SFPC Week 1: Lifting the Mask off of Face Value
No computers this week.
A slow, intentional start to understand the fundamentals and context of what we’re about to dive into; the ultimate aim being critical thought and subsequently, critical action.
Critical action means (to me, in this moment), using (or shaping) technology in a way that is aware of its context and consequences; a response to the zeitgeist.
Today, so much of the conversation around technology sounds like, “this is happening so we have to accept it.” It is laced with fear. If I had to choose a mantra for my first official week at SFPC, it would sound like, “this is happening, so we have to understand it, and then do something with it.”
To understand something, you need to dig into context. To make something, you need to know the fundamentals. To learn something, you need to repeat it (a lot).
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Context
One of our classes this semester is “Critical Thinking of Technology: The Radical Outside.” This week we took a look at instructor Morehshin Allahyari’s political art works and defined critical theory. In one word, critical theory is about context. With respect to technology, what are the social implications beyond functionality? One classmate offered that critical theory is decoding something seemingly neutral. It is lifting the mask off of face value.
The first context we explored was that of our neighborhood — talking to the artists at the Wesbeth Arts Center (looking for the person who had lived there the longest), searching for interesting books and magazines, tucked away hideaways, and finding the most expensive and least expensive items for sale. (In case you’re wondering, the difference between the two items we found was $2,994.75). One group of students was invited in by a resident and it turned out the apartment had once been inhabited by photographer Dianne Arbus. It was a real pleasure to speak with residents and hear their stories. (And let’s be real, I probably wouldn’t have approached them on my own, without a reason. But perhaps I’ll change that now.)
Fundamentals
Beyond human to human communication, we also explored human to computer communication. We became human fax machines; one person was to draw a copy of shape on their paper, as drawn by their partner. The catch was that they couldn’t see their partners paper nor communicate verbally — we only had a ping pong ball, cup and sharpie to create a whole new language. It was interesting to see people’s backgrounds reflected in their suggestions for our language (grids, vectors, reference tables, sounds; perhaps related to their knowledge of graphic design or computer programming or music). One thing I can definitely confirm is that counting is hard for humans and visceral approaches (like sound) inspire a more immediate understandability.
But… there was some counting. I learned how to count in binary. What’s more, I made a binary numbers counting game. For any teachers out there, this was an incredibly effective way to deepen my understanding. Teaching to learn is the way (especially for people like me, who learn by doing). If its important to you that a group of people understands a concept, have them do something tangible.
Repetition
Beyond understanding the fundamentals of an idea, learning comes through repetition. By chance, but perhaps somehow proving the point, two speakers in class emphasized the importance of repetition when learning.
Lauren Gardner shared her mantra, “Do a thing. Repeat.” As someone who will be helping us with our student showcase, Lauren stressed that whatever we make will not work the first time. Nor the next. And maybe it will work the time after that and then stop working right after. The objective is to start small, and keep building.
Likewise, Amit Pitharu told us that when he learns something new, he does it, deletes it, and re-does it 30 more times. He has rebuilt his Sonic Wave Sculptor across multiple technologies, and then spent a year figuring out the best way to exhibit it (fueled by self-described obsession).
While the idea of repetition may seem obvious to you as you read (especially those of you who ever learned how to play a musical instrument), it was important for me to hear. The professional world is geared towards efficiency — I am rewarded for being good at my job and executing quickly. What a relief to hear that I can absolve myself from the responsibility of being right.
As a quick aside, for those who are considering learning how to code, I’ll share some practical advice Amit gave on getting started:
- Deconstruct the work that you find exciting. Use the same tools your heroes use.
- Start with the tools that are best for learning. According to Amit, these are Procesing and p5.js. Amit called Processing the “№2 pencil of coding, created by educators for education.”
Most importantly, you don’t need permission to learn something new. You don’t need to have studied XYZ subject in a university setting to now be a coder or an artist or a chef or whatever else your heart desires. Just get to doing, deleting, and doing again.
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As I learn how to learn something completely new, I have to remind myself to abandon critical thinking aimed at myself — to be gentle with myself throughout this process.
A conversation about I had with a friend about pottery* comes to mind. (*kinda) After taking some pottery classes, my friend (who is a designer), had joined the studio of his instructor, and they had begun collaborating.
“It’s so refreshing to work with an artist.”
“What makes him an artist, from your point of view?”
“He’s not focused on perfecting anything. He takes something I see as a failure and does something completely new with it.”
Since then, I’ve been keeping this definition of an artist’s mentality close to my chest. My objective is to see possibility rather than to judge. Judgement is often made at face value, without exploring what else could be.
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This is my weekly reflection about my experience at The School of Poetic Computation. To read about my week zero, go here.
