GMU:Coding Gestalt

Coding Gestalt, Gestalting Code
Code Gestalten, Gestalt Codieren

Werkmodul/Fachmodul
Lecturer: Martin Schneider
Credits: 6 ECTS, 4 SWS
Date: Tuesday, 15:15 - 18:30
Venue: Marienstraße 5, Room 204
First meeting: Tuesday 08. April 2014

NEWS

   The Gestalt and Code Mailing List is now active.
   Click on the link to sign up with your uni-weimar email account.

   Please fork the Coding-Gestalt Github Repo containing the weekly exercises. 

Beschreibung

Gestalt ist das Wirken von Strukturgesetzen des Ganzen auf die einzelnen Teile. In diesem Kurs werden wir Gestalt-Gesetze programmieren, um Formen zu erzeugen. Automatische Gestalt-Erkennung und Gestalt-basierte Programmierung bilden den zweiten Schwerpunkt.

Zunächst lernen wir die klassische Gestalttheorie Wertheimers kennen.

Im nächsten Schritt entwickeln wir anhand der "Structural Information Theory" Leeuwenbergs eigene Codes für die Repräsentierung visueller Form. Wir lernen Fröbels Spielgaben kennen, die darauf basierenden Shape Grammars, sowie L-Systeme und andere Systeme zur formalen Beschreibung von Gestalt und Wandel. Schliesslich entwickeln wir eigene Codes und schreiben Programme die diese Codes interpretieren und daraus grafische und plastische Formen erzeugen.

Im zweiten Teil versuchen wir Gestalt zu entschlüsseln. Wir nutzen Gestaltgesetze um die vielfältigen Beziehungen innerhalb visueller und akustischer Form, Gesten und anderer Signale zu interpretieren. Dabei kommen die Geräte des Lehrstuhls für Gestaltung Medialer Umgebungen, aber auch ganz alltägliche Sensoren wie Laptop-Kameras und Mikrofone zum Einsatz. Im letzten Schritt lernen wir Systeme für Gestalt-basierte Programmierung wie Reactable, TurTan und AcidSketch kennen, und entwickeln selbst vergleichbare Umgebungen.

Description

Gestalt is the law of form of the whole taking effect on its individual parts. In this course we will program Gestalt laws to generate form. Automatic Gestalt-recognition and Gestalt-based programming constitute the other point of focus.

First we will get to know the classic Gestalt theory of Wertheimer. In the next step we will develop our own codes for representation of visual form, based on the "Structural Information Theory" of Leeuwenberg. We will introduce Fröbel Gifts, Shape Grammars which are based on those, and L-Systems, as well as other formal systems used to describe growth and form. Eventually we will develop our own codes, and write programs to interpret them and turn them into forms, both graphic and plastic.

The second part is about decoding Gestalt. We will use Gestalt-Laws to interpret the manifold relationships within visual and auditory form, gestures and other signals. We will use the devices of the faculty for Media Environments, but also every-day sensors like built-in cameras and microphones of laptops and smartphones. In the final step we will get to know systems for Gestalt-based programming like Reactable, TurTan and AcidSketch and develop similar environments of our own.

Schedule

Theme	Topic	Date
I. Analyzing Gestalt	Introduction to Gestalt Theory	08. April 2014
	Outlines of Shapes	15. April 2014
	Skeletons of Shapes	22. April 2014
II. Coding Gestalt	Tiling Systems	29. April 2014
	Rewriting Grammars	06. May 2014
	Complexity and Symmetry	13. May 2014
	Code and Compression	20. May 2014
III. Generating Gestalt	Generating Visual Form	27. May 2014
	Sculptural Composition	03. June 2014
	Composing Sonic Form	10. June 2014
	Textile Composition	24. June 2014
IV. Gestalting Code	Media Environments for Gestalt Coding	01. July 2014
	Create your own Media Environment	08. July 2014
	Live Coding Performance	12. July 2014, 16:00 – 18:00

Requirements

Since we will use Processing as a tool, programming experience in Processing is strictly required.
We will also use Github, OpenProcessing and this Wiki on a frequent basis.

If you want to take part in this course, you should already have:

• created a couple of sketches using Processing
• registered an account on Github + created a repo containing a Processing app
• registered an account on OpenProcessing and upload a sketch in processing.js

Target Audience

Bachelor and Master Students of

• Media Art & Design
• Media Architecture
• Visual Communication

Evaluation

Participants are expected to develop their own codes for interpretation or construction of Gestalt.
Implemenatation as a reactive or interactive program, that is able to perceive or compose visual or accoustic form.
During the course there will be Assignments where you will be expected to upload your sketches to OpenProcessing and publish the results in this wiki.

Registration procedure

Please send your application by email with the Subject Coding Gestalt to: Martin.Schneider (at) uni-weimar.de

• Name, Surname
• program and semester (Studienprogramm und Fachsemester)
• matriculation number (Matrikelnummer)
• Valid email address @uni-weimar.de (no other mailing addresses will be accepted) Why?

• Short paragraph outlining your motivation + expectations for this course
• Link to your OpenProcessing, GitHub or other public repo.

Participants

• Luis Hurtarte

• Andre Faupel

• Rihards Vitols

• HsinYu Chuang

• Eva Thinius

• William Sedig

Literature

Online

• Dastani M.M. (1998) Languages of Perception. PHD Thesis, University of Amsterdam
• Prusinkiewicz, Przemyslaw; Lindemeyer, Aristid: The Algorithmic Beauty of Plants (PDF)

Semesterapparat (Limona Empore)

• Leeuwenberg, E. L. J; van der Helm, P. A.: Structural information theory: The simplicity of visual form ISBN 978-1-107-02960-6
• Dickinson, Sven J.; Pizlo Zygmunt: "Shape Perception in Human and Computer Vision: An Interdisciplinary Perspective ISBN 978-1-4471-5194-4
• Desolneux, Agnès; Moisan, Lionel; Morel, Jean-Michel: From Gestalt Theory to Image Analysis: A Probabilistic Approach ISBN 0-387-72635-7
• Leyton, Michael: The Structure of Paintings ISBN 3-540-42717-1
• Leyton, Michael: A Generative Theory of Shape ISBN 3-540-42717-1
• Thompson, William B.: Visual perception from a computer graphics perspective ISBN 978-1-56881-465-0
• Pizlo, Zygmunt: 3D Shape: Its Unique Place in Visual Perception ISBN 0-262-51513-X
• Froebel, Friedrich: Die Spielgaben ISBN 3-608-95059-1
• Stiny, George: Shape: talking about seeing and doing ISBN 0-262-19531-3
• Ostwald, Wilhelm: Die Harmonie der Formen (Sondermagazin SoB 387)
• Itten, Johannes: Gestaltungs- und Formenlehre : Mein Vorkurs am Bauhaus und später ISBN 3-473-61560-9
• Prusinkiewicz, Przemyslaw; Lindemeyer, Aristid: The Algorithmic Beauty of Plants ISBN 3-540-97297-8, (online PDF)
• Gunzenhäuser, Rul: Maß und Information als ästhetische Kategorien:
  Einführung in die ästhetische Theorie G. D. Birkhoffs und die Informationsästhetik ISBN 978-3870070304 (Bo BirkGeo/1)
• Birkhoff, George D., Aesthetic Measure ISBN 978-0766130944 (not yet available)
• Bentley, Peter: On Growth, Form and Computers ISBN 978-0-12-428765-5 (not yet available)
• Bentley, Peter: Creative evolutionary systems ISBN 978-0-470-66565-7
• Downey, Allen B.: Think Complexity: Complexity Science and Computational Modeling ISBN 978-1449314637 (not yet available)
• Menges, Achim: Computational Design Thinking ISBN 978-0-470-66570-1
• Flake, William Gary: The Computational Beauty of Nature: Computer Explorations of Fractals, Chaos, Complex Systems, And Adaptation ISBN 0-262-06200-3
• Harris, James: Fractal Architecture: Organic Design Philosophy in Theory and Practice ISBN 978-0826352019 (not yet available)
• Eglash, Ron: African Fractals: Modern Computing and Indigenous DesignISBN 978-0813526140 (not yet available)
• Conway, John H.; Burgiel Heidi; Goodman-Strauss, Chaim: The Symmetries of Things ISBN 978-1568812205 (not yet available)
• Washburn, Dorothy, K.; Crowe, Donald, W.: Symmetries of Culture: Theory and Practice of Plane Pattern Analysis 978-0295970844 (not yet available)
• Lehmann, Marc: Music, Gestalt and Computing (Studies in Cognitive and Systematic Musicology) ISBN 3-540-63526-2
• Metzger, Wolfgang: Gesetze des Sehens: Die Lehre vom Sehen der Formen und Dinge des Raumes und der Bewegung ISBN 978-3-88074-492-9
• Metzger, Wolfgang: Laws of Seeing ISBN 978-0-262-13467-5
• Wertheimer, Max: On Perceived Motion and Figural Organization ISBN

978-0-262-01746-6

• Wertheimer, Max: Drei Abhandlungen zur Gestalttheorie (Sondermagazin SoB 173 282)