School
for
Poetic
Computation
The critic Kenneth Burke once called literature “equipment for living.” He viewed poems, proverbs, plays, and novels as “a ritualistic way of arming us to confront perplexities and risks.” But is this insight limited to literature? This class examines media technologies as equipment for living, in the broadest possible sense, and to apply this theory to digital image-making and world-building. Each week, students will focus on a particular role that technology can play in everyday experience, personal reflection, social life, creative practice, and efforts to understand our world. As equipment for living, media technologies may immerse us in the narratives, symbols, moral concerns, conceptual structures, and political groundwork of a particular cultural setting and historical moment. This is why media technologies are such powerful means of expression, and also why they require critical scrutiny and reflection on how they affect our lives. This is a class for people who want to explore theories of art, literature, photography, cinema, and digital media while applying these theories through creative practice. Classes will begin with lectures and discussions of weekly readings that explore the many roles of media technologies as equipment for living—from communication and persuasion to dreaming and imagination. The second half of class will shift to lab exercises with a more narrow focus on image-making as equipment for living. These exercises will start with photography, then 3D imaging, and finally we will use these digital assets for world-building in a 3D game engine (Unity). The class will culminate in a creative project or essay on your choice of topic.
Images courtesy of teachers and guests.
Week 1: Introduction - Equipment for Living
Week 2: Communication and Persuasion
Week 3: Memory and Reflection
Week 4: Ritual and Identity
Week 5: Collaboration and Community
Week 6: Dreaming and Imagination, Part 1
Week 7: Dreaming and Imagination, Part 2
Week 8: Travel and Navigation
Week 9: Final Project Workshop
Week 10: Final Project Presentations
This class may NOT be for you if you:
Rosalie Yu is a Taipei-born artist and researcher who uses sculptures, videos, and installations to re-examine apparent errors that exist at the margins of post-colonial society and perception. Her work centers on the deliberate and creative misuse of tools to make visible the norms of engagement that continuously construct our identity. She teaches at NYU Tisch’s Collaborative Arts and ITP.
she/her
· website
· instagram
Charles Berret is a writer and interdisciplinary researcher working in visualization, human-computer interaction, cybersecurity, and the history of information technologies.
Any
· website
Applications open until Applications closed on February 2, 2025.
You can expect to hear back from us about the status of your application on February 18, 2025. Please email us at admissions@sfpc.study with any questions you have.
For 10 classes, it costs $1200 + processing fees, for a one-time payment. We also offer payment plans. Participants can schedule monthly payments of the same amount. First and last payments must be made before the start and end of class. *Processing fees apply for each payment.
SFPC processes all payments via Withfriends and Stripe. Please email admissions@sfpc.study if these payment options don't work for you.
For more information about what we look for in applicants, scholarships, and other frequently asked questions, please visit our applicant FAQ.
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