Project Development Studio: Physical Installations

Catalog description

This is an environment for students to work on their existing or new physical installation project ideas that may fall outside the topic areas of existing classes. This class fits the best for: students who want to further develop their projects from Intro to Physical Computing or other relevant courses; students who have a physical installation project that they are working on; and students who have vague ideas for a physical installation and want to shape it into a tangible project. This course is similar to a guided independent study with an instructor specialized in physical installations and peers who share common interests. We will meet weekly to share project development and exchange in-depth critique. Students must devise and then complete their own weekly assignments. The class will keep a collective online project journal to document the progress and feedback. Students will present to the class every few weeks. In some sessions, mini-workshops will be offered by the instructor, on topics that benefit physical installation projects, including ideation and planning methods, turning a prototype into a longer-term installation, and how to contextualize their projects for different audiences. When topics of general interest emerge, a relevant guest might be invited to the class. The rest of the meeting time is spent in breakout sessions with students working individually or in groups of students working on related projects.