Utc2018

Unravel the Code VII - Anecdata

The plural of anecdote may not be not data, but that won’t stop a group of 30 psudoscientific-superstars from turning hasty generalisations into physical, dynamic, and joyful spectacles. Far from spreading misinformation or working under the pretence of ‘big data’, this workshop focuses on the positive value of Anecdotal Data. By appropriating standard formats of information display, the challenge is to quantify and physicalise fuzzy, fragmentary, or borderline arbitrary bits of information into powerful storytelling.

After 6 successful editions, which brought topics such as unraveling the contemporary relevance radio, crafting magnetic core memory, and matching machine learning with facial recognition technologies, The 7th International Unravel The Code embraces Anecdata. The workshop brings together Master and Bachelor students from Maryland Institute College of Art (Baltimore) and Willem de Kooning Academy / Piet Zwart Institute (Rotterdam), for three days of tall tales, soft data, hardcore fabrication. The three day workshop consists of: one evening of meeting, greeting, and eating; one day of technical workshops; and one intense12 hour prototyping session that turns collaborative ideas into tangible results.

The students will be divided over three projects:

1 A Yarn or Two to Tell - participants will explore thread as dynamic data transmitters while trying to find the red line in their collaborative project.

2 Anecdotal Data Doodles - participants will hack/build drawing machines while trying draw conclusions on what kind of collaborative drawings to draw.

3 Mo-Cap Boogie-Woogie - participants will…well….figure out how to make a something meaningful with data coming from a motion capture suit, and if all in vain, simply boogie-woogie with a motion capture suit.

The goal of Unravel The Code is to facilitate exchange between international students interested in both traditional and emerging ways of making. It aims to teach concrete technical skills as well as meta-skills in collaboration in a shot but intensive time frame. Due to the largely esoteric supporting staff and a small sample group of students from various backgrounds in art and technology, the only reliable conclusions this year will be: fun should had by all; new international contacts should be made; and sense of agency and appreciation should be manifested when looking at hat can be made in three days together.

Anecdata Findings

example of Anecdotal "humanist" Data[1]

Quipu

Pulse[2]

anectodal dataset - everything I have by Simon Evans

everything I have - detail

sociogram

About the Collaborating Progams

MICA http://unrvl.net

WDKA Digital Craft

Schedule

Awkward Anecdotal Exchange

9/10 - 13/10	Bits of Rotterdam - bits of Baltimore - through the magic of the internet
time and date student arranged	MICA and WDKA / PZI 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. There is a strict format for this talk, which can be found below.

Awkward Anecdotal Exchange Format

To identify your Anecdotal Exchange partner, please sign up with your name or email for one of the 3 projects by October 8th (as participant 1-10) and contact the corresponding student (i.e if your #1 in A Yarn or Two on the MICA list, find out who is #1 on the A Yarn or Two WDKA list).

Please prepare the following to discuss:

1. share a love/hate about your current program
2. share a memorable photograph where the look on your face fits under the title  “ the moment I knew what I wanted to do”.
3. discuss your first line of thinking for ways to collect anecdata
4. discuss your first line of thinking for making threads or tangents, doodles, or mo-caps into the most powerful experiences imaginable
5. take a joint screenshot of your joint-awkward faces and upload it to project participant lists on the wiki

Remember that awkward skypeing/facetiming/hangouts are better then awkward first time face-to-face. 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.  

Tuesday 16 October - Meet, Greet, Eat, Show, Tell

Time / Place	Activity
~17:00 - 18.30 (exact TBC) / Data dating & Word of Welcome (location TBD)	WdKA Students meet MICA Students in real life including WdKA tour within your workshop groups, exploring the school's stations
18:30 – 21:00 / Dinner date!	pizza across the street ([4])

Wednesday 17 October - Strictly Business

Time / Place	Activity
9:30 – 9:45 / De Willem	COFFEEEEEEEEE
10:00 – 11:00 / Lecture Hall	Florian Cramer will talk about the history of arts and crafts, how it relates to the notion of autonomy and what this means in digital environments and autonomously operating systems for example. This lecture is part of the theory program of Autonomous Practices.
11:15 – 12:30 / Kunsthal	Inspiration: Kunsthal -Action Reaction: 100 years of Kinetic Art'
13:15 – 13:45 / Interaction Station'	The Briefing and Brainstorm Round 1
13:45 – 14:30 / Interaction Station	Brainstorm Round 2
14:30 – 16:30 Interaction Station	One of three workshops: A Yarn or two to tell Anecdotal Data Doodles Mo-Cap Boogie-Woogie
16:30 – 18:00 / Interaction Station?	Confidence Building - production of a pre-marathon proof of concept
18:00 – 19:00 - De Willem / School Cantine	Lekker Borrelen

Thursday 18 October - Anecdata Marathon

Time / Place	Activity
9:30 – 10:00 / De Willem	Upping the Anti students evaluate their concept prototype sketch out a plan of action
10:00 – 11:00 / Interaction Station	Face your Mentor Students discussing concept, feasibly, required tech/materials with workshop mentors.
11:00 – 12:00 / Interaction Station	Facing the Facts Is the idea ideal? Are all parts of your plan ready for production? 1 hour or fact checking, script writing, or resource finding before lunch.
12:00 – 13:00 / Interaction Station	About Face? A working lunch dedicated to the second thoughts and the doubting thomases.
13:00 – 16:30 / Interaction Station	MAKE MAKE MAKE MAKE MAKE MAKE MAKE
16:30 – 17:30 / Blaak Foyer	Drawn out Critique draw out your process, critique your current outcomes, plan for the last push
17:30 – 20:30 / Interaction Station	Laatste Loodjes
20:30 – 20:45 / Blaak Foyer & Basement Exhibition Space	Project Delivery bring your project to the exhibition space

Friday 19 October - Document

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

Participating Students

WDKA / PZI Student

Tim van Hooft / 0924672@hr.nl

Tutu Guo / 0921248@hr.nl

Jorijn De Jonge / 0935298@hr.nl

Ricardo Abbaszadeh / 0926948@hr.nl

Hyunji Jung / 0915620@hr.nl

Tom Schouw / 0918999@hr.nl

Noemi Biro / 0919394@hr.nl

Jelle van Bouwhorst / 0928746@hr.nl

Naïma Oei / 0874092@hr.nl

Joep Hurkmans / 0931531@hr.nl

Participating Faculty

MICA

1. Alan Grover, awgrover@gmail.com, technical assistant volunteer - 314508@edu.nl - rmzja
2. Ryan Hoover, rhoover@mica.edu, instructor - 314509@edu.nl - bhiqj
3. Annet Couwenberg, acouwenb@mica.edu, instructor - 314510@edu.nl - zisxw

WDKA

1. Jon Stam, jon@commonplace.nl, Canuck number 1
2. Gabrielle Marks, g.c.c.marks@hr.nl , tutor of all sorts
3. Bram (Beam) Waardenberg, b.van.waardenberg@hr.nl, tutor
4. Mike 'MJ' Pelletier, m.j.pelletier@hr.nl, Canuk number 2
5. Yoana Buzova, yoanabuzova@gmail.com, interaction station
6. Brigit Lichtenegger, b.lichtenegger@hr.nl, station chief

Workshop Projects

A Yarn or Two to Tell

data collecting textiles, en example of Beams work

Participants

MICA Students (sign up below)

1. Emma Hill - ehill02@mica.edu

2. Lu Zhang - lzhang05@mica.edu

3. Pawas Bajaj - pbajaj@mica.edu

4. Bao - bnguyen01@mica.edu

5. Mae Rowland - mrowland01@mica.edu

6. Name/Email

WDKA / PZI Students (sign up below)

1. Name/Email

2. Name/Email

3. Name/Email

4. Name/Email

5. Name/Email

6. Name/Email

Group 2 - Anecdotal Data Doodles

Participants

MICA Students (sign up below)

1. Shangtong Li / sli03@mica.edu

2. Zhonglin Zhang (Focus)/zzhang01@mica.edu

3. Arushi Kathuria / akathuria@mica.edu

4. Kathy Guo/ kguo01@mica.edu

5. Marisa Gomez/ mgomez03@mica.edu

6. Joseph Pignataro/jpignataro@mica.edu

WDKA / PZI Students (sign up below)

1. Tim van Hooft / 0924672@hr.nl

2. Jorijn De Jonge / 0935298@hr.nl

3. Jelle van Bouwhorst / 0928746@hr.nl

4. Tom Schouw / 0918999@hr.nl

5. Joep Hurkmans / 0931531@hr.nl

6. Name/Email

Group 3 - Mo-Cap Boogie-Woogie

still from Mike Pelletiers work[3]

Participants

MICA Students (sign up below)

1. Khadija Aziz / kaziz@mica.edu

2. Cheng Qin/ cqin@mica.edu

3. Sumangla Bishnoi/sbishnoi@mica.edu

4. Kimmy Tsai / ktsai@mica.edu

5. Anna Huff/ ahuff@mica.edu

6. Samiha Alam/ salam@mica.edu

WDKA / PZI Students (sign up below)

1. Tutu Guo / 0921248@hr.nl

2. Hyunji Jung / 0915620@hr.nl

3. Noemi Biro / 0919394@hr.nl

4. Ricardo Abbaszadeh // 0926948@hr.nl

5. Name/Email

6. Name/Email