Utc2017

Unravel the Code VI - The Face Of Things

Hi! I'm Jon

The face is a valuable feature—in corporeal terms, but also as extracted data. In an age where facial recognition and machine learning are being designed into everyday objects, new forms of interactions are being written over our face. What will it mean when our ‘things’ begin to identify who we are, speculate on how we are feeling, what we desire, and grant or deny access based on what face that we present? Could these developments lead to a more compelling way to craft materials, objects, or environments with empathy? Or will we face a discord when our hybrid things only magnify existing patterns of bias?

On the Face of Things is the 6th Unravel the Code International Workshop where Unravel the Code students of the Maryland Institute College of Art meet face to face with Digital Craft students of the Willem De Kooning Academy in Rotterdam. Through a three day exchange and 12 hour prototyping marathon, the students craft ideas and make materials that interface with the face.

About the Collaborating Progams

MICA http://unrvl.net

WDKA Digital Craft

Participating Students

MICA Students

• Chase - cbody@mica.edu
• Claire - ccho02@mica.edu
• Jihae - jchoe@mica.edu
• Wan-Ting - wkao@mica.edu
• Stefon - skelly05@mica.edu
• Catherine - ckhamnouane@mica.edu
• So-Hee - skim17@mica.edu
• Jenna Lane - jklein01@mica.edu
• Dione - dlee04@mica.edu
• Yunzi - yliu03@mica.edu
• Emary - eparisi@mica.edu
• Rachel - rrusk@mica.edu
• Durba - dsamanta@mica.edu
• Puti Nilam - nsari@mica.edu
• Sydney - ssiehtakata@mica.edu
• Daniel - dspurgin@mica.edu
• Luying - lxu01@mica.edu
• Huijun - hzhu02@mica.edu
• Miles - mbarnett01@mica.edu
• Taylor - tpestorius@mica.edu
• Margeaux - mabeyta@mica.edu

WDKA Minor Digital Craft

• Kenah - 0851671@hr.nl
• Jeroen - 0873511@hr.nl
• Philip - 0888689@hr.nl
• Jeanine - 0889920@hr.nl
• Jochem - 0891362@hr.nl
• Suzanne - 0891866@hr.nl
• Tim - 0891980@hr.nl
• Sanne - 0894723@hr.nl
• Timoteo - timoteocarbone@gmail.com
• Vera - 0901062@hr.nl
• Alexander - 0901319@hr.nl
• Tharim - 0901344@hr.nl

WDKA 3rd Year Digital Craft

• Emiel - 0850367@hr.nl
• Chiara - 0883941@hr.nl
• Laura - 0889852@hr.nl
• Pepijn - 0894710@hr.nl
• Stephanie - 0900998@hr.nl
• Mans - 0901281@hr.nl
• Sjoerd - 0902887@hr.nl
• Koen - 0910747@hr.nl
• Tom - 0912919@hr.nl
• Thijs - 0917912@hr.nl
• Nomi - 0919394@hr.nl
• Dieke - 0919883@hr.nl
• Marielle - 0919897@hr.nl
• Tutu - 0921248@hr.nl
• Daniela -0925857@hr.nl
• Emanuela - 0956193@hr.nl

Participating Faculty

MICA

1. Alan Grover, awgrover@msen.com, technical assistant volunteer
2. Ryan Hoover, rhoover@mica.edu, instructor
3. Annet Couwenberg, acouwenb@mica.edu, instructor

WDKA

1. Tim Knapen, tim@indianen.be, digital craft practice mentor
2. Jon Stam, jon@commonplace.nl, digital craft research mentor
3. ....the rest to be confirmed

Workshop Projects

Group 1 - Anthropomaterials

What if a crafted material could show its true face and react in reciprocity to yours? This group of students explore how to animate the inanimate and how materials might move to human emotions.

Participants

MICA Students (sign up below)

1. Claire Cho

2. Nilam Sari

3. Durba Samanta

4. Rachel Rusk

5.

6.

WDKA Students (sign up below)

1.

2.

3.

4.

5.

6.

Group 2 - Keeping Up Appearances

What if materials and objects impose social standards from their users? This set of students explore the issues of presentation culture in a world of pre-programmed interactions.

Participants

MICA Students (sign up below)

1. Jenna Klein

2. Dione Lee

3. Daniel Spurgin

4. Sydney Sieh-Takata

5.

6.

WDKA Students (sign up below)

1.

2.

3.

4.

5.

6.

Group 3 - Discriminant by Nature

What would it mean if more things could accept or reject you based on the image it sees. This group of students explore recognition from the object’s point of view.

Participants

MICA Students (sign up below)

1. Wan Ting Kao

2. Huijun Cynthia Zhu

3.

4.

5.

6.

WDKA Students (sign up below)

1.

2.

3.

4.

5.

6.

Group 4 - It’s Complicated

What if you and your objects formed deeper relationships by learning how to deal with each other? This group of students explore the concept of user unfriendly human computer interaction.

MICA Students (sign up below)

1. Chase Body

2.

3. Taylor Pestorius

4.

5.

6.

WDKA Students (sign up below)

1.

2.

3.

4.

5.

6.

Schedule (Fully defined on 5/10)

Awkward FaceTime

5/10 - 11/10	Bits of Rotterdam - bits of Baltimore - through the magic of the internet
time and date student arranged	MICA and WDKA minor students try to sustain a 5 min awkward conversation, knowing that it will make the week much smoother knowing at least one partner student on a face to face basis. See below for pairing. There is a strict format for this talk, which can be found below.

FaceTime Format

To identify your FaceTime partner, please sign up for one of the four projects (as participant 1-6) and contact the corresponding student (i.e if your #1 in Its Complicated on the MICA list, find out who is #1 on the Its Complicated WDKA list. (I know, its a bit complicated).

MICA and Digital Craft Minor students plan a 5 min Skype/Hangout/Facetime meeting to discuss the following:

1. share a love/hate about your current program (of course no bad talking about UTC ;)
2. share an anecdote on radio (your secret extra-sensory electromagnetic perception, what the car radio's double function was when you four, or the time killed it on NPR's sunday puzzle)
3. share a memorable photograph of your past that fits under the title “ the moment I knew what I wanted to do”.

The purpose of this pre-meeting is to have the first exchange to be on a peer to peer basis and break the ice before the marathon begins.

Hamstéééééren. Gewon bij Albert Heijn

Monday 23/10	Markthal Entrance (R'Dam Blaak Station)

Meet, Greet, Show, Tell

Tuesday 24/10	Interaction Station

The Face of Things Marathon

Wednesday 25/10	Interaction Station

Exhibit and Document

Thursday 26/10	Blaak 10 Foyer & Basement Exhibition Space
9:00 – 11:00	Photo/video documentations of results
11:00 – 12:00	Walk through of results to WDKA managers/coodinators

Documentation

PLEASE WILL ME WITH IMAGES!