IMNK10 New Media Art Interpretation Tools I

Faculty of Arts
Autumn 2017
Extent and Intensity
2/0/0. 8 credit(s). Type of Completion: zk (examination).
Teacher(s)
doc. Mgr. Jana Horáková, Ph.D. (lecturer)
Mgr. Monika Szűcsová, Ph.D. (assistant)
Guaranteed by
doc. Mgr. Jana Horáková, Ph.D.
Department of Musicology – Faculty of Arts
Contact Person: Bc. Jitka Leflíková
Supplier department: Department of Musicology – Faculty of Arts
Timetable
Wed 14:10–15:45 N21
Course Enrolment Limitations
The course is also offered to the students of the fields other than those the course is directly associated with.
The capacity limit for the course is 150 student(s).
Current registration and enrolment status: enrolled: 0/150, only registered: 0/150, only registered with preference (fields directly associated with the programme): 0/150
fields of study / plans the course is directly associated with
Course objectives
The goal of the course is to provide students with knowledge, thinking strategies, and theoretical tools of new-media-work-of-art interpretation.
In the first semester we meet primarily with concepts that pertain to the current debate and practice of new media art under the names of software art and software studies (hereafter SWS). Under this heading we understand a set of texts, activities and creative practices that share approach to new media based on shifting the emphasis from the desktop computer screen towards the processes taking place in the background. In other words, software studies see new media primarily as programmable (and programming) media. Thus, their cultural function and meaning can not be explained on a basis of their comparison with modern media (print, photography, film).
A the end of the semester, students will be able to explain genealogy and main topics of software studies, to name characteristic features of software-work-of-art, and understand the emergence of software studies as an index of the new media studies development towards discussion of the appropriate research methods.
In the spring semester, we will focus on the mind and memory as widespread metaphors in the discourse of new media. We will place new media art in the context of postmodern and post media cultural practices (remake, remix, reenactment…).
Syllabus
  • Introductory lesson: introduction to the topic of the lecture, literature and the requirements for successful completion of the course.
  • . Software Studies: Introduction.
  • . Software definition and genealogy of software in terms of software studies.
  • . New media art work in terms of software studies.
  • . Software art.
  • . New media methodologies.
  • . In the fall semester there will be also invited scholars who will have lectures on new media methodology. They will familiarize students with different tools which can be used for exploration of properties and effects of new media.
Literature
  • CRAMER, Florian: Words Made Flash. Code, Culture, Imagination. http://www.netzliteratur.net/cramer/wordsmadefleshpdf.pdf
  • CRAMER, Florian – GABRIEL, Ulrike. Software Art. 2001. http://www.netzliteratur.net/cramer/software_art_-_transmediale.html
  • HORÁKOVÁ, Jana: K recepci informatiky v kontextu společenských věd: Obrat k softwaru. In Hana Klímová - Dana Kuželová - Jiří Šíma - Jiří Wiedermann - Stanislav Žák. Hovory s informatiky. 1. vyd. Praha: Ústav informatiky AV ČR, v.v.i., 2011, s. 117 – 135.
  • Software studies: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Software_studies
  • ARNS, Inke. Read_me, run_me, execute_me. Code as Executable Text: Software Art and its Focus on Program Code as Performative Text. in: Rudolf Frieling / Dieter Daniels (Hg.), Medien Kunst Netz 2: Thematische Schwerpunkte, Springer Wien/New York 2005, ISB
  • PHILIPSON, Graeme: A Short History of Software. 2004. http://www.thecorememory.com/SHOS.pdf
  • MARINO, Mark C. Critical Code Studies. 2006 On-Line: http://www.electronicbookreview.com/thread/electropoetics/codology
  • BOGOST, Ian – MONTFORT, Nick. Platform Studies. On-line: http://platformstudies.com/
  • Software studies: http://monoskop.org/Software_studies
  • MANOVICH, Lev. There is Only Software . 2008. http://www.manovich.net/DOCS/Manovich.there_is_only_software.pdf
  • CRAMER, Florian. Concepts, Notations, Software, Art. 2002. http://www.netzliteratur.net/cramer/concepts_notations_software_art.html
  • KITTLER, Friedrich. There is No Software. 1995. http://www.ctheory.net/articles.aspx?id=74
  • MANOVICH, Lev: Cultural Analytics. 2007. On-line: http://www.manovich.net/cultural_analytics.pdf http://lab.softwarestudies.com/2008/09/cultural-analytics.html
  • FULLER, Mathew (ed.): Software Studies \ a Lexicon. MIT Press: Cambridge – London, 2008. On-line: http://books.google.cz/books?id=LFJ3ashVBuIC&printsec=frontcover&dq=matthew+fuller+software+studies&source=bl&ots=G11k8H-xjX&sig=JjMOmCOih9eRqCvw2JFG3z4N
  • GORIUNOVA, Olga. Software Art. 2007. http://www.digitalartistshandbook.org/?q=book/export/html/26
  • WARDRIP-FRUIN, Noah. Expressive Processing. Digital Fiction, Computer Games, and Software Studies. Cambridge – London: MIT Press, 2009.
Teaching methods
Lectures, reading, presentations by professionals.
Assessment methods
Active participation in lectures, participation at presentations by professionals. Written test (50 points). For successful passing the test students have to get at least 25 points.
Language of instruction
Czech
Further comments (probably available only in Czech)
Study Materials
The course is taught annually.
The course is also listed under the following terms Autumn 2011, Autumn 2012, Autumn 2013, Autumn 2014, Autumn 2015, Autumn 2016, Autumn 2018, Autumn 2019, Autumn 2020, Autumn 2021.
  • Enrolment Statistics (Autumn 2017, recent)
  • Permalink: https://is.muni.cz/course/phil/autumn2017/IMNK10