Geek Graffiti 2009

Overview:

- Introductions.

- Explanations.

What we will be doing this semester semester:
- Documentation - Open our eyes and our cameras to what is going on around us.
- Creation - This class is about making stuff.
- Publication - How to use the street and the web to spread our ideas and projects far beyond 13th St.

What we won’t be doing:
- Writing graffiti - This course is not the place to learn how to become a “graffiti writer”. Graffiti writing is a craft for the extremely dedicated and is something that is learned from years of practice and apprenticeship rather than collegiate study. We will, however, study the written form, love the written form, and learn from the tricks and techniques developed over the 30+ year course of its history.

Go over Course Info.

Geek Graff Intro:

graf⋅fi⋅ti
- noun
“markings, as initials, slogans, or drawings, written, spray-painted, or sketched on a sidewalk, wall of a building or public restroom, or the like: These graffiti are evidence of the neighborhood’s decline.”

tech⋅nol⋅o⋅gy
-noun
“the branch of knowledge that deals with the creation and use of technical means and their interrelation with life, society, and the environment, drawing upon such subjects as industrial arts, engineering, applied science, and pure science.”

Identifying and hacking urban systems:

Interaction with architecture: fitting in not slapping on.

When in doubt look to graffiti writers.

When still in doubt look to Banksy.

The Pocket School of film:
A new form of American documentary cinema in which primary filming is done exclusively on consumer grade digital point and shoot cameras that can fit comfortably in ones pocket. The ability to never be without camera results in a higher likelihood of capturing informal everyday moments that would otherwise be missed. Filmographers of the Pocket School should ideally be able to produce a camera and begin filming in less the 10 seconds at all times. For examples if this form see the work of the Graffiti Research Lab.

* For the duration of this semester everyone is expected to be rolling pocket school at all times. Be prepared, pop-quizzes can occur at any moment.

Fu*K Flickr…. because ninjas don’t put their content on other people’s servers:
http://fffff.at/fuckflickr-info/

* Hand out login information for course website. Go over upload.

Name:
* After the break come back with an alias in mind which you will use for the rest of the semester. This is not a project you will be graded on, we just need new names. It can be something new, or it could be a handle you are already using online, but it might be worth picking a name that provides for some anonymity. For inspiration look to You Suck Until Future Notice.

Good News:
- You will all make projects in this class that are better than your thesis.
- Everyone will learn to see things in your immediate surroundings that you may have previously missed.
- Being forced to communicate via the web will be a good motivator towards creating an active class website.

Bad News:
- This virtual teacher stuff may take some getting used to. There will be awkward moments of silence, or when I forget the camera is on and I come to class in my pajamas….. but we are warriors and we will fight through it.
- Because I am not in the room I am going to be really tough about upload, and turning in assignments on time.
- I don’t want to hear about how busy you are with the thesis projects…….EVER! I’ve been through the program before so I know how important you think your thesis projects are…. I don’t care.

How To Succeed In This Class::
- Study the city for repeating elements and interesting systems that can be hacked.
- When in doubt create projects that make your friends laugh…. if they aren’t laughing chances are your project is boring.
- Think about the documentation before you begin.
- Get used to prototyping ideas quickly.

In Class:
- FTP into http://www.geekgraffiti2009.ni9e.com, go to ‘/photos/data/ and create a dir with you new name.
- Email me (evan at evan-roth.com) an email with the following information with the subject “Geek Graffiti Student Info)

- The email address at which you will be writing and receiving messages. I will use this to create a class email list serve.
- Your full name.
- Your class name.
- The link to your student we page.
- The link to your newly created fflickr directory.

I will respond to this email with your login to the class blog.

- Log into the class website and create a hello world post. It can be as long or as short as you wish. Once this is posted you are free to go.

Homework:
- Upload at least 10 photos of graffiti, street art, into your fu#kflickr directory
- Create a blog post with your favorite graff photo of the week.
- Identify (and take photos of) at least 3 systems in the city that are potentially ripe for hacking. Create a blog post with photos and brief descriptions of your systems.