ARE YOU ALREADY KILLING IT IN 2020?????
me neither lol! but I did come up with a really good sandwich recipe yesterday. I am already 1000% tired of people avowing to be harder/better/faster/stronger on social media because of the magical construct of a new calendar year (and decade). can we just admit that we are all kind of muddling along in a very muddy and difficult moment in time?
lately I have been journaling A Lot about how I feel tired of work, done with tech, pointless about design, etc. last year was a difficult mess of feeling very validated in my worst concerns about the industry. I don’t think the world needs another “wow Silicon Valley is gross!” essay, any more than we need another hot take on the Miami Basel banana, but I have been particularly disappointed by seeing people who should know better get caught up in the myth-making of “changing the world” and ultimately make it a nastier place. don’t you just want to opt out? but everyone still has bills to pay! Shakespeare got to get paid, son!
well, maybe we can carve out little spaces for community and thoughtful creation at least.
ok, now here’s a squirtle:
resource roundup!
art fair season is right around the corner, aka it’s a great time to sign up for TRANSFER’s tinyletter to stay up to date on their 2020 programming worldwide. if you can’t make it out to the artist salon below, you won’t want to miss out on their upcoming exhibitions for the year.
this thread from the STUDIO for Creative Inquiry‘s Golan Levin is a treasure trove of open source software development tools for the arts. bookmark it and take some time to find your OS inspiration for the new year! I already bookmarked this repo by L05 for multiplayer experiences in p5.js!
Three.js has a new release: r112! the update includes some new examples, including several for webxr. you can check out the whole changelog here, or you can just start playing with the examples!
here’s a list of 10 libraries for making your CSS animations next level. do you just need to make something shake in 11 different ways?? there’s a library for that! idk why you would but here you go! (tbh it is a bit spooky – maybe a nice little interactive effect for a haunted point and click adventure????)
here’s a fun talk from Angela Sheehan on her creative practice and how to get playful with your prototyping in your wearable projects:
I especially love “plan for your meltdowns,” and her pretty frank discussion of the emotional side of revisiting a project once the initial turmoil has passed.
Andrew ‘bunnie’ Huang has made his Essential Guide to Electronics in Shenzhen free to download, since it’s now out of print. the maps are out of date, but Huang has opened up the project to contributions from anyone who cares to update it or make a new derivative work. you can read a bit more and download a pdf here.
opportunities!
early program and scholarship applications for School of Machines, Making & Make-Believe are open! the programming for 2020 is a mix of one-, two-, and four-week programs all thoughtfully designed around prioritizing human experience in technology. you can learn to work with drones, make generative art, and more while supported by an amazing community. take some time this week to read more here and consider applying before January 26!
Stochastic Labs in SF is accepting applications for their residency program! residents receive a private apartment, dedicated work space, shop access, a $1k monthly stipend, and a budget for materials. damn! projects can be in any medium, though for profit ventures are preferred. you can learn more in their faq, and can apply here.
Espronceda in Barcelona has an open call for the development of VR, AR, and AI artistic projects! selected artists will spend 3 weeks in February working towards the creation of projects that will ultimately be presented at VHRHAM Festival in Hamburg in June. apply by January 10 to be considered! you can learn more here.
the Department of Art & Art History is seeking qualified candidates for a tenure-track position in Digital Media Art with an emphasis on Creative Coding/Web Based Media at San José State University! check out some recent student work here to get amped about the young artists you could be mentoring! you just gotta apply by 12 pm on January 9 to be considered for the position. you can learn more here.
this is for all u code poets out there: if ur new years resolution is to finally finish that book you’ve been tinkering with, brokenenglish.lol has an open call for books longer than 20 pages. it’s worth checking out their site for a vibe check, as well as their current roster of books. send an email to envia@brokenenglish.lol by January 23 to be considered.
do you have a fresh game ur ready to share with the world?? do u have a WIP game that u can get out the door by Feb 2? submit your works for the A MAZE. / Berlin 2020 festival! if you just wanna play some sweet games, you can also apply to become a member of the selection committee (and also get a 25% discount on festival tix if you review 5 or more games). you can learn more here.
FILE (Electronic Language International Festival) has an open call for its 2020 edition. artists and researchers can submit works into the categories of: Interactive Art, Digital Language, Electronic Sonority, Workshops, Symposium, and Led Show. the deadline is January 14, and you can learn more here.
El Centro de Cultura Digital in Mexico City just opened their call for workshop proposals for 2020. designers, artists, musicians, programmers, educators, developers, scientists, etc etc etc are invited to propose inclusive workshops of 6-12 hours that can serve their community. you can learn more & apply by January 6 here.
Theorizing the Web 2020 has opened their call for papers! this is their 10th anniversary, so they’re looking for a bit of a more retrospective approach. the submission deadline is January 19, and the event will take place from April 17-18 in NYC.
? upcoming events!
Thurs Jan 9! Babycastles! New York, NY USA: the CyPurr Collective is back with another SUPER FUN SOCIAL, a screening and discussion of Robocop. the screening will be subtitled in English, and the event is free to attend, tho any donations will help support the venue and the snack budget. you can learn more here.
Sun Jan 12! Brooklyn Public Library – Central Branch! Brooklyn, NY USA: did u no the Brooklyn Public Library holds free office hours every Sunday for coding help, for any programming language and any experience level? just show up with your laptop, hang out, and get pointed in the right direction if you’re struggling. sounds like a chill way to get out of the house and make some progress on that side project you’ve been neglecting. you can learn more here.
Tues Jan 14! Gray Area! San Francisco, CA USA: NEO.LIFE is having a celebration and Kickstarter launch party for the new book: Neo.Life: 25 Visions for the Future of Our Species. if you’re interested in biohacking/transhumanism/etc. learn more and get your tix here.
Jan 16 – 18! also Gray Area! San Francisco, CA USA: artist Refik Anadol is presenting two kinetic data sculptures, Bosphorus and Black Sea:
The artist uses the data that flows around us as his primary material, creating dynamic visualizations that dramatically rethink the physical world. Using high frequency radar collections of the Black Sea, both audiovisual works aim to highlight the symbiotic interplay of technology, art, and nature in relation to humanity’s quest to push the limits of possibility.
the preview photos look stunning! you can learn more and get tickets here. Gray Area is also having a live A/V show by Belief Defect on the Friday, and you can get tix for that here.
Sat Jan 18! SFPC! New York, NY USA: Society for Poetic Computation is hosting a one-day event on mathematics as a transcendent reflection of culture:
…several artists will show work on related themes, with the main program consisting of a sermon bringing together the above topics and more: model and metaphor; music and visual art; physics and divination; the infinitely large, the infinitely small, and what it means to live our values in the world…. be prepared to expand your conception of the significance of mathematics to many areas of your life.
sounds like an enlightening way to spend a Saturday. tix are available on Eventbrite.
Sun Jan 19! TRANSFER! Los Angeles, CA USA: TRANSFER will reopen with their current exhibition ‘Virtual Beings’ on the 4th, and will be holding a salon evening on the 19th with featured artists Stephanie Dinkins and Ryan Kuo in conversation with Nora Khan. you can RSVP for the event by emailing director@transfergallery.com. based on this Artsy writeup, the show alone is worth checking out, and the artist salon will be well worth your time.
just for lulz!
this thread of what happens when you make a printer public is surprisingly wholesome:
*~housekeeping~*
if you have anything in the works that you are excited about (an event, a workshop, a new project), please send me all the details. the next newsletter will cover the week of January 13 – 19, but I’m happy to promote events further in the future as well and keep them on the calendar.
