3895: Performing, Art and New Technologies in Society

Develop new course offered for the first time in Spring of 2019

A maker class where students pitch projects and work in interdisciplinary groups to create original live performances and installations based on major technological innovations that have deeply impacted society and live performance in the late 20th and early 21st century. In addition to daily hands-on making, students examine theoretical texts and performances that address the impact of technology on the human condition to contextualize their own art/technology projects for the future of our rapidly evolving technological world. A variety of technologies are explored and adapted for live performance and art as they relate to the following four categories of human experience with technology: 1) Telepresence and Liveness, 2) Motion Capture, 3) Artificial Intelligence & Big Data, and 4) Augmented and Virtual Reality.

Rationale for Creating this Course:

Part of five new courses that form the foundation in digital arts for live performance curriculum at the University of Iowa.

As the boundaries between theater, dance, art, cinema, gaming, computer-human-interaction, entertainment and everyday life expands by the use of new technologies, it is critical that emerging artists, engineers, and technologists learn the language and tools to envision new modes of creating live performance and artistic experiences.

Samples of Student Work: