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School of Art and Design · ANU College of Arts and Social Sciences
Contemporary life is increasingly shaped by algorithmic systems and complex social, cultural and political networks. At the same time, we depend on natural systems whose complexity is difficult to grasp, and whose integrity is under threat. In this course, we explore generative systems and automation in both natural and technological contexts. From algorithmic platforms and AI, to fermentation, mycelium and biological networks, students will examine the concepts, practices and materiality of generative systems through creative projects. By critically, ethically and reflexively intervening in environmental and technological contexts, probing contemporary forms of automation and generative systems, students will develop a deeper understanding of what automation means for practice in the visual arts and design, and how to critically engage with these systems.
Research assessment (approximately 1000 words)
Learning outcomes 1, 3
Experiment documentation (video, photography, text)
Learning outcomes 1, 2, 3
Major project and rationale (Rationale approximately 1000 words)
Learning outcomes 1, 2, 3, 4
130 hours of total student learning time made up from: a) 36 hours of contact comprising lectures, tutorials / workshops. b) 94 hours of independent student research, reading and writing. Other Information Students should bring their own laptop for this course.
Not applicable Preliminary Reading Morris, Robert. "Some Notes on the Phenomenology of Making", Continuous Project Altered Daily: The Writings of Robert Morris. New York, N.Y: MIT Press, 1993. Steyerl, Hito, and Kate Crawford. “Data Streams.” The New Inquiry (blog), January 23, 2017. https://thenewinquiry.com/data-streams/. Stiegler, Bernard. Automatic Society. Malden, MA: Polity Press, 2016. Metahaven. The Sprawl, 2015 Hartmut Bohnacker, Generative Design : Visualize, Program, and Create with Processing. Princeton Architectural Press, 2010. Luna Maurer, Edo Paulus, Jonathan Puckey and Roel Wouters, Conditional Design Manifesto. https://conditionaldesign.org/manifesto/ Mitchell Whitelaw, “Space filling And Self-Constraint: Critical Case Studies in Generative Geometry.” Architectural Theory Review, 15(2), pp.157–165. Cantrell B, Martin LJ, Ellis EC. Designing Autonomy: Opportunities for New Wildness in the Anthropocene. Trends Ecol Evol. 2017 Mar;32(3):156-166. doi: 10.1016/j.tree.2016.12.004. Epub 2017 Jan 18. PMID: 28108135. https://www.cell.com/trends/ecology-evolution/fulltext/S0169-5347(16)30237-3 Andrew Adamanzky - Physarum Machines: Computers from Slime Mould, 2010 James Bridle – ‘Ways of Being: Animals, Plants, Machines: The Search for a Planetary Intelligence’ 2023