Readymades

Wednesdays 3:20-5:50
Instructor: Gabe Barcia-Colombo
Gabebc@nyu.edu Office Hours

Course Description: This course is about taking old things and making them new. Loosely
based on the tradition of Marcel Duchamps Readymades, students will re-imagine old
technological devices and antiques as new media installations or art objects in the form of
scientific, ethnographic, artistic and historic relics. By embedding new technology (sensors,
microcontrollers and small projectors) into found objects, students will explore a combination of
anthropology and new-media storytelling. Can we create interactive art devices that tell a
human story? How do we maintain artistic control while building artwork that requires human
interaction? How can we reappropriate found objects in a meaningful way to create new-media
installations?

This is a production heavy four credit course taught in Max/Msp/Jitter and focused on making
museum ready interactive durable installations. Possible projects include: time traveling
typewriters, boomboxes from mars, ghost phones and musical bicycles. Pre-requisites include a
flair for the absurd, a critical eye...and soldering.

Grading is based on successful completion of all assignments, class journals, class participation
and attendance.
This syllabus will be updated weekly with links and notes.

https://itpreadymades.wordpress.com/
Class Notes
Max Patches
SensorBox
Bluefruit EZ-Link Resources
Arduino Code for Controlling Servo From Max/Msp
PowerSwitch Tail Arduino Tutorial
Building Scan

Week 1: Jan 25
Class introductions
Overview of Course
In teams of two create an assisted readymade, a surreal object created from found objects that
transforms or subverts the original use or intention of these found objects. Title your piece.
Assignment:
1) Create a Speculative Kit of Readymade objects for a specific situation
Example: Time Travelers Kit, Vegan Survival Kit, Desert Island Kit
Think about Richard Hamiltons T he Critic Laughs
 2) Read
http://www.theatlantic.com/technology/archive/2013/09/if-this-toaster-could-talk/279276/
3) Read Lich House by Warren Ellis

Week 2: Feb 1
Present assisted readymade advertisements.
Audio Readymades Lecture
Max/Msp and Some Audio
Ideation Session
Devices that make noise.

Assignment:
1) Find a pre-existing object and give it a personality using only sound as an output. Bring in
sketches or renderings of this object.
2) Program a max patch for your sound object using simple key presses or mouse clicks as
inputs and audio as an output

Week 3: Feb 8
Demonstration: Max MSP: Timing, Computer Inputs, Sound Outputs, Software Midi, MIDI
voices.
Critique: Audio object sketches
Assignment: Finish sound objects
Read: Digital Readymades

Week 4: Feb 15
Present Sound Objects
Assignment (Due week 7): Emotional objects.

Create a readymade that responds to a physical input with an emotional output. This emotional
output could be human, animal, robot or extra terrestrial and take the form of a physical
reaction, color, sound or light. The object itself cant be human or animal form.

Assignment for next week:

Week 5: Feb 22
Enchanted Objects
Serial Communication Pt 1: Sensor Inputs into Max
Assignment:
1) write a short story about your emotional output object (where did this object come from,
what is its backstory post the story to the class blog)
2) bring in design ideas, sensors to work in class
Week 6: March 1
Serial Communication Pt 2: Wireless with Bluetooth
In class lab time work on your emotional object.
Assignment: Continue working on Emotional Objects

Week 7: March 8
Present Emotional Objects

Week 8: March 22
Video Readymades
Bill Viola, Nam June Paik, Camille Utterback, The McCoys

Assignment: (Recommended Group project)

Create a readymade that combines a found object with video. The video should be
integrated into the object or controlled by the object so that it appears to be one piece. The
video can be performative, instructional, tell a story but do not simply project video on a wall
next to an object (unless this is for a specific purpose)
Due Week 11

Jitter and embedding Video into objects

Next week: Bring in video content to look at in class

Week 9: March 29

Small projectors, Small screens, Video Mapping. Building as canvas.

In class work on programmatic element of your piece
Assignment for next week: Bring in the interactive element of your video readymade

Week 10: April 5

Review video readymade interactive disasters.
Map a building
Assignment for next week: Fix your video readymade. It probably wasnt perfect this week.

Week 11: April 12

Present Video Readymades
Assignment: Create a final readymade, an installation that is museum quality.

Week 12: April 19

Workshop final projects

Week 13: April 26

Individual progress report meetings: Meet with me to discuss your final project
Week 14: May 3
Present Final Readymades