Integrating Computer Technology and Traditional Art Tools: A Visual Literacy Handbook

Throughout history technology has advanced because new tools have been invented. Within the past fifty years the computer grew to be a new tool for business and industry. In the last twenty years, computers have become a tool for helping with daily activities. Now computers are being recognized as a tool for creativity. Artists have incorporated digital tools in their traditional toolbox. A review of related literature shows that computer generated digital art has been integrated into many aspects of the fine arts, including galleries and museums. This technology is being incorporated into the curriculums of our schools as well. Students are developing visual literacy through activities and lessons that make use of current computer technology along with materials and tools in the traditional fine arts program. This handbook shows ways digital art can enhance the learning of visual literacy in a fine arts program

Surveying Computer Graphic Trends

Computer graphics is a new tool for the visual artist. Historic and educational theories and facts outline the rapid growth of the medium and how it has become an essential tool for educators, researchers and businesses. Business applications remain at the periphery of computer graphic applications, but are included in the general trend of the new medium\u27s development. Visual art generated through computer graphic imaging is exemplified in the work of artists: Barbara Nessim, computer graphic student, Jim Squires, and the team of computer graphic artists, Richard Chuang and Glenn Entis. Nessim is a career graphic designer and artist, who only recently chose to explore the computer graphic medium. Jim Squires is a student of computer graphic art who generates images by writing programs for that purpose. The team of Chuang and Entis generates animated computer graphics in its own studio, Pacific Data Images, for commercial purposes. An overview of how each artist works, and what considerations must be made in generating these images, gives an understanding of the general trends prevalent in the computer graphic field. A type of shape called a “fractal” is discussed to illustrate the importance these shapes have in computer imaging. Fractals had little importance for any discipline until they could be generated on the computer screen. Their relevance to the analysis of chaotic shapes in nature has opened a whole new realm of study for disciplines such as mathematics, ecology and meteorology, among others. The computer graphic field is a new and essential by-product of the computer revolution. The discipline is important for visual artists because it is a virtually unexplored medium that has great potential

Computation as Medium: Agency and Motion in Interactive Art

Artists increasingly utilize computational tools to generate art works. Computational approaches to art making open up new ways of thinking about agency in interactive art because they invite participation and allow for unpredictable outcomes. Computational art is closely linked to the participatory turn in visual art, wherein spectators physically participate in visual art works. Unlike purely physical methods of interaction, computer assisted interactivity affords artists and spectators more nuanced control of artistic outcomes. Interactive art brings together human bodies, computer code, and nonliving objects to create emergent art works. Computation is more than just a tool for artists, it is a medium for investigating new aesthetic possibilities for choreography and composition. We illustrate this potential through two artistic projects: an improvisational dance performance between a human dancer and a mobile robot, and a virtual reality art work based on procedurally-generated content. Through our practice, we find that computation fosters an interrogative approach to artmaking that raises questions about agency and intentionality, such as how artists work with immaterial processes to generate novel and unexpected aesthetic experiences

New media and impressionism

This master’s thesis is framed in the areas of New Media Art (NMA) and Human Computer Interaction (HCI). In particular, it is focused in the study of New Media Art pieces that share a set of characteristics (the most important one being that they are composed by atomic elements), might be explicitly interactive, and are usually exhibited in public settings or have been designed to be consumed by a large simultaneous audience. The content of the thesis can be divided in four big items: 1- The review of a certain set of NMA pieces, their characteristics, and some similarities hold between them and the impressionist movement that emerged at the second half of the 19th century, along with some visual perception principles of Gestalt psychology. 2- A selection and an adaptation of pre-existing theoretical frameworks for modelling interaction in public settings. These theoretical frameworks comprise a set of tools for describing, analysing, and designing New Media Art pieces. 3- The presentation of a set of selected artworks authored or coauthored by the author of this thesis. A description of their characteristics and technology will be presented. 4- The introduction of two tools for artistic production, which were instrumental for the construction of some of the artworks here presented: Sendero (an LED lighting system), and N.IMP (a tool for real time visual content generation)

Dynamic Uses of Spectrographic Analysis in Choral Rehearsals and the Voice Studio

Spectrographic analysis is a powerful tool that allows students to see a visual representation of the acoustic properties of their instruments. For today’s technologically savvy students it brings an exciting new element to music making that will allow them to grow musically, artistically, and technically even faster. With a computer, microphone, and screen (or even just a smart phone) teachers can open their students’ eyes to see what their ears have always been hearing. By turning an aural/oral art into a visual experience, students will gain a deeper understanding of their instruments and how they can use those instruments efficiently and expressively. The application of spectrographic analysis applies to both choral ensembles and vocal soloists, and while this article will focus on its use with the singing voice, spectrographic analysis also has benefits for instrumentalists as well. To understand the practical applications, we will examine a variety of vocal and musical skills that can be explored through this technology

DIBRAST: A Computer-Aided Seismic Design Procedure for Frame Structures Equipped With Hysteretic Devices

This paper describes a comprehensive computer-aided seismic design approach for both new and existing frame structures equipped with hysteretic dampers. Despite continuous advancements in the state of the art demonstrating the effectiveness of these devices in mitigating seismic hazard, non-linearities involved in the problem and the articulated nature of most of the available design procedures often make them quite difficult to be implemented for real complex structures. To promote widespread use of hysteretic dampers, we present a thorough design approach that includes the application of a specific displacement-based design procedure by means of a computer-aided support tool developed in a Visual Basic environment and named DIBRAST. The software is realized to drive the designer through the dissipative system's design. Required iterations are automated, thus significantly reducing the processing time. As its final output, it delivers the mechanical properties of the damping braces in order to meet a specific performance objective. In order to further support practitioners in the geometrical characterization of actual design dampers, authors developed an additional Visual Basic tool—the Shear Link Non-Linear Model—that is able to provide yielding force and elastic stiffness of a specific type of hysteretic device according to its geometry and material. In addition, geometric details of each device can be preliminary determined by means of newly proposed design charts, presented herein, that allow us to take into account the buckling issue too. Both developed tools are freely available online. A case study is provided to demonstrate the effectiveness of the proposed design approach and tools

Application of 3D animation principles and tools in geometrical education

Geometrical education using 3D animation principles and tools represents a new methodology approach and its final result is presented on new way, as multimedia tool. The originality of the paper is based on interdisciplinary approach and use of new technologies. The method derived from the overlap of multiple disciplines such as architecture, structural systems, descriptive geometry, computer animation and programming. Teamwork is comprised of different disciplines since the authors working in different domains of architectural studies. This paper is presented as a visual dynamic educational tool for students of technical and applied arts faculties. The aim is to simplify the perception of geometric forms and the process of their construction. The results leads to the production of geometry with complex topology and could be more developed. So, the results are multilayered, and are the solid basis for further scientific research and further development in practice. The geometrical education target group is the students of the technical and art faculties. It is necessary to emphasize that this work is the beginning of our further scientific research papers in different areas due to an interdisciplinary approach. These areas are: geometrical education, pedagogical theory and psychological aspects of teaching and experimental design in architecture. Aspects and research results presented in this paper are: the basic structure of multimedia learning aid, production methodology, and the final application in education

Application of 3D animation principles and tools in geometrical education

Geometrical education using 3D animation principles and tools represents a new methodology approach and its final result is presented on new way, as multimedia tool. The originality of the paper is based on interdisciplinary approach and use of new technologies. The method derived from the overlap of multiple disciplines such as architecture, structural systems, descriptive geometry, computer animation and programming. Teamwork is comprised of different disciplines since the authors working in different domains of architectural studies. This paper is presented as a visual dynamic educational tool for students of technical and applied arts faculties. The aim is to simplify the perception of geometric forms and the process of their construction. The results leads to the production of geometry with complex topology and could be more developed. So, the results are multilayered, and are the solid basis for further scientific research and further development in practice. The geometrical education target group is the students of the technical and art faculties. It is necessary to emphasize that this work is the beginning of our further scientific research papers in different areas due to an interdisciplinary approach. These areas are: geometrical education, pedagogical theory and psychological aspects of teaching and experimental design in architecture. Aspects and research results presented in this paper are: the basic structure of multimedia learning aid, production methodology, and the final application in education

The virtual design studio: developing new tools for learning, practice and research in design.

The emergence of new networked technologies such as virtual learning environments (VLEs) and digital libraries are providing opportunities for the development of new virtual tools to assist the design researcher in exploring ideas with the aid of visualising and mapping tools and to provide interfaces that support interdisciplinary collaboration between design teams. In 1998 a research project was initiated to evaluate the potential of computer assisted learning within Art and Design. This resulted in the development of a virtual learning environment designed to support Art and Design students and staff (www.studio-space.net). This paper describes the design process used to develop this VLE and the underlying principles based on a constructivist approach to experiential learning. The on-going research uses the metaphor of the design studio to explore a range of technologies that provide generative tools for the representation of design practice and related research, including the development and evaluation of an online Personal Development Planning tool (PDP) and other information management systems. The paper explores some of the ways in which tools such as; information retrieval applications, white-boards, visual mapping and digital archives can be combined to provide a virtual online design research studio. A further extension to the metaphor provides opportunities for developing new facilities, for example the portfolio, drawing board, bookcase, modelmaking area. The virtual design studio has two potential uses: first, to provide a tool box for the design researcher/educator to undertake collaborative design practice using CAD/CAM applications; second, to provide systems that help to externalise design methodologies, thus making it possible to gain an insight into the design process itself. This latter outcome can be achieved through the use of meta data (such as author, date/time created, version number - i.e. design iteration, note pad) and the representation of critical decision paths and reflection points

Overcoming the curse of precision: exploring the ambiguous nature of visual perception using 3D animation software

3D animation software is extensively used to create graphics for special effects sequences in live-action films, in animated feature film production and for the generation of computer games and virtual reality content. It is a commonly held view within the computer graphics community that 3D animation software is “just another tool” for self-expression. This research questions that view by examining the inherent nature of the tool itself. In doing so, some of the philosophical assumptions embedded in the design of the new digital tool are revealed. 3D software assumes that vision is a mechanical process independent of any context, and thus reduces the world to mathematical principles. This research posits that no tool is neutral; all tools orient our behavior and contribute to the way we perceive the world. The researcher has been trained in the use of traditional artistic methods, and like a growing number of other visual artists in recent years, has incorporated computer graphics into her artistic practice. This exegesis reflects upon the various ways an artist may ‘see’ and interpret a visual representation of the world and how traditional painting and drawing practice can inform the creation and manipulation of geometry in 3D animation software, and suggest what other variables and settings might be appropriate to arrive at a result that is different from the ‘photorealistic’. The project work outcomes embedded in this investigation explore how a tool of such mathematical precision can be deliberately used to create work that communicates the subjective and ambiguous nature of everyday visual experience. The researcher’s previous experience as an observational drawer and painter is compared throughout this investigation with her more recent experience as a 3D animator. The research concludes that 3D is a powerful tool for creating animated graphics and, when used in conjunction with traditional drawing and painting techniques, can successfully be used to illustrate aspects of subjective visual perception. However, without reference to paintings and observational sketches, the 3D user is likely to approach the visual world in terms of the software’s inherent Cartesian assumptions. 3D software, therefore, is too prescriptive to be used in isolation as a tool for the exploration of subjective perception. This finding has implications for the changing nature of visual arts practice and deserves further examination in order to encourage a more fruitful dialogue between traditional art practice and digital graphics software