Exit Ticket Responses for 1-14

Responses to the 1/14 Exit Ticket

Course logistics

  • Can we collaborate with people outside of the class? If you mean that you want to submit a collaborative project, which your collaborator is submitting as coursework to another class, this is prohibited in the Syllabus. If you want to request an exception, talk to us, and talk to us early.
  • Will there be deadlines to show works-in-progress? All of the large projects will have check-in dates for showing work-in-progress. Please take these intermediate deadlines seriously so that you’ll have time to meaningfully incorporate the feedback you receive.
  • Is there a deliverable every class? You should be prepared to fulfill small requests for every class. It’s not the case that there will always be a reading-response, though.
  • Will there be external reviewers for all the projects?  Since we have so few major projects (just three), the process of getting and providing feedback is something we’ll take particularly seriously. You will receive feedback (in various forms) from the professors, external reviewers, and each other. Possible external reviewers may include professors Katie Hubbard, Larry Shea, and Charlie White.
  • Will we be learning how to use all the devices in class workshops, or will we be individually learning based on what tools we want to use? We cannot possibly cover all of the various capture devices in workshops—both because we don’t have enough work sessions, and because we’re bottlenecked by the availability of hardware (i.e. having only one X). You’ll definitely get exposed to a few key tools in workshops. When it’s time for you to work on your main projects, we’ll guide you to various solutions individually according to your concepts and interests.
  • Are we allowed to use the scanning electron microscope for our own projects, or is our access limited to a one-time experience? Our expectation is that one or two students could decide to pursue this opportunity further, and we would definitely support that. The purpose of this course is to open doors.
  • I’m interested in using the studio’s X for experimental capture; I was wondering what’s the best way to get trained on that piece of equipment? While it’s possible we might do a workshop on this, but it’s totally understandable that you might want to learn how to use it for an assignment that’s due before that workshop happens. Speak with us individually; we are here to support this.
  • Is it ok to use these projects for BXA capstone if I can figure out how? Certainly. But we cannot alter our schedule of deadlines to accommodate that.
  • Will there be night work sessions? Yes, there will be some optional evening work sessions, occasionally or possibly with food provided. Check your email and/or the course calendar for details about this.

Course content

  • Here’s another ‘assumption’ for your list: Is it possible for there to be multiple (collaborating) photographers of a single image? Thanks! We’ll see examples of this too.
  • How does an orthographic camera defy conic perspective? Read up about telecentric lenses.
  • When you say the methods of capture in this course will primarily be visual, is that referring to the data that is being captured, or how it is presented? Both-ish, but note, the emphasis is on “primarily”. We’ll definitely cover some other modalities of input and/or output, and you should feel free to explore these. The lecture on 1/16 may help answer this.

I feel anxious about my preparation

  • What if we lack knowledge about how a camera actually works? We’ll get into this, but thanks for prompting us to make a refresher.
  • What’s a good starting point to learn coding basics for this class (besides “fake it ’til you make it”)? Absolutely: Dan Shiffman’s Coding Train.
  • Today’s class felt overwhelming for someone who has minimal experience. How should I proceed in the course without feeling like there’s this looming out-of-reach skill set? If we enrolled you in the course, which we did, it is because we felt 100% confident that you have the required skills to do good work.

The ethics of capture

  • Are you allowed to take pictures of strangers without their permission? It seems like that might be against some rules. This is a complex topic. The answer is, it depends. We will discuss this more.
  • What would you say are the outer scopes of this class? We’re not sure if this is a question about  technology or ethics. Technologically speaking, we aim for you to conduct research and make discoveries at the furthest limits of what is accessible to us: at this university, we are surrounded by wondrous devices for understanding the world in new ways. Like any other artist, you are either limited by your budget (you can’t afford an X device)… or your ability to charm your way into someone letting you use their X device. Ethically speaking — and since we may not have clarified this elsewhere: you are prohibited from capturing and/or publishing nude images of someone without their written permission (e.g., upskirts), and you are prohibited from conducting experiments that could reasonably be surmised to put yourself or someone else in mortal danger (e.g., selfie accidents). This list is not comprehensive. Use good sense and don’t be a creep. 
  • What are some projects that explore the assumptions and implicit power dynamics in the act of capture? Specifically, I wonder about the idea that the ability to capture gives the bearer a power through knowledge. When we know about something, a possibility of instrumentalizing that understanding can emerge (for example, police data or other gov’t data disproportionately affecting the poor). This is a great question, thanks for your guidance. We understand what you’re asking and will work to incorporate such considerations of ethics and power into our lectures.

Other

  • If people laid eggs how would we feel about other eggs? Probably the way I feel about other people’s children.