Instructor  |  Heidi Wiren Bartlett  |  heidiwiren@cmu.edu

Instructor  |  Robert Zacharias  |  rzachari@andrew.cmu.edu

Units  |  10.0

Time  |  2:30 – 4:20 pm, Tues/Thurs

Location  |  Hunt Library A10

Lab Hours  |  4:20 – 5:20 pm, Tues/Thurs

Activating the Body: Physical Computing & Technology in Performance investigates thefundamentals of electronic computation through performative dialogue with human embodiment. In this course, students explore the body and technology as sculptural elements to be manipulated. The course examines the basis of analog and digital computation alongside contemporary, avant-garde, and traditional sculpture, installation, performance, dance, and theater. Students learn the fundamentals of electrical flow and construct functional embodied digital gates, as well as higher-level manipulations of sensors and actuators using the Arduino platform. Major themes in contemporary creative practice are addressed through readings, viewings, field trips, and the creation of original work. Students broaden and deepen conceptual skills and increase the scale, ambition, and finish of creative output. Throughout the semester students complete a series of quick thematic exercises and larger-scale projects; these works are reviewed through individual meetings, group critique, and documentation. The course includes exhibits of site-specific work on and off campus with the option to participate in an end of semester interdisciplinary collaborative event.