GMU:(In)visible Networks 2016

Freenetproject network visualisation

Lecturer: Mindaugas Gapševičius
Tutors: Hasibullah Sahibzada, Marco Schröder, Azucena Sanchez Credits: 6 ECTS, 4 SWS
Date: Mondays/flexible 17:00 - 20:00
Venue: Marienstraße 7b, Room 204
First meeting: Monday, 11th of April 17:00 - 20:00

Although we all use computers and the Internet on a daily basis, we act in most cases as consumers. This is valid for creative people who work with computers, especially visual artists and designers. With the "(In) visible Networks" we will question other side of the networks: How data is transferred between computers? Why does the Internet require different types of machines? What is the role of servers and personal computers within the networks? What makes our data or our networks insecure? How to structure the website so visitors find the information?

The conceptual goals of this project include the comparison and reflection of different network structures (e.g. hierarchical structures, decentralized structures, oriented to Web 2.0, etc.).

The aim of the course is to redesign and to update the website of the GMU. This includes discussion on structuring the content and work on the new content. Students in the course will be introduced to server side systems/applications (Unix, Apache, MySQL), "front end" programming/CMS (Typo 3, HTML, PHP, Java Script) and content (website structure, writing). The work on content and programming will be supervised by tutors.

Application

  Please send a motivation letter before April 8th, 2016 to mindaugas.gapsevicius [ät] uni-weimar.de

To: mindaugas.gapsevicius [ät] uni-weimar.de
Subject: (In)visible Networks /// Application
Content:

• Your motivation to join the course
• Name, Surname
• program and semester (Studienprogramm und Fachsemester)
• matriculation number (Matrikelnummer)
• Valid email address @uni-weimar.de

Tutors

• Hasibullah Sahibzada (server side and back end), hasibullah.sahibzada [ät] uni-weimar.de
• Marco Schröder (content), cramo.erst [ät] yahoo.com
• Azucena Sanchez (web structure, CMS), azucena.sanchez [ät] uni-weimar.de

Syllabus

1 Seminar. Internet. 11.04.2016

• Computer Networks and Routing Systems (LAN, WAN, P2P; TCP/IP, DNS)
• CMS
• GMU website and wiki
• Planing work (GMU website and wiki)

2 Seminar. Self-organisation. 02.05.2016

• Vulnerability of Networks
• Alternative networks P2P (Baobaxia, Freenet, tor, BitTorrent, YaCy)
• Update on work (GMU website and wiki)

3 Seminar. Social networks. 23.05.2016

• Concepts (Bruno Latour, Graham Harman, Karen Barad)
• Internet of things
• Update on work (GMU website and wiki)

server side

Supervised by Hasibullah Sahibzada

• small tutorials on languages
• web tutorials
• installing new wiki
• upgrading wiki
• implementing

client side

Supervised by Azucena Sanchez

• what is CMS / different types
• general structure of wordpress / basics of html, css, php
• constructing and usability wordpress
• constructing and usability typo3/wiki

First tutor class

• Intro to HTML, CSS

texts

Supervised by Marco Schröder

• general structures of the websites / different websites / artists websites
• Analysis of public GMU and WIKI/GMU
• create a structure for the website
• content (including BioLab, DBL, who is teaching, concept)

FIRST SESSION

looking at different artist websites

Marat Beltser [1]

– a distributed structure

– one page links to different knots in the structure according to different parameters (time, place, media format – interchangeably)

– a fuzzy concept for content, that is relatively free moving but not providing a good orientation (rhizom?)

– visually there is no highlighting of content, evth kept really simple (black&white)

Nikolas Müller [2]

– simple (portfolio) structure

– only parameter is the year, one page shows all works (pictures, videos) of that year

– good orientation and navigation

– visual content is identical with the shown works

wertlos.org (artist collective) [wertlos.org]

– distributed structure according to content

– seems like special knowledge is demanded: you should already know what you are looking for (“you see what you deserve”)

– visually not very appealing: text is the important thing, but is not good readable (comment: “I’d spend no more than 2 secs on this side”)

interactive web art

– the content is randomly generated and seemingly irrational

– form and content cannot be divided/the website is part of the art, it is the information (even when it’s twisted)/the medium is the message ?

get dizzy here: http://wwwwwwwww.jodi.org/

see: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jodi_(art_collective)

see: graph theory wikipedia for interesting structures

How to navigate at the New York Times Webpage? Better google the information you are looking for!

We came to the conclusion that the official MIT site is even more complicated than the Bauhaus site. Does that mean the more complicated it gets, the more sophisticated is the enterprise ?!

looking at the Bauhaus University site

– How many clicks do I need to get to specific content? (six clicks at least to get to GMU student works..)

– How do I know what the GMU is and what people are doing there ? (How many clicks..)

– What is to be done ?