This week was the first session of term 2, in which we discussed the notion of material semiotics.
At this current moment in time I am still debating what subject I intend to cover. I am interested in the history of computer animation and moving image, particularly the origins and history of vector graphics. In another module I have been producing experiments in Processing inspired by the work of John Whitney, an animator and inventor often regarded as the founder of computer graphics. A lot of his work was created using an oscilloscope, a device intended for viewing changes in voltage by displaying sine waves. Animations could be created on this device by adapting and modulating electronic waveforms. This process was used to create some of the first instances of computer animation and video games.
Another example of work created on an oscilloscope is the series ‘Electronic Abstraction’ by Ben F Lapowsky:
I am interested in looking at these early instances of computer animation and studying how the field has developed over time. I am also interested in researching innovations that are currently being made to develop this field. At the moment I am undecided where to take this idea - I am interested in the subject area, however I feel that in order for it to be an interesting research topic it should connect to a theory or relate to a contemporary theme. After a conversation with Mattia I decided to continue researching, as he suggested that a potential question could arise from studying the past.
This week we also discussed the theme of Material Semiotics and Writing Methodologies. We discussed different ways of approaching a concept and research, looking at this through a lens in order to form the structure of our final project. One of the topics addressed in the lecture was the idea of replacing facts with questions; this was also addressed in one of the example texts on discussing Material Semiotics. The subject of Computational Art is driven predominately by data - it is important to consider how we prepare it, and what data do we decide to keep or drop. We also discussed how an object or technology acquires meaning after a series of parameters have been put in place - an example of this can be seen with social media and digital technology, such as smartphones and wireless internet. In this instance, the technology only makes sense within a specific set of relationships between the user and the technology. This has also been a key element of politics over the last few years, particularly during the 2016 US election and the Trump administration.
Bibliography
http://dada.compart-bremen.de/item/artwork/215
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jIv-EcX9tUs&ab_channel=leuchtspurmedien