Professors: Gail Swanlund and Jennifer Steinkamp
office hours 1:00-2:00 Thursdays

Teaching Assistants:
Badr Dahak  badr@ucla.edu
office hours:    12:00 -2:00 PM   Mon-Wed
Josh Nimoy  jtnimoy@ucla.edu
office hours:  5 PM Mondays


Description: Tangible Typography is a graduate/undergraduate  level course combining text, the creation of objects, motion design, sound, interactivity with sensors and theoretical concepts.

This course will examine interactive objects, their creation and function in both real and digital space. Within this context, the course will take a fresh look at the playfulness and ingenuity of the surrealists, futurists, dynamism, and the constructivists. We will discuss the design and creation of machines, how they generate meaning, pleasure and desire. Students will also investigate the pure "objectness" of a device, and further, how its formal qualities convey or imply use and position in contemporary society.

The course addresses form and aesthetics through the "objectness" of created devices: What is "beautiful" form or useful form? Can something be both? Of course! But how is that defined in a contemporary design | media arts context and discourse? How does form change according to how the object is utilized? Is it changed when viewed from another perspective or media? How is that significant or is utility itself the primary goal? Does an object's utility dictate its form (form follows function) or is the job of today's design | media arts practitioner to move form + meaning ahead?

Grading:  Grading is determined by the completion of assignments and the final.  Attendance and participation are mandatory, and of course effect the grade.

Software Utilized:  Director, EZIO hardware, After Effects, Photoshop, FinalCut, Fontographer

Purchases:  EZIO $150  2 week lead time    and sensors

Links and Course Text

Desert Space Competition  Deadline: 15 November 2001

Final Assignment Examples:  Proposal due week 5.
Create an interactive sculpture. The sculpture must convey a single definable objective, based on the student's current interests and pursuits; and it must look great. Students will present a proposal and documented, publishable research, as well as a motive for creating this functional sculpture. 

Visual Text: Choose a word or phrase pertaining to a transition of some sort, such as "interstitial." Create a short animation or video using the word, or create an association to its meaning though image or sound. Research a sensor that would best suit the word, its meanings, its context, poetic resonance, connotation, social significance, historical/design context, etc. For example, a heat sensor might be used to denotate the word "melt."

week 0
Tues., Sept. 25 Typographic Examples       Basic Interactivity and Animation
Introduction to Macromedia Director    Handlers    Basic Lingo Scripting, Spin
Assignment: Choose a font, select word or phrase that the font suggests, animate this with behaviors.  Take care in the selection of the typeface, be ready to support your choice. 
Due next Tuesday
Assignment: Start to think about the Desert Space Competition, Proposal due Week 2 Thursday.

Read by next Thursday:  http://adbusters.org/campaigns/first/toolbox/1964.html
and http://adbusters.org/campaigns/first/toolbox/signup/

Thurs., Sept. 27  Transformations     Discuss Manifestos
Ketchup Transformation Exam.    Simple keyboard interaction  Keyboard Arrows  in class


week 1
Tues., Oct. 2      Interacting with Movies    Critique Type Animations
Control a movie with your mouse       Movie Controller example  in class
 

Thurs., Oct. 4      Conditional Statements  True/False     Critique Desert Proposals
To-and-Fro Conditional Statement tutorial        


week 2 
Tues., Oct. 9       Pete Conolly      Interactivity Beyond the Mouse and Keyboard
EZIO demo         Follow and DestLoc

Thurs., Oct. 11   Critique Desert Project in progress


week 3 
Tues., Oct. 16    3D
lists   3D text    3D Primitives      
Assignment:  Create a 3D interactive poem.

Thurs., Oct. 18    Turn in Desert Project Final         Discuss Rokeby Article
3D from Maya    moving 3D    picking 3D     animating construction


week 4 
Tues., Oct. 23   Electronics and Sensors   Quick look at 3D poetry
Basic Electronics      Build sensors       EZIO Wiring Diagrams     EZIO Director Script


Thurs., Oct. 25  Electronics and Sensors
EZIO WIre Cross Example      EZIO audio and video wire cross examples
Assignment:  Create a simple interaction using Director, EZIO, and sensors or wire cross.
Due Tuesday.
Assignment: Read David Rokeby's article, Constructing Experience: Interface as Content: Download file or visit web http://www.interlog.com/~drokeby/experience.html


week 5
Tues., Oct. 30          15 minute presentation of final with visual support

Thurs., Nov. 1    15 minute presentation of final with visual support

week 6 
Tues., Nov. 6        Guest Lecture Bill Seaman


Thurs., Nov. 8    Critique Wire Cross assignment  
Electronics with Pete Conolly.       Mail Desert Project

week 7
Tues., Nov. 13     Discuss Rokeby    Individual Critiques  

Thurs., Nov. 15      Individual Critiques

week 8         
Tues., Nov. 20   Critique work in progress for the final project

Thurs., Nov. 22  Thanksgiving


week 9 
Tues., Nov. 27    Critique work in progress for the final project

Thurs., Nov. 29


week 10 
Tues., Dec. 6    Critique work in progress for the final project

Thurs., Dec. 8


week 11
Thurs., Dec. 13    Final  2 PM


Microphone Level as a  Sensor    Download Example microphone level
Grabbing Digital Video     Editing      Interactive Quicktime loops