I used to be resistant to the idea of coding. It wasn’t just fear that I couldn’t do it, though that was part of it; it was also the sense that I wouldn’t be able to get to the actual art and music making if I got too involved in programming. And, actually, that bit can be true. But a group of pioneers, working on projects like Processing, OpenFrameworks, and other intelligent development frameworks, has been working really hard to make code an elegant an expressive tool rather than a hindrance. Processing has reached widespread popularity because it does this really, really well — even if you’ve never programmed before.

I’ll be teaching a three-part class on Processing at Harvestworks in New York next month. If you’re in the area, there should still be openings if you’d like to sign up (and if you’re enrolled, feel free to holler hi here — if I hear from you in advance, I can help tailor the course to your needs).

For intermediate digital artists, even those who have never coded before, we will introduce techniques in Processing. Processing is an elegant, high-level, Java-based tool designed to make coding friendly to artists. We will learn how to create generative art in just a few lines of code, building interactive works in minutes. We’ll also look at some of the deeper possibilities for manipulating data, video, images, sound, and MIDI and other I/O. The emphasis will be on basic sketches that help introduce fundamental coding skills.

Wednesdays, March 5, 12 and 19, 6:30 – 9:30pm
$325/$385

Class page / signup @ Harvestworks

The class will specifically focus on how to make video, 3D visuals, MIDI, and sound work for performance. Making Processing a performance tool definitely involves some particular skills. But I’ll also use this as an opportunity to teach very basic coding techniques so that unfamiliar programming topics can immediately generate something on the screen or some sound, since that’s part of the appeal of the whole tool.

But what if you’re not in New York?

We’ll soon have CDM Labs up, which will include examples from the team at CDM, plus other stuff from around the Web, not only in Processing but related tools, as well. I’ll use this as a playground for the course, so what I share with them, I can share with you. And, honestly, we hope this will help discipline us here to keep coding and keep documenting. More on that soon.

I’m also hoping to refine this course into something that can be offered elsewhere; if you’re interested, get in touch.

More on Processing:

Random sketchbook of mine, the kind of stuff you can put together in minutes

Flickr Processing pool

Processing videos on Vimeo

Processing tag on Create Digital Motion

Official Processing exhibition page

I was about to post about Daniel Shiffman’s new MPE (Most Pixels Ever) Library, when what should appear in my Processing Blogs subscription, but an extended video showing more of the ITP lab, and The Shiff (first ever rockstar processing nickname? I hope so) himself talking about the project.

Preface: If you love Processing - as we do here at CDMo - then you should already be subscribed to ProcessingBlogs, and have probably already seen this. However it’s too cool not to add to our Processing.org tag page. Hence this post.

“Most Pixels Ever” (not to be confused with “Best Pixels Ever”) is an open source Java framework for spanning real-time graphics applets/applications across multiple screens. The above video is a quick demonstration of the first prototype. Three client applications on three Mac Pros connect to six 32 inch LCD displays (each Mac has a dual video card, but this could just have easily work with 6 client machines). One of the Macs is also running a server application. The server tells each client about the master pixel dimensions of all the screens combined (here 8160×768). The client keeps track of its own location dimensions (say 2720×768) as well as its location with in master dimensions (say 5040,0). The server keeps everyone in line, making sure that frames are rendered in sync.

We’ve had a couple of people in the CDM Forums asking about multi-screen projections and video installations. It’s a logical progression for advanced projects - there aren’t many things which won’t look considerably more awesome if spread over multiple screens - but hasn’t really been an option thus far in Processing, unless you were to go the hardware multiple-monitor route.

To the video: Tech Trek: Inside ITP (episode 2) (3 minutes).
Via ProcessingBlogs.

3rd Ward, the workspace/studio/gallery in Brooklyn where I’ll be giving a class on interactive Mac design later this month, is offering a discount code for Create Digital Motion readers, if you happen to be here in the New York area:

Enter code PK0806 to receive a 10% discount on a 3-month trial membership or 1 free workshop at 3rd Ward.

3rd Ward is a 20,000 sq. ft. workspace and studio facility for artists & creative professionals, located in East Williamsburg.

Our facility was formed based on the needs of contemporary artists and creatives whose work is often multidisciplinary. 3rd Ward is an über-studio environment that is cost-effective and provides open-source access to space, facilities, and equipment while still addressing personal and private work needs.

Not sure what an über-studio is, but the space is really lovely; I wish I had a membership there! (See facilities info) You’ll also get access to their digital lab for free (with a membership, or without a membership for free while you’re enrolled in the class).

I’ll be teaching a new course, based on Mac interactive tech and featuring Apple’s free developer tool Quartz Composer, at the new 3rd Ward space in Brooklyn (East Williamsburg aka Bushwick). 3rd Ward is an enormous “workspace and studio facility for artists & creative professionals”: think the artist equivalent of a gym membership plus enormous studio and fabrication space of a scale we rarely see in New York.

The idea of the course is to offer artists a solid grounding in interactive design and responsive visuals and projection, even for those who have no previous experience. My belief is that artists from traditional media often get denied the opportunity to experiment with new technologies, leaving them instead for the “digital people.” So, I’ve also chosen to teach free tools, which make for an easier investment, and also don’t require you to make a commitment early on to a single tool that might not be best for you. You can also expect lots of hands-on experimentation with visuals, video, projectors, sensors, and sound inputs, because that’s the kinda person I am and 3rd Ward actually has space!

If you or anyone you know in the New York area is thinking of registering, feel free to get in touch. But don’t fret if not: I want to give something back to the awesome Quartz Composer and Mac community, so I’ll be posting examples and class notes here on Create Digital Motion to share with everyone and get feedback.

Elements of Interactive Art: A Creative, Mac-Based Introduction
Instructor: Peter Kirn
Location: Digital Media Lab
Tuesdays and Thursdays - August 24 through September 12
Time: 7p-9p
$390 members/$485 non-members
Register / more information via the Digital Media classes page at 3rd Ward

Updated: In cooperation with 3rd Ward, I’m able to offer a discount: Workshop and Studio Discount in Brooklyn for Create Digital Motion Readers