MA Computational Arts

This module will provide you with an introduction to programming developing at a masters level. The module will introduce you to programming in the context of creative software development for creative or artistic practice. We'll cover a selection of topics, potentially including:  

• Procedural and generative drawing.
• Basic principles of programming - variables, conditionals, functions, loops.
• Compound data structures.
• Transformations and trigonometric functions.
• Basic algorithms and problem-solving techniques.
• Development of real-time, interactive software.
• Image processing techniques.
• Compound 2D shapes.
• Using external data sources.
• Using external libraries.
• Object orientated programming.

This module aims to offer you the opportunity to develop skills in applied audio and graphics programming through a series of lectures and lab sessions. You'll have practical experience with creative software development in the context of artistic practice. Sample topics delivered include:

• Using sensors and external hardware such as cameras.
• Generative algorithms.
• Approaches to data visualisation.
• Technologies and protocols for networked experiences.
• Use of diverse creative coding frameworks.

This module will enable you to produce an independent research-led practice project in an area of your choosing. You'll be able to apply the skills learnt through your MA to a single, coherent body or work. The work of the project will be largely defined and driven by the you. You'll work independently, in an area of your choosing, under the guidance of a supervisor chosen from the academic staff of the department.

In this module, you'll explore:

• Research methodologies for computational arts practices.
• Writing practices and multimedia documentation for computational arts.
• Visualising computational art theories through practical art projects.
• Exploring the Aesthetic, Epistemological and Political dimensions of computational art practices. 
• Genealogies of computational art including instruction, digital, data, network, activist and ubiquitous practices, Media Archaeology. 
• Computational Aesthetics, Critical Theory, Contemporary Philosophy, Science and Technology Studies, Feminist Technoscience, Post-Colonial critique, Data Practices; theories of Knowledge, Cognition, Complexity, Materiality, Ubiquity; practices of Speculation, Fictioning.

Advanced Audiovisual Processing aims to enhance your skills and experience in the development of software for the creation and manipulation of sounds and images, both in real and non-real-time.  

The module extends the principles of creative engineering for use in arts, games, and more general interaction scenarios so that you can develop your own projects through the use of computational approaches to audiovisual processing.

This module is an introduction to programming computer graphics, covering the basic principles of programming - variables, conditionals, functions, loops, data structures, as well as the principles of Object Oriented Programming. Within the module, you'll create computational work within the context of art and design.

You'll explore a selection of topics from the following:

• Procedural and generative drawing.
• Algorithms and problem-solving techniques.
• Development of interactive software.
• Image and video processing techniques.
• Installation practices.

In this module, you'll develop technical programming skills towards the use of advanced methods for creating complex forms and structures in virtual, as well as physical spaces. Topics include:  

• Object Oriented Programming (OOP).
• Programming 3D Environments and artefacts.
• Multi Agent systems (MAS).
• Generative methods for programming complex patterns.
• Data processing and visualisation.
• Human-computer interaction (HCI).

In this module, you'll explore the following topics: 

• Interactive performance theory.
• Digital audio, processing, and synthesis.
• Programming environments specific to performance and installation.

This module gives students an introduction to the art and craft of producing interactive fiction and delivering it on the Web. A historical overview of the field, from early examples of interactive narrative in theatre through books and film to computer-based interactive narrative, provides context for you to explore making your own works of interactive fiction, using engines for developing each of choice-based and parser-based narratives.

You will be expected to play through historical and contemporary works, critically assess them for effectiveness, and contribute to the playtesting and assessment of peers' work.

Physical Computing is an interdisciplinary area of computational art and design that blends conceptual thinking, programming, human factors, engineering, physics, a do-it-yourself (DIY) mentality, and physical crafting.  It is a subject, loosely defined, that often interests conceptual artists, game developers, musicians, digital designers, choreographers and other creative practitioners playing with interactions between electronic objects and people.  

This module introduces some of the basic electronics and programming skills to get practitioners started making interactive, computational, physical artefacts and systems.  It also introduces the basic strategies for physical prototyping and design necessary to start you on a co-evolutionary process of emergent computational art and design.   You'll apply these skills in your explorations of the physical making process and produce a series of interactive and physically animated experiences, appropriate to your programme.

Physical Computing is an interdisciplinary area of computational art and design that blends conceptual thinking, programming, human factors, engineering, physics, and physical crafting. This module introduces you to some of the intermediate prototyping, electronics, and programming skills necessary for practitioners making interactive, computational physical artefacts and systems. You'll also examine some more advanced knowledge of physical prototyping and design, such as human factors, user experiences and user testing, which are necessary to guide students in a co-evolutionary process of emergent computational art and design.

Building on the previous module, you'll learn tools and architectures for creating scalable and robust projects. You'll apply these skills in their explorations of the physical making process and work towards a large final outcome for the module, on which they will spend the majority of their time on the module.  

You'll work on developing a self-initiated project that explores advanced topics in the art of physical computing. These topics could include communication between embedded systems and software/frameworks from other modules, CNC fabrication such as 3D printing and laser cutting, and advanced strategies for building node-based, scalable projects.

This module will expose you to state-of-the-art techniques, tools, and open questions related to creative uses of data, signal processing, and machine learning. The emphasis will be on developing hands-on skills using these techniques in creative projects, and on exploring the creative potential of these techniques. 

This module does not emphasise machine learning algorithm design or theory, or require you to implement algorithms in program code.

This will be useful if you have previously studied machine learning or data mining in a computer science context. The focus is on using data analysis, signal processing, and machine learning to work with rich media data. Many of the machine-learning techniques covered in this module are outside the scope of more conventional machine-learning and data-mining modules. For instance, we will discuss generative algorithms capable of producing new sounds and images in a given style; we will discuss “interactive machine learning” approaches that learn from very small sets of user-provided examples. 

This module also complements current offerings related to physical computing and interaction design. For instance, students can use techniques explored in this module to build richer interactions with sensors used in physical computing.

In addition, you'll identify and address ethical, social, legal and professional issues in machine learning, including how they manifest in the industry. 

This module presents ways to: 

• Extend existing toolsets using computational methods.
• Explore ways to use code in a variety of software and/or hardware environments.
• Expose a variety of methods to develop algorithmic thinking.
• Develop critical thinking around software and/or hardware creation and usage.

This module will introduce you to topics in Extended Reality (XR), including 3D pipelines using game engines, Virtual Reality (VR) and Augmented Reality (AR), with a primary focus on VR.

You'll learn the basics of programming in game engines, focusing on user interaction, and providing students with 3D generalist knowledge for creating Extended Reality experiences. You'll gain practical experience making interactive applications as part of your own creative practice.

You'll explore the history of XR and its place in broader media art history, touching on the psychology of human perception and embodiment. Sample technical topics include: an introduction to XR hardware, 3D interaction (navigation, object interaction), virtual characters, working with 3D assets, and spatial sound.

Pervasive gaming and immersive theatre are two related fields that have enjoyed significant interest and growth over recent years.

This module will provide you with an opportunity to create embodied experiences, ranging from pervasive games, to escape rooms and theatrical installations. As well as consolidating skills learnt in other modules, you'll be taught a range of technical and soft skills necessary for producing large interdisciplinary projects.

This module will provide you with a detailed approach to iterative game design. From basic design tools to conceptualising, prototyping and playtesting an array of games, you'll learn how to create compelling game mechanics within playable experiences. Exploring how emotion, sensory experience, interaction design, framing and purpose unfold through game design, designers will grapple with the tools which make play compelling. Additionally, this class looks at the different kind of possible models for play such as cooperation, skill, experience, chance, whimsy, performance, expression and simulation.   

In addition to learning game design, you'll learn how to talk about and understand games. From designers working with a formalised ludic approach to artists exploring liminoid spaces within play, the range of approaches will be explored. You'll leave this class with a clear understanding of the state of games and play as well as with a lexicon on how to discuss work within this space.

What can game design learn from other forms of expression? How can we create successful playable spaces? How we can see game design in a broad way which goes beyond the digital? This module is a hands-on, practical game design lab which focuses on deep play and delivering meaning through the craft of play spaces. It explores the following topics: 

• learning how to critically analyze other forms of expression and bring those findings to games
• brainstorming, pitching and storyboarding experience design and deep games
• using metaphor in order to craft game mechanics which explore a certain topic
• experience design for spatial environments leveraging technology in multiple contexts such as theatre and museum installations
• rapid prototyping of games and playable experiences
• user testing and iteration to improve play experiences  

Leveraging student-driven experimentation, this module will provide you with an opportunity to rapidly prototype and explore different aspects of play, to craft meaningful game spaces and to understand how to bring non-game experiences to your creative practice. 

In this module, you'll learn foundational game technologies through practical in-engine work.  We'll explore the concepts underlying the functioning of a typical videogame and the operational pipeline to produce interactive content in a game engine with a minimal amount of coding. 

The creation of digital games as well as interactive experiences of various natures needs to be supported by an understanding of the technical aspects as well as by the knowledge of a typical development pipeline.

The development of an interactive experience doesn’t stop at coding. but it involves a series of visual tools and technology that work in concert towards the final outcome. Whatever the game engine is used in a studio or in a project, the underlying skills and concepts needed to create a satisfying product are common. 

This module focuses on the understanding of the visual tools used in game engines and on the use of them to create an interactive experience and aims to give students the tools for easily move to different creation environments, by making them experience concepts like cameras, composition, interactivity, animation and greyboxing. 

The first part of the module will introduce you to the general elements of a game engine. One side is exploring how we visualise and animate objects with a computer and the other is how we formalise these elements through the concept of classes, instances and components. You'll also understand what a game loop is, and the difference between frame-based and time-based approaches. At the same time, you'll work on simulated physics, sensors and collisions. 

The second part will give you an understanding of the visual tools of a typical game engine, ranging from the UI builder to camera management and animation systems, to simple shaders and VFXs with a particular focus on visual scripting. You'll learn how to integrate and control these aspects with minimal code, and which hybrid visual/coding approach is best suited for creating small games and prototypes. 

The lab part of the module offers in-lab challenges and tutorials finalized to the creation of a final small interactive experience based on a given brief. 

This module covers the basics of multi-platform game development, using one of the most popular game engines in the world: Unity. The module also teaches the fundamentals of C#, which is used to implement everything from your game logic to character controllers.

At the end of the module, you'll be able to create your very own game and publish it on different platforms.

This module will address the fundamentals of working with motion-capture and theories behind digital embodiment. The principles explored in the module can be applied to a range of contexts that involve the human body in movement, such as video games, animations, interactive experiences, performances, social VR, training and rehabilitation, and much more. 

You'll explore both pipelines for capturing and using recorded motion data, as well as using mocap for real-time applications. You'll discover the full workflow from asset rigging to using the mocap data for animations and creating live interactions.

The module will include hands-on sessions working directly with motion capture systems, as well as guest lectures from researchers, artists and industry leaders.

The module is accessible to students with reduced mobility and assessments can be performed even on students who cannot physically wear the mocap suit.