Moist Media III: Life Spectrum

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Roy Ascott Studio, School of New Media Art, Shanghai Institute of Visual Arts
Frank Cong
Spring 2021 - 2023
D30120066.01
4 hours / week, 9 weeks / semester
12F Moist Media Lab, DeTao Masters Academy
Moist Media I & II; Cybernetics I, II, III, IV & V
Tuesday, 13:00 - 17:00 (CST), by appointment
3rd/4th Year BFA

Course Overview

Moist Media III: Life Spectrum is the final course of Moist Media series designed by Frank Cong. Integrating the characteristics of life and ethical implications of biotechnology and bioart explored in the previous courses, Moist Media III: Life Spectrum examines how the notion of life is being challenged by digital technology, biotechnology, the Internet, and media culture.

Through lectures and readings, students are introduced to unconventional forms of life: 1) the simulative (e.g., Conway’s Game of Life), 2) the semi-living (e.g., the TC&A project), and 3) the synthetic (e.g., Grow Your Own … exhibition). The course also places an emphasis on practice. Due to the COVID restriction, students registered in the 2021 – 2022 spring unit will be guided through computational experiments in swarm behavior, fractal visuals, cellular automata, evolving computing, etc. The course encourages students to research a potential life form on the spectrum of life through media arts and design practices, echoing James Gimzewski’s (2009) appeal for media arts as a new approach to investigate across culture and technology: “At IMeRA, I would engage on new approaches to the dealing with change in Culture and technology from the driving level of nanoscience and media arts. Both of these are concerned with new forms of communication in hardware and education cognizant of local culture, virtual communities and neural networks.” The final submission includes a collaborative project from each student group and an individual research journal from each group member.

Learning Objectives

Know key bioart and biotechnology practices that bring about new forms of life
Understand concepts of swarm behavior, fractals, cellular automata, and evolving computing
Learn generative techniques to explore artificial life systems
Develop theoretical and hands-on practice related to project conceptualization, research, and development methods

Syllabus

Week 1: Introduction to Moist Media III: Life Spectrum

Course overview and goals
Introduction to key concepts
Introducing course readings and resources

Week 2: The Simulative 1

Paradigms to understand life
From mimicry to simulation: Clockwork and mechanical automata
Alife and Alife art
Case studies and examples

Week 3: The Simulative 2

Introduction to Alife models
Cellular automaton, swarm behavior, and evolutionary computation
Hands-on workshop: Game of life using GLSL in TouchDesigner
Comparison: Alife vs AI

Week 4: The Simulative 3

Studio day: microscopy and computer vision
Introduction to research methodology

Week 5: The Semi-living 1

Introduction to Tissue Culture & Art Project and SymbioticA
Discussion: Living vs Non-living
Guest Talk on SymbioticA research center
Discussion: Techno-scientific body

Week 6: The Semi-living 2

Studio day
Group A: Plant tissue culture
Group B: Winograsky column
DIY lab kit (incubator, microscope, etc.) resources

Week 7: The Synthetic 1

Introduction to Craig Venter’s synthetic life
Case studies: Grow Your Own and Other Exhibitions
Definition and history of synthetic forms of life
Ethical considerations surrounding synthetic life

Week 8: The Synthetic 2

Guest talk on iGem
Case studies: Genesis and GFP Bunny by Eduardo Kac
Reading discussion: Art that Looks You in the Eye: Hybrids, Clones, Mutants, Synthetics, and Transgenics(2007, Kac)

Week 9: Group Project Planning