CAC · Summer Camp | Digital Identities
Date: August 9 – 13, 2021
Facilitators: CAO Daxu, Vytas Jankauskas,
Robin L., NI Yang
Language: English (with Chinese translation)
Age 14 – 18
Venue: Chronus Art Center
(Bldg No.18, No.50 Mo Gan Shan Rd, Shanghai)
Admission Fee:
Workshop 3000RMB
Early Bird 2600RMB
(available until July 25, 23:30)
CAC Membership 2400RMB
The programme will creatively engage with the concept of digital identity through theory and practice. Through 5 days, attendants will learn about various tools and teaching methods employed in undergrad media art and design academic curricula. The summer school is therefore ideal for high school students interested in creative disciplines bridging art and technology and curious to get a glimpse into how those are taught in undergrad university programmes.
We will look at how digital self is shaped through online social relationships but more importantly, how contemporary digital systems and artificial intelligence are placed in midst of digital interactions. In particular, we will explore how physical features of the face and body are seen by digital systems such as face or emotion recognition; we will look into how once a face is converted from physical to digital, it can become a malleable medium with the use of technology such as face filters; finally, we will see how today’s computers attempt to look at people as social beings, by classifying human character traits.
By using project-based approach, students will engage with their digital identities, acquiring hands-on skills and experience into how media art projects are conceptualised, prototyped, developed, and presented. The projects will be documented to become part of student’s portfolio. The programme will conclude with a semi-formal exhibition of results, inviting friends and family to CAC.
Outcomes by the participants of past workshops. © Vytas Jankauskas
Exploring face & emotion recognition systems during past workshops. © Vytas Jankauskas
CAO Daxu，working at Chronus Art Center.
Vytas Jankauskas is an artist, designer, and researcher interested in how emerging technologies inhabit and shape our domestic mundane. His practice encompasses the Internet of Things, data ownership, digital citizenship, social media. Vytas is the Head of Research/Creation at CAC_LAB and adjunct faculty at NYU ITP.
https://vjnks.com/
Robin L. is a multidisciplinary artist, writer, and programmer. She is currently in her final year doing a B.S. in Computer Science at New York University Shanghai. Her artistic practice explores the interfaces of light, memory, language, and the psyche through a spiritual and scientific perspective.
NI Yang is an Industrial Designer based in Germany. His main work directions investigate narrative design, visual accessibility design, new media art, and Chinese lacquer art. He also works with artificial intelligence and robots to make interactive installation art that meets the needs of different scenes. Yang’s works have been exhibited in imm Cologne Furniture Fair, Dutch Design Week and Design Museum Den Bosch in Netherland.
DAY 1
Hello to my “DigitalSelf”
11:00 – 12:30 Who am I?
Introduction to the week;
getting to know each other.
13:30 – 17:30 How am I seen online?
Introduction to the concept of “digital self”, how it is defined, how today’s social media works, from social expectations to digital systems.
Conceptualisation. How projects are approached in media art/design schools; research, brainstorming, drafting ideas.
DAY 2
Taming webcam
11:00 – 12:30 Physical to digital (Materials Lab #1)
How do machines see us? Experimenting and prototyping with physical materials as means test how good computers (face, emotion, image recognition) are in finding humans.
13:30 – 17:30 Me in the Cloud (Digital Lab #1)
Looking at face as a digital entity.
Introduction into basic coding and creation of face filters.
DAY 3
Fooling webcam
11:00 – 12:30 Physical to digital (Materials Lab #2)
How can we play with the perception of machines through wearables and face alteration?
13:30 – 17:30 Me in the Cloud (Digital Lab #2)
Continuing work on face filters.
DAY 4
Project time
11:00 – 12:30 What do I want to say?
How to formulate a creative project based on interests, skills, and tools at your disposal. From sketches to scenarios, and from project visualisations to critical reflections around the topic of digital self.
13:30 – 17:30 Creative Lab.
Making a project based on previously learnt tools.
DAY 5
Showtime
11:00 – 12:30 Documentation
How to document your project? How to introduce it and find an appropriate exhibition display format.Photography, video, and simple exhibition setup.
13:30 – 17:30 Setup
Setting up an exhibition of projects.
17:30 – 19:00 Early evening
Showcase to friends and family.
An education studio dedicated to art and technology oversea study and K12 education, NOXX is committed to the cultivation of the next generation of creators and practitioners. It encourages the young to leverage technology, aesthetics, and emotion, to observe themselves and the world around, and to bring off multiple possibilities of the future of mankind.
DAVIA is an international education company. Its headquarter locates in Shanghai China. The members of its course designing team come from different countries, such as the US, Germany, Italy etc. DAVIA aims to offer high-quality and professional extracurricular courses to K12 students and bring them to the fantastic world of art, engineering, technology, material etc.
In the past few years, DAVIA has developed multitudes of widely acclaimed courses including Programming, Digital Media, Smart Studio, Urban Design etc. in collaboration with many top design institutes and professional designers.