Unravel the Code VII - The Plural of Anecdote is not Data

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 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.

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

In Dot-Matrix Boogie-Woogie, participants will…well….figure out how to make a Dot-Matrix boogie?

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 experienced in three days together.

About the Collaborating Progams

MICA http://unrvl.net

WDKA Digital Craft

Schedule

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 Digital Craft 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.

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…..its a bit complicated, i know).

Please prepare the following to discuss:

share a love/hate about your current program (of course no bad talking about UTC ;)
share a memorable photograph where the look on your face fits under the title “ the moment I knew what I wanted to do”.
show via the webcam a distinguishing facial featured
take a screenshot of each others faces and upload it to project participant lists on the wiki

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 ([1])

Wednesday 17 October - Strictly Business

Time / Place	Activity
9:30 – 9:45 / De Willem	COFFEEEEEEEEE
10:00 – 10:30 / Interaction Station	The Briefing Jon what we are doing and why he’s so happy about it.
10:30 – 11:15 / Interaction Station	Brainstorm Round 1
11:15 – 12:00 / Interaction Station	Brainstorm Round 2
12:00 – 14:00 / ????	to be added
14:00 – 15:30 Interaction Station?	One of three workshops: A Yarn or two to tell / Beam? Anecdotal Data Doodles / ? Anec-DOT-al / ?
15:30 – 18:00 / Interaction Station?	Confidence Building - production of a pre-marathon proof of concept
18:00 – 19:00 - De Willem / School Cantine	Lekker Borrelen

Wednesday 25 October - The Face of Things Marathon

Time / Place	Activity
9:30 – 10:30 / 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.
11:00 – 12:00 / Interaction Station	About Face? A working lunch dedicated to the second thoughts and the doubting thomases.
13:00 – 16:30 / Interaction Station	FACE OFF 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 / Interactionstation	Laatste Loodjes
20:30 – 20:45 / Blaak Foyer & Basement Exhibition Space	Project Delivery bring your project to the exhibition space

Thursday 26 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

MICA Students

WDKA Minor Digital Craft

WDKA 3rd Year Digital Craft

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

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

WDKA

Tim Knapen, tim@indianen.be, digital craft practice mentor
Jon Stam, jon@commonplace.nl, digital craft research mentor
Javi Lloret Pardo, j.a.lloret.pardo@hr.nl, interaction station
Mike 'MJ' Pelletier, m.j.pelletier@hr.nl, canuk
Yoana Buzova, yoanabuzova@gmail.com, interaction station
Brigit Lichtenegger, b.lichtenegger@hr.nl, station chief

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. Stefon Kelly

6. Miles Barnett

WDKA Students (sign up below)

1. Tim Reuser

2. Koen Dekker

3. Jochem Walboomers

4. Vera Castelijns

5. Jeroen Rijnart

6. Sanne Schilder

Results

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. So Hee Kim

6. Catherine Khamnouane

WDKA Students (sign up below)

1. Suzanne Guitjens

2. Jeanine Verloop

3. Timoteo Carbone

4. Chiara Ermers

5.

6.

Results

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. Jihae Choe

4. Yunzi Liu

5. Luying (Sallie) Xu

WDKA Students (sign up below)

1.Tutu

2.hizkia pepijn

3.

4.

5.

Results

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. Margeaux Abeyta

3. Taylor Pestorius

4.Emary Parisi

WDKA Students (sign up below)

1. Dieke Berkhuizen

2. Alkenah Wansing

3. Tharim Cornelisse

4. AlexLaman