Mechatronics
Description of Collaborative Research Focus Area:
Mechatronics is the functional integration of mechanical, electronic, and information technologies. In DANM this framework is employed for the development and production of physical, systems-based artwork that incorporates elements of robotics, motion control, software engineering, and hardware design. DANM Mechatronics research involves the use of a variety of media including video, performance, and sculpture, for the creation of complex, kinetic, audio-visual systems for the exploration of temporality, materiality, experience and perception.
Project Groups run Spring through Winter under DANM 250A-B-C.
Current Project Group in Progress (Spring 2007 - Winter 2008)
Project Name: OUTFIELD -- Call and Response: Hocketing for Physical Media
Video of Outfield Demo presentation, December, 2007
Project Group Members
- Faculty: Ed Osborn
- Students: Luke Bullock, Lea Cox, Chau-Marie Griffiths, Margaretha Haughwout, Brendan Salmond, Marc Sciglimpaglia
*Original Project Proposal:
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This project group is developing a series of interactive mechanical and electronic artworks that respond to site and to one another. Focusing on the principles of emergent behaviors as they are manifested in complex physical systems, the pieces taken together will form a responsive ecology constructed from electronic components and code.
Research into the conceptual framework for the pieces is conducted concurrently with their material development so that a focused and specific vocabulary of electronic art is absorbed as the pieces themselves are constructed. This research is being used to compile an openly available resource of information acquired while developing the pieces.
Upcoming Project Groups:
* Spring 2008 - Winter 2009: Methodologies in Bio-Art
Project Proposal:
The group will examine biology, environmentalism, genetic engineering, robotics, artificial life, genetic algorithms, and other synthetic biologies toward a critical and analysis of current issues and strategies in bio-art. The task is to examine concepts from biology and to use biological ideas, metaphors, and materials to create works of art. The project group will also examine the historical, social, and cultural relationship to biology, the natural world, and biotechnologies. Readings will include topics that reflect on history, environmentalism, and social and cultural criticism of bio-art and technologies toward examining ethics and social issues. Topics include an historical overview of human relationships to the natural world, criticism of contemporary technologies, environmental concerns, current strategies and works in bio-art, artists working in biotechnologies, the effects on communities, and ethical concerns in biotechnologies.
Students will develop projects as determined by the instructor with input from the group as a whole. These projects should engage in a discursive examination of biologically based technologies and social issues. Students will be encouraged to create work that brings about discussions of biotechnologies and/or community activism around environmental concerns.
The work of this group will be published on a website of the group’s design. This site will include theoretical discussions and information about projects being developed.
* Spring 2009 - Winter 2010: This group will be led by a visiting artist in residence to be announced.
Past Project Groups:
Spring 2006 - Winter 2007: Unnatural Selection
- Project Group Wiki Page Unnatural Selection is a group project of the Digital Art & New Media program at the University of California Santa Cruz to investigate and propose new roles for aesthetics in human relationships and the environment, be it man-made or natural.
Spring 2005 - Winter 2006: "Artparts" Project
Ed Osborn's group researches the best way to do and make various "tools" for DANM type projects. Currently the group is devoted to producing an online category of "useful to artistis" links. It is very much in beta:
People:
Spring 2005 - Winter 2006: Peter Elsea's Group
Peter's Group explores new relationships between image and sound. This includes techniques for deriving images from sound, sound from images, and generating both from a common source. Student work may include interactive installations, video projections, algorithmic composition, synthesis by sonification, interface design, web pages, laser shows and more. The culmination of our activities will be a performance (May 2006) and publication tools and techniques developed. People: Peter Elsea, [Daniel Massey, Darryl Ferrucci and leaf