Workshop Series
InterAccess's Interactive Art Workshop Series provides artists with the tools needed to begin exploring the creative uses of technology. Participants gain a solid technical foundation for realizing their artistic vision. Our workshops demonstrate how a computer can communicate with and integrate visuals, audio and electronics. InterAccess emphasizes production strategies for artworks that take place in real space and real time, including performance, interactive installation, audio, video, and kinetic or robotic sculpture and installation.
To register, please contact info@interaccess.org.
Payment can be made by cash, cheque and PayPal. To pay for a workshop using PayPal please visit our Registration and Payment page.
Fall 2011 Workshops
Back to Basics Miniseries
- Intro to Sound
- Special Presentation! Hackable Synth Workshop: Meet the MeeBlip
- Intro to Generative Art & Processing
- Intro to Max/MSP
- Intro to Pd
- Intro to Electronics
- Intro to Arduino
Funshops!
Wearables Miniseries
- Intro to Sewing
- Intro to Wearable Technology & Soft Circuits
- Intro to Lilypad Arduino
- Wearables Masterclass with Kate Hartman
BACK TO BASICS MINISERIES
Intro to Sound
When: Thursday, September 22, 2011, 7-10pmInstructor: Alex Geddie
Price: $45 ($35 members)
About the workshop: The sound workshop is aimed at beginners and will begin with an introduction to the principles of acoustics: participants will learn what sound is, how it's transmitted through the air and how our ears process it, and learn some of the physical principles that describe why harmony sounds the way it does. We'll make a quick trip through the historical use and understanding of sound, harmony and noise in the contexts of art, science, and even warfare, from Pythagoras through to modern computer music. Using free tools that are available online, participants will learn the basics of making recordings, from choosing, connecting and placing microphones through to the digital mixing and editing process. The final portion of the workshop will be dedicated to creating sounds from scratch, using contact microphones and free sound synthesis software, hopefully culminating in a sine wave jam.
About the instructor: ALEX GEDDIE is a Toronto new media artist, computer musician, technologist and huge nerd. He has exhibited his installation works and performed in Canada, France, Belgium, Germany and Taiwan. He studied at Ryerson, OCAD and Le Fresnoy, and teaches continuing education courses at Ryerson.
Special Presentation! Hackable Synth Workshop: Meet the MeeBlip
When: Friday, September 23, 2011, 7-10pm
Instructor: Peter Kirn
Price: $30 ($20 Members) + $39 MeeBlip Micro (Special!)
We've made a seperate page for information on this workshop. View it here.
Intro to Generative Art & Processing
When: Thursday, September 29, 2011, 7-10pmInstructor: Alex Geddie
Price: $45 ($35 members)
About the workshop: Processing is a simplified computer programming language ideal for artists and designers. It is free to use and runs on Windows, Mac OSX and Linux. This workshop is designed for people with little or no programming experience. So if you want to learn how to make interactive graphics, animations or fun software sign up for this workshop.
About the instructor: Please see above.
Intro to Max/MSP
When: Tuesday, October 4, 2011, 7-10pmInstructor: Myles Borins
Price: $45 ($35 members)
About the workshop: This workshop will lead you through learning Max/MSP, a graphical programming environment. Like our Pd workshop, this workshop will teach participants how to use Max/MSP for making video art, interactive installations and audio art
About the instructor: MYLES BORINS is a visual artist working, consulting, and studying in Toronto, Ontario. His hobbies include Max/MSP/Jitter, Ableton, Physical Computing, Musimathics, hardware hacking, DIY, and Electricity. He has recently Taught Max/MSP workshops in Toronto at OCAD University and in Santa Fe New Mexico at "Grid Festival".
When Miles grows up he wants to be an Inventor
Intro to Pd
When: Tuesday, October 11, 2011, 7-10pmInstructor: Dafydd Hughes
Price: $45 ($35 members)
About the workshop: This workshop will lead you through learning Pure Data (Pd), a powerful tool for making video art, interactive installations, audio art, and pretty much anything you can think of.
About the instructor: DAFYDD HUGHES is a musician, artist, programmer and educator. He has performed and recorded with some of Canada's most notable artists, including Feist, Esthero and Jacksoul. He is active in Canada's jazz, pop and experimental music scenes through solo work and many collaborations. In addition to being a Board member at InterAccess, Dafydd is a faculty member at Sheridan College and is pursuing an MFA in Documentary Media at Ryerson University.
Intro to Electronics
When: Saturday, October 15 & Sunday, October 16, 2011, 11-5pm both daysInstructor: Rob Cruickshank
Price: $150 ($120 members). Additional $10 for materials.
About the workshop: This workshop is for artists with no previous experience in electronics, or those who've had some, but need a refresher. We'll cover the basics of electricity, starting with Ohm's Law, and work our way up to building simple digital circuits with CMOS chips, transistors and LEDs. We'll also discuss how to interface these circuits with the 'real world' of motors, sensors, and other devices. Math will be kept to a minimum, but we will approach things from the point of designing circuits, rather than simply building 'cookbook' circuits. This workshop is a valuable prerequisite for anyone wishing to work with microcontollers, such as the PIC series or the popular Arduino. No previous experience is required.
About the instructor: ROB CRUICKSHANK, an IA board member and our resident genius, is a Toronto-based multidisciplinary artist. He works in various media including electronic and robotic installations, sound art, electroacoustic music, and photography have been exhibited in Toronto, and internationally. Rob has developed a number of workshops at InterAccess, providing artists with an opportunity to learn electronics, and has assisted numerous artists with the technological challenges of realizing their works.
Intro to Arduino
When: Thursday, October 27, 2011, 7-10pmInstructor: Nick Stedman
Price: $45 ($35 members)
About the workshop: Arduino is a microcontroller, similar to BASIC Stamp and PIC that is designed to control physical computing projects. It can sense the outside world through switches and sensors. It can also control displays, LEDs, lights, motors or just anything you can dream up. The Arduino can communicate with others devices and computers over MIDI, RS-232, USB and ethernet (internet) channels- and it can interface to programs like PureData (Pd), Max/MSP and Flash. It is endlessly versatile.
About the instructor: NICK STEDMAN is a Toronto-based artist and educator. He holds an MFA in Media Study from the State University of New York in Buffalo, and a BFA from Ryerson University. He is currently a course director at York University. Nick's artistic practice is based on electronic and mechanical technologies, computer programming and fabrication, with a strong focus on developing robots that physically interact with people.FUNSHOPS!
Kinect Basics: Gesture and Interaction
When: Tuesday, November 1, 2011, 7-10pmInstructor: Andrew Lovett-Barron
Price: $19.99
About the workshop: The Microsoft Kinect lets computers see the shape of our physical environment. In this combination theory and application course, we'll learn about gestural computing, some of the background behind this type of interaction design, and the basics behind computer vision. With this class, you can get started on developing your own gestural software and installations, you'll know what resources to use, and what routes give the best results. No coding background is required, though it is recommend. The last hour of the course will be devoted to getting projects started and walking through the code.
About the instructor: ANDREW LOVETT-BARRON is an Interaction Designer working for TAXI, a founder of Handmade Music Toronto, and a member of InterAccess' Studio committee. His focuses include rapid prototyping, DIY software/electronics and networked urbanism.
POSTPONED! Intro to Field Recording
When: Tuesday, November 8, 2011, 7-10pmInstructor: Michael Trommer
Price: $19.99
About the workshop: Field recording is the term used for any recording produced outside of a recording studio. It has many applications, including film and video soundtracks, the incorporation of 'real' sounds into music, etc.
The workshop will introduce you to field recording essentials, including gear selection, creative microphone techniques, and basic audio editing. It will focus on the exploration of the 'hidden' sounds which surround us (via a neighbourhood sound-collecting walk) and also discuss the concepts of soundscape and acoustic ecology.
What to Bring With You: You will need headphones, a laptop computer with sound input/output (or USB connection) as well as a version of the Audacity freeware audio editing program (available at http://audacity.sourceforge.net/download). Any kind recording device (e.g. microcassette, walkman) or microphone (e.g. an old set of earphones) would also be useful.
About the instructor: MICHAEL TROMMER is a Toronto-based producer and sound artist who has recorded for such labels as Transmat, Wave, Ultra-red, and/OAR, Audiobulb, Truffle, Stasisfield, Interchill, Monocromatica, Serein, Thinner and con-v. As a live act, he has performed with Berlin's raster-noton collective as well as for Montreal's MUTEK and Detroit's Movement festivals, among many others. His sound art work has been heard internationally, including exhibitions such as Australia's Liquid Architecture, Kunsthalle Schirn's From 0 to 1 and Back Again, Sao Paolo's FILE festival and Köln's SoundLAB.
Frame Frame
When: Tuesday, November 15, 2011, 7-10pmInstructor: Stan Krzyzanowski
Price: $19.99
About the workshop: In this workshop participants will learn great and simple animation techniques such as stop-action and time-lapse, using images from digital cameras, scanners and screen captures. After a brief overview of examples of time-lapse and stop-motion techniques, Stan will demonstrate and describe ways in which you can collect or generate images for animation using still digital cameras and computer screen captures. He will then show how these images can be assembled into video using a few processing methods.
About the instructor: STAN KRZYZANOWSKI teaches at OCAD University and is a Toronto-based artist working in various media including sculpture, installation, video, electronics, and photography. His interests revolve around time-based work and process and frequently does this through the documentation of what's ordinary and mundane.
WEARABLES MINI SERIES
Intro to Sewing
When: Tuesday, November 22, 2011, 7-10pmInstructor: Rosie Spooner
Price: $45 ($35 members)
About the workshop: This workshop will introduce the basics of sewing, both by hand and using a domestic sewing machine. This workshop is designed to partner with both Intro to Wearable Technology & Soft Circuits and Intro to Arduino, teaching participants the introductory sewing skills needed for these two workshops, as well as basic, handy sewing tips and techniques like making button holes, sewing in zippers and following patterns.
About the instructor: ROSIE SPOONER is a Toronto-based independent curator and historian. She holds degrees from the University of Glasgow and the University of Bristol, where her work focused on transnational cultural studies, oral history and public history. She has worked at the Centre for Contemporary Art (Glasgow), the Museum of Bristol and InterAccess. She is currently in the Criticism & Curatorial Practice program at OCAD University.
Intro to Wearable Technology & Soft Circuits
When: Tuesday, November 29, 2011, 7-10pm
Instructors: Erin Lewis & Ken Leung
Price: $45 ($35 members)
About the workshop: Soft circuits are electronic circuits made wearable through the use of conductive thread and conductive fabric. In wearable electronics, circuitry design and application are made with the body in mind.
This workshop will introduce you to the world of wearable conductive materials as well as specific techniques for their application on the body. You will learn to construct soft analog components such as wearable switches, flex and force sensors, soft pressure matrices and even fuzzy, directional 'stroke' sensors. You will also learn to think about the body and its movements in an entirely different way: as a means to actuate electronics!
This workshop is great for crafters, makers, DIYers, electronic hobbyists, and anyone looking to include the dimension of the body and soft analog electronics into their projects.
About the instructors:
ERIN LEWIS is an emerging artist who is currently studying Integrated Media at OCAD University, with a minor in Wearable Technology. She works predominately with electronics and video in an installation setting. Erin has released video work with the National Film Board of Canada, exhibited work in Nuit Blanche, and conducted live video performances across Toronto and Europe. She enjoys grapes, kittens, and real-time data feeds.
KEN LEUNG is a multidisciplinary designer and artist residing in Toronto with strong interests in wearable technology, physical computing, and interface design. Ken's interactive work has been exhibited at Nuit Blanche, The Gladstone Hotel, and Harbourfront Center, and he is currently working with the Mobile Experience Lab and Social Body Lab at OCAD on various locative and wearables projects. Ken has a background in Psychology, computer programming, digital media, and Industrial design.
Intro to Lilypad Arduino
When: Tuesday, December 6, 2011, 7-10pmInstructors: Erin Lewis & Ken Leung
Price: $45 ($35 members)
About the workshop: The Lilypad Arduino is a programmable microcontroller specially designed for use in wearable tech and e-textiles projects.
In this workshop, we will introduce you to the Lilypad and its suite of sensors and accessories, teach you how to interface the Lilypad with soft circuits, and guide you through the basics of writing Arduino code to add fun interactive behaviors to your wearables projects. Hands-on exercises and a variety of example projects will be used to explore the exciting possibilities of this technology.
Participants will be working with Lilypad Arduinos and a variety of other materials like LEDs and sensors. Participants can purchase a kit containing all these goodies at InterAccess and take it home with them following the workshop, or simply use materials that will be on hand. The kits can be purchased at cost from InterAccess for $50. Kits contain: an FTDI breakout board, a Lilypad Arduino, a mini USB cable, a button board, a bobbin of conductive thread, a light sensor, a battery holder and a selection of LEDs.
About the instructor: Please see above.
Wearables Masterclass with Kate Hartman
When: Tuesday, December 13, 2011, 7-10pmInstructor: Kate Hartman
Price: $45 ($35 members)
About the workshop: This workshop will provide a follow up to the Intro to Wearable Technologies & Soft Circuits and Intro to Lilypad Arduino. Advanced wearable techies or those with related experience are also welcome. Moving beyond the basics, we'll delve into the specifics of designing and troubleshooting wearable tech projects. This includes criteria for choosing parts and materials; approaches for developing more sophisticated behaviours through the use of sensors, actuators, and code; and strategies for creating works that are responsive, robust, and resilient.
Participants should come with the following:
- The kit used in the Intro to Lilypad Arduino workshop or a similar collection of parts
- A project in mind and any progress they've made with it so far, whether it be a sketch, a bag of parts, or even a first prototype.
About the instructor: KATE HARTMAN is an artist, technologist, and educator whose work spans the fields of physical computing, wearable electronics, and conceptual art. She is the co-creator of Botanicalls, a system that lets thirsty plants place phone calls for human help, and the Lilypad XBee, a sewable radio transceiver that allows your clothing to communicate. Her work has been exhibited internationally and featured in the New York Times, the BBC, the CBC and NPR and, in books such as Fashionable Technology and Art Science Now. She was recently a speaker at TED 2011 and her work is currently on view in Talk to Me at the Museum of Modern Art in New York. Hartman is based in Toronto where she is the Assistant Professor of Wearable & Mobile Technology in the Digital Futures program at OCAD University.
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