else on your mind.
- You will need a modern laptop. Four years old or younger is a good rule of thumb. Limited numbers are available for checkout from the ITP/IMA Equipment Room (ER) and must be returned by the end of the day.
- Cameras (Weeks 2-3)
- We will use external camera devices with our laptops. USB Logitech webcams will be demonstrated in class, and I will check out a class set of cameras from the ER for our class to use. Additional cameras are available to check out from the ER for 24-hour reservations.
- If your computer only has USB-C ports, then you will also need a USB to USB-C adapter to connect a Logitech webcam. Please note: your adapter must be able to transmit data as well as power the camera. These are also available from the ER, but they can be in high demand and sometimes unavailable to check out. Consider sharing with your classmates or purchasing your own: packs of 2 for ~$10 or less are frequently available on Amazon.
- Physical Computing (Weeks 4-5)
- If you're an IMA student, expect to use the Arduino kit from your Creative Computing class. Depending on when you took Creative Computing, this might include an Arduino Uno or Nano 33 IoT. Either one will work. Arduino Unos, Nano 33 IoTs, and Nano 33 BLE Senses (which will also work) are often available to check out from The Shop.
- I recommend using sensors that you already have and with which you have previous experience. The Shop also provides some sensors to check out.
- For general information on electronic components, sensors, their availability at ITP/IMA, and where to purchase them see the ITP Physical Computing Parts and Tools Guide.
- Miro
- p5.js (p5)
- Arduino IDE v2.0 and later
- NYU Google Workspace: Docs, Sheets, and Slides
- NYU Brightspace
- NYU Zoom (if needed)
- Webcam Apps to adjust external webcam settings
- Generative AI images with Midjourney, a minimum $10.89 monthly subscription (cancel at any time), on the free platform, Discord
- Adobe Creative Cloud Suite apps including Aero for augmented reality (AR), which NYU provides free of charge. If you have trouble with the installation, email the ITP/IMA Adobe Help Desk Team, [email protected] for assistance.
Course assessments take the form of weekly assignments, a final project, and participation and attendance. Check the schedule above for links to the assignments.
It is expected that you will spend six to eight (6-8) hours a week on the course outside of class itself. This will include reviewing material, reading and/or watching videos, writing responses to the readings, and completing the photography experiments and reflections. Please budget your time accordingly.
Each week you'll explore the possibilities of various technical and conceptual decisions in a photographic creative exercise. You are expected to post your photographs in Brightspace, a link to your code (if applicable), and write a short (100 words minimum) reflection about your experience. The intention of these reflections is to help you develop an awareness of your creative choices over time and note any technical complications.
Photography experiments and reflections are worth four (4) points, one (1) point for each of the following:
- The exercise addresses the creative prompt;
- demonstrates evidence of experimentation with results that are distinct from the examples and other projects;
- reflects on your resulting images and your experience of making them (e.g. What does/do the image/s show? What qualities do you like best? Consider framing, lighting, composition, and content, etc. What did you have trouble with? What would you do differently next time? Describe the experience of creating the image/s? What did you feel? What was surprising, enjoyable, or challenging?) (100 words minimum);
- is submitted on time.
For any assignment that uses code, not properly citing code sources is grounds for receiving a zero (0) on the assignment. For more information, see the statement below on the Use of Free and Open Source Materials Including Code.
Each week each you are to write a short (200 words minimum) written response to the assigned reading and prompt in Brightspace. The intention of these responses is to provide you with the opportunity to consider the course content at your own pace and in your own words, and to prepare for upcoming, related in-class discussions and activities.
Written reading responses are worth four (4) points, one (1) point for each of the following:
- The response addresses the reading prompt (200 words minimum);
- includes a position, opinion, and/or proposal that does not merely summarize what others have said, but represents your own thoughts even if they are tentative;
- includes at least one (1) question to bring to our group for discussion;
- is submitted on time.
The course will culminate with the completion of a final project to be shared in class. You are expected to push your abilities to produce something that builds off or is inspired by the concepts explored during the semester. For the final project you are expected to present a project proposal, create a working prototype to share for peer feedback, and present a completed final project to our class. Full description: Final Project Assignment
Specific grading criteria for each stage will be provided later in the semester.
All assignments are required, and unless otherwise stated, are due the night before our class meets, one (1) week after they are assigned. Assignments turned in late will receive partial credit, as described in the grading rubrics above.
Late assignments will be accepted for partial credit. If you anticipate any challenges meeting the assignment deadlines, please reach out to me so that we can consider your options together. The last day to submit late work for partial credit, or work for which you have requested an extension (which will not be considered late), is Monday, May 6, 2023, at 12:00pm (noon).
An assignment extension may be granted upon request. If you request an extension, your grade will not be affected. However, if you do not request an extension, the grading rules above apply.
Assignments will be evaluated on timeliness, completeness, and engagement with the course materials to explore ways of expressing your own points of view. The rubrics above are adapted from source. The goal is to post written feedback and assignment grades in Brightspace within a week of an assignment's due date.
Your progress at midsemester will be evaluated as Strong Progress, Satisfactory Progress, or Concerns about Progress:
- Strong Progress in this course means consistently participating in the classroom (see ways to participate below) and completing all your weekly photography experiments and reading responses to meet most of the grading criteria as described in the provided rubrics above.
- Satisfactory Progress means sometimes participating in the classroom and completing most of your weekly photography experiments and your reading responses but not always fully.
- Concerns about Progress means not participating in the classroom regularly and regularly missing your weekly photography experiments and reading responses. Multiple absences will also raise concerns about progress.
The final course evaluation will be based on participation and attendance and the completion of all assignments, including the final project, according to this breakdown:
- 30% Participation and attendance
- 25% Photography experiments and reflections (10 * 2.5%)
- 25% Written reading responses (10 * 2.5%)
- 20% Final project (5% proposal, 5% prototype, 10% project and presentation)
This class uses the standard A through F letter grading system, and grades will be determined according to this criteria: 92.5 - 100% A, 90.0 - 92.5% A-, 87.5 - 90% B+, 82.5 - 87.5% B, 80 - 82.5% B-, 77.5 - 80% C+, 72.5 - 77.5% C, 70 - 72.5% C-, 67.5 - 70% D+, 62.5 - 67.5% D, 60 - 62.5% D-, and 0 - 60% F
In general, A indicates excellent work, B indicates good work, C indicates satisfactory work, and D indicates passable work and is the lowest passing grade. F indicates failure. There are some additional grades: P for Pass and W for Withdrawal—which are granted administratively. Please note that IMA majors need a C or higher to satisfy their IMA requirements, i.e. receiving a D will not count for credit towards the IMA major.
This class is highly participatory, and there are many ways to demonstrate your engagement with the course material and with your peers:
- show up on time with curiosity;
- ask and answer questions;
- follow instructions;
- engage in group activities;
- share your photography experiments for group review;
- engage in your classmates’ review sessions;
- contribute to class discussions (use the weekly reading responses to prepare);
- support and help your fellow classmates during discussions and technical workshops;
- unless otherwise directed, stow devices away and mute any notifications unrelated to class.
- attend student hours;
Attendance is mandatory. If you think you will be absent, please contact me before class unless circumstances make this truly impossible. If you're feeling unwell, please know that I do not require the details of your condition nor any proof / doctor's note from a medical office.
At most two (2) unexcused absences will be tolerated without affecting your grade. Any more than two (2) unexcused absences will result in a lowering of your final grade by one whole grade for each unexcused absence. For example, three (3) unexcused absences will result in your highest possible grade being a B instead of an A. Four (4) unexcused absences will result in your highest possible grade being a C and so on. Six (6) unexcused absences would result in an automatic F for the course.
You are expected to arrive to class on time and be ready to start at 9:00am ET. An unexcused lateness of ten (10) minutes or more is equivalent to half (1/2) of one unexcused absence. Two (2) late unexcused arrivals will count as one (1) unexcused absence.
To respect those with sensitivities to allergens, smells, and sounds, eating in the classroom is not permitted. Drinks are okay.
Unless other stated, these statements are adapted from the ITP/IMA Equitable Syllabus Project.
Instructors and learners work together to create a supportive learning environment. The educational experience in the classroom is one that is enhanced by integrating varying perspectives and learning modes brought by all learners.
The core of the educational experience at the Tisch School of the Arts is the creation of original academic and artistic work by students for the critical review of faculty members. It is therefore of the utmost importance that students at all times provide their instructors with an accurate sense of their current abilities and knowledge in order to receive appropriate constructive criticism and advice. Any attempt to evade that essential, transparent transaction between instructor and student through plagiarism or cheating is educationally self-defeating and a grave violation of Tisch School of the Arts community standards.
Plagiarism is presenting someone else’s original work as if it were your own. More specifically, plagiarism is to present as your own:
- a sequence of words quoted without quotation marks
- a paraphrased passage from another writer’s work
- ideas, sound recordings, computer data, or images composed or created by someone else
- content created by ChatGPT or other AI software
[Learners] are expected to build their own work on that of other people, just as professional artists, scholars, and writers do. [Collaboration is highly valued and often necessary to produce great work.] Giving credit to the creator of the work you are incorporating into your own work is an act of integrity; plagiarism, on the other hand, is a form of fraud. Proper acknowledgment and correct citation constitute the difference. [Learners] should consult with professors about the appropriate use of AI generated elements in artistic projects.
Excerpt adapted from the NYU Tisch School of the Arts Policies and Procedures Handbook
You must cite the source of any material / code you use with the exception of examples specifically provided by the instructor or demonstrated for the course. Please note the following additional expectations and guidelines:
- Check the license. When using others' code, pay attention to the license under which it has been released, and be certain to fulfill the terms and requirements of those licenses. Descriptions of common licenses, and their requirements, can be found at choosealicense.com. Some licenses may require permission. If you are confused or aren’t sure how to credit code, ask one of the course instructors and make your best good faith effort. Not properly citing code sources is grounds for receiving a 0 on an assignment.
- Use libraries. The use of general, repurposable libraries is strongly encouraged. The people who developed and contributed these components to the community worked hard, often for no pay; acknowledge them by citing their name and linking to their repository.
- Be careful. It sometimes happens that an artist places the entire source code for their sketch or artwork online, as a resource from which others can learn. Assignments professors give in new media arts courses are often similar; you may also discover the work of a student in some other class or school, who has posted code for a project which responds to a similar assignment. You should probably avoid this code. At the very least, you should be careful about approaching such code for possible re-use. If it is necessary to do so, it is best to extract components that solve a specific technical problem, rather than those parts which operate to create a poetic experience. Your challenge, if and/or when you work with others' code, is to make it your own. It should be clear that downloading an artwork from someone's p5 account or GitHub and simply changing the colors would be disgracefully lazy. And doing so without proper citation would be outright plagiarism.
Adapted from Dan Shiffman’s Code! Course (Spring 2020) at New York University and Golan Levin’s Interactivity and Computation Course (Fall 2018) at Carnegie Mellon University
When instructed, you are welcome and expected to use AI image generators (e.g. DALL·E, Midjourney, DreamStudio by Stable Diffusion, etc.) in our course as doing so aligns with our learning goal to experiment with the expressive possibilities of image making with emerging computational technologies. You are responsible for the information submitted based on an AI query (for example, that it does not violate intellectual property laws, or contain misinformation or unethical content). Your use of AI tools must be properly cited, which in this course means including the following in your documentation: the name of the AI tool, the company that made the tool, the version/model of the AI model used in the tool if available, the prompt you used to generate content, the date the content was generated, and a general URL (link) to the tool that you used.
Example citation for our course:
- DreamStudio by Stability.AI using model SDXL v1.0
- Prompt: "Red tulips in a red vase on a wood tabletop near a frosted glass window"
- Content generated on Jan 25, 2024
- URL: https://beta.dreamstudio.ai
Adapted from the NYU Faculty Use of Generative AI in Coursework: Frequently Asked Questions (PDF)
It’s crucial for our community to create and uphold learning environments that empower learners of all abilities. I am committed to creating an environment that enables open dialogue about the various temporary and long term needs of all participants for their academic success. Please contact me to discuss possible accommodations that would best support your learning. You may also contact The Moses Center for Student Accessibility at (212) 998-4980 for resources and support.
Your health and safety are a priority at NYU. Emphasizing the importance of the wellness of each individual within our community, I encourage you to utilize the resources and support services available to you 24 hours a day, 7 days a week via the NYU Wellness Exchange Hotline at (212) 443-9999. Additional support is available over email at [email protected] and within the NYU Wellness Exchange app. Free counseling sessions are provided. For more information, visit the link to NYU Counseling and Wellness Services (CWS). Please let me know if you need help connecting to these resources.
Tisch School of the Arts is dedicated to providing its students with a learning environment that is rigorous, respectful, supportive and nurturing so that they can engage in the free exchange of ideas and commit themselves fully to the study of their discipline. To that end, Tisch is committed to enforcing University policies prohibiting all forms of sexual misconduct as well as discrimination on the basis of sex and gender. Detailed information regarding these policies and the resources that are available to students by visiting this link to Title IX at NYU.
Laptops and other electronic devices are essential tools for learning and interaction in classrooms. However, they can create distractions that hinder students' ability to actively participate and engage. Please be mindful of the ways in which these devices can affect the learning environment.
Activities not related to the class, such as recreational use of the internet, including all social media websites, email and instant messaging, game playing, and work for other classes, are not permitted. This includes recreational use of phones, music players, video game systems. Such activities are disrespectful to the instructor and distracting to others. Your devices should always be closed whenever someone is presenting.
We are gathered on the unceded land of the Lenape and Canarsie peoples and acknowledge the Lenape and Canarsie communities, their elders both past and present, as well as future generations.
Excerpt from the ITP/IMA Code of Conduct Community Statement