MAT 256 Visual Processes Through Algorithms
Explorations in Arts-Engineering Projects

Jerry Gibson ECE/MAT;
George Legrady MAT/Art

Salman Bakht

• A team-taught, project based course to foster interdisciplinary arts-engineering experimentation
• Emphasis of the course is to develop skills in interdisciplinary concept development, production, and problem-solving methodologies
• Students will work in small teams to develop experimental projects based on signal processing principles.

• Engineering approach normally driven by functionality
• This course: Begin with an understanding of an engineering principle, then proceed with creative exploration driven by the "play of the imagination"
• Familiarity with arts/architecture design process for conceptual innovation
• The intent is to arrive at exploratory and potentially engaging results: a new approach to research

• Lecture and lab attendance
• Complete readings as required
• 3 multimedia projects that explore mathematical visual processes, perception, and interactivity
• Projects to be documented online

• The Basic Visual Unit: The Pixel, the relationship of the pixel to its surround pixels: Randomness, Markov chains, etc.
• 2D Image Space in Time: Structure of the image, its sequence in time, Visual FFT
• 3D Space and Interaction: The imageÕs organization in space and time, enhanced through interaction.

• The topic
• The conceptual approach
• The development process
• The resultant structure/form
• The conceptual/content results

• Begin with engineering content covered in course.

• Define an inventory of components, or jumpstart with a particular focus.

• Begin with open ended approach: Let the data/concept/process reveal itself!
Explore components from unexpected perspectives.
• (Show list of possible approaches.)
• Anything goes: Consider errors, discarded solutions as resources.
• Do research while developing (who else has addressed the topic and how).
• Design prototype/model.
• Return to research/adjust, finetune, redesign.

• Modify elements, magnifiy, exaggerate, subtract,
• condense, understate, rearrange components,
• transpose, reverse opposites, backwards, inside/out,
• substitute, combine, blend, distort,
• assemble together components that do not normally go together

• Final design as a "work-in-progress"
• Bring closure through design finalization
• Creators describe and evaluate
• External evaluation:additional feedback (ideally outside evaluators at every step)

• Work-in-progress version presented to group for discussion
• Feedback from faculty and other students lead to team effort
• Cyclical feedback, redesign allow for cohesion and resolution

A History of the Studio-based Learning Model

Architecture
Anne-Marie Hansen
Sensing Speaking Space