nmsa 210  |  spring 2025
thursdays from 12:30-6:15pm
d1390 (classroom) / d1347 (wip lab) / b4115 (computer lab)
peter bussigel [ pbussigel@ecuad.ca ]
office hours on Wednesdays 12-4pm (in-person C1364)

 

overview

This is an introduction to working with media and sound that focuses on the relationships between electronic/digital technologies and the material world. The course is structured into four project modules that each include technical workshops along with readings, discussions, and examples that provide critical and historical context. The output of each module is an experiment that is flexible and expandable, allowing for a range of expressive possibilities. In addition to our creative projects, we will use our time together to think about making art in our increasingly mediated culture.

 

learning outcomes

• a hands-on, practical understanding of digital fabrication, interactive systems, and basic electronics.
• experience working with real-time sound and video processes focusing on performance, sculpture, and installation contexts.
• a set of experiments that combine your own interests with the potentials of electronics and digital technologies.
• development of critical and generative lenses for exploring the relationship between the digital and physical world.

 

structure

Each Thursday we will meet from 12:30 – 6:15, with a couple of breaks.

We’ll start at 12:30 with 30 minutes of “open projector” time, an open format warm-up chat about anything related to course themes. Then we’ll move to a discussion of the weekly materials and I’ll introduce the workshop for the day and talk through what we’ll be doing in the afternoon sessions. We’ll usually take our first 30m break around 2pm.

Later on Thursdays, we will meet for workshops in the WIP Lab (Wearables + Interactive Projects Lab), the digital fabrication lab, or our computer lab (B4115). If necessary, the class will be divided into 2 sections and each section will have a lab time. We’ll usually take another break around 4pm.

The last part of class is open studio time for working on projects and asking questions.

weekly materials

This course website will be home for all of our course materials. The dates listed on the left correspond to our class meetings. Each week there will be a set of materials to engage with before our class session. Materials might be short readings, links, tutorials, and/or examples (videos, sounds, documentation, etc). By Wednesday at midnight, add questions, thoughts, and comments for discussion at the bottom of the week’s page. I expect that the weekly materials, including comments, will take around 1-2 hours each week.

max/msp

I will teach a few short Max/MSP workshops throughout the term. Max/MSP/Jitter (Max for short) is a visual programming environment. The makers of Max say that, “Max is an infinitely flexible space to create your own interactive software”. Max is a widely used development platform within the sound, interactive visuals, and creative coding communities. It is a powerful and relatively easy to use platform with lots of resources and a large support community.

This is not a course in Max/MSP, but we’ll use Max to introduce programming and interactive art concepts. The final experiment is open ended, and a chance to use Max in your own creative work. Max is not a free program, but there is a 30 day free trial. I recommend that you download the free trial and then either purchase the academic 1 year subscription ($59) or pay per month ($11 per month) for the duration of this course. If you don’t download and install Max on your computer, plan on using it in any of the mac computer labs. If you have the full studio version of Ableton Live, you might already own Max.

modules and experiments

There will be 4 project modules for this course. Each module loosely corresponds with the weekly materials, which provide some context for the techniques described in the module. Each module also includes a creative experiment. For more information on the experiments, click “experiments” in the menu above.

 

assessment

attendance & participation (44 points)

Each week, you receive 4 points for being present, on-time, prepared, and engaged during our sessions, for a total of 4×11=44 points. Participation includes engagement in weekly discussions and online comments if required. If you spend time on the weekly materials, add thoughtful comments and/or questions on the course website, and are an active participant in class discussions, you will earn 4 points each week. If you really hate talking in class, let me know and work to contribute more to the course feed and the weekly online discussion.

Texting, talking over people, being disrespectful, demonstrative negativity, and a clear lack of engagement will affect your participation grade. Note that missing more than 3 classes will result in a failing grade. That said, I know life is unpredictable so if you’re missing classes, let me know what is going on and we can usually work out a way of completing the course — just don’t disappear!

module experiments (4 x 12 = 48 points)

There are four experiments/projects throughout the term. Some experiments have a couple of steps, but each is worth a total of 12 points. See the “projects” tab above for detailed information and framing about each of the projects, including practical steps and things to consider. If you have questions about a project or how it will be graded, let me know!

portfolio / reflection (10 points)

Documentation is a complicated but important part of new media and sound art practices. As you work, record notes & media, and use whatever documentation methods seem appropriate to reflect on your process. At the end of the semester, submit your documentation as a pdf with links to other media (if applicable). The final documentation / reflection should include images (if possible) with a brief statement about each of your experiments, links to documentation media, and a general reflection. Your documentation pdf should be about 3-5 pages and is due by April 20th. If you spend 30 minutes each week documenting and reflecting on your process, this portfolio and reflection will not be difficult at all. This is not busy work — it is important to learn to document your work, even if you don’t share your documentation publicly. I can show you good examples of portfolio / reflections if that would be helpful.

land acknowledgement (4 points)

I believe land acknowledgements are most effective as living breathing documents. In an attempt to keep these considerations in our minds and work, you can receive 4 extra points for contributing to our course land acknowledgement. Your contribution can be a few paragraphs of reflection or links to other resources with a bit of framing/context.

grading (106 total points)

You can earn a total of 106 points in this course, meaning you can potentially miss a couple of days, or even skip an experiment without it having a disastrous effect on your grade.I will be following the grading scale set by ECU, which is not a standard translation between letter grade and grade point average. It is somewhat confusing that Emily Carr defines an A is a 4.0 and an A+ is a 4.33. In this class, grades above the maximum 4.0 represent engagement above and beyond the expectations of the course. This often looks like students organizing events and work sessions outside of class time and spending consistent and considerable time engaging in other students’ learning. In this course, an A is the top grade and an A+ is rare and relates to extraordinary student labor in support of their classmates. Please feel free to ask if you have any questions about these grading policies.

Note that all Emily Carr policies still apply. With this stated, I know life is complicated and unpredictable. We are living through horrific world events, many of you have jobs in addition to school, and our attention is actively being pulled in so many directions. If you miss classes, let me know what is going on and we can usually work out a way for you to complete the course — just don’t disappear.

 

accessibility & learning environment

I am committed to making course materials and assignments as accessible as possible. If you have specific concerns or needs regarding course materials or assignments, please reach out to me at any point during the semester.

Additionally, in order to facilitate the learning of all students, we will not tolerate discrimination based on race, gender, sexual orientation, class, age, or ability. I recognize that we are all learning and will make mistakes. If you make a mistake and say something that offends another student, please do not get defensive if you are corrected. If I make a mistake, please tell me so that I can address it. We are all learning and discomfort at the gaps in our knowledge and our lack of insight into others’ experiences will at times be part of that. What should not be part of learning is producing, advancing, or tolerating harmful biases, stereotypes, or assumptions about each other.

acknowledgements

I would like to acknowledge that the land on which we gather is the unceded territory of the Coast Salish peoples, including the territories of the Musqueam, Squamish, and Tsleil-Waututh Nations. It is with gratitude that I am here as a visitor on these traditional territories, where we live and on which our work is based.

I choose to participate in an institution understanding that the institution is not divisible from the wider world, that the classroom is not merely a place to acquire skills but a place to model values, learn behaviours that allow us to become better artists, better students, better educators, and better humans.

I support the anti-racist and anti-oppression work being done by people both inside and outside of this university, and I will work to resist the exclusion and gate-keeping that is common in sound and media arts communities.

technology

This course engages with electronic and digital media and while our latest electronic and digital tools provide access to seemingly infinite potential, they can also overwhelm and distract from making meaningful work. Attend to the feedback loops between tools and ideas. Consider the ways in which the techniques you employ affect the work you produce.

Some of us enter with lots of experience with sound and/or technology, and for some of us this is very new. You are welcome and encouraged to assist your fellow classmates, but first ask if they want your help. Everyone learns differently, try not to make assumptions about your peers.

“Cybernated art is very important, but art for cybernated life is more important, and the latter need not be cybernated.”
~ Nam June Paik

 

schedule overview

The official schedule is listed on the left.

This is a new course format. Expect the schedule to shift a bit as we move through the semester. I will not make substantial changes to the upcoming week’s session/page without notifying the class. Any changes will be for clarification or to reduce the materials for the week. If I add anything within the week of a session, it will be listed as recommended and will not be required.