WS23 – TD – CM – Content Creation for Immersive Art Spaces
In English Language
01 / September 25th / 6-9 pm / Online via Zoom
02 / October 2nd / 6-9 pm / Online via Zoom
03 / October 5th / 6-9 pm / Online via Zoom
04 / October 9th / 6-9 pm / Online via Zoom
05 / October 12th / 10 am – 15 pm / On location at Kunstkraftwerk Leipzig
The first four sessons will be recorded and become available online the day after the live lesson. However, a big part of this course will be live consultations on the participants design, which naturally work only in a realtime communication situation.
Content Creation for Immersive Art Spaces
Immersive art spaces have been sprouting across the globe, establishing themselves as a novel platform for audiovisual media art. They have garnered immense popularity among diverse audiences, promising a fresh media encounter inspired by virtual worlds, projection mapping, and the iconic StarTrek holodeck. The spectrum ranges from innovative projects (such as https://www.artechouse.com) spotlighting contemporary media art to hommages to artists long departed (a quick search of the multitude of immersive Van Gogh experiences illustrates this phenomenon). Many believe that the current juncture is pivotal for demonstrating the artistic value of this medium, transcending the mere exploitation for tourist attractions.
Kunstkraftwerk Leipzig stands as a pioneer in Germany, repurposing an old industrial monument for this innovative format. The venue has partnered with Bright Festival Connect Leipzig to foster creativity as a conduit for connecting cultures, countries, and people. Festival Tickets are complimentary for course participants!
As part of the collaboration between Kunstkraftwerk, Bright Festival Connect (October 12th to 15th, 2023), and The NODE Institute, we present a course helmed by seasoned Experience Designer Stefan Kraus (MXZEHN). This course not only offers participants the chance to delve into content creation for immersive spaces but also invites them to craft a short piece for the Maschinenhalle at KKW in Leipzig. This piece can be experienced and manipulated during Bright Festival on October 12th in Leipzig.
As you are already attending the Festival, you might also be interested in another workshop organized by Derivative and Bright Festival featuring the TouchDesigner experts from Elastique (more info and tickets here), as well as the TouchDesigner Meetup hosted by The NODE Institute, Derivative, and Bright Festival on October 13th (more info and free registration coming soon).
About the Course:
In this course, our focus will be on exploring ideas and techniques for creating captivating and distinctive content tailored for immersive spaces. A significant challenge, akin to projection mapping, lies in understanding how the space and visual content synergize during production. To address this, we will employ a 3D scanned model of the Maschinenhalle at Kunstkraftwerk Leipzig to construct a real-time simulation in TouchDesigner. We will learn to preview our work in VR, generate walkthroughs, and explore alternative methods of experiencing our animations before physically entering the actual venue.
With the simulation in place, we will delve into various content creation approaches. These range from generative, audio-driven content in TouchDesigner to pre-rendered 2D and 3D animations from software like After Effects, Cinema4D, Blender, or any tool participants are comfortable with. We will also talk about how a good sound design can alter the experience of the viewers and how we could leverage TouchDesigner to spatialise sound to help immersion.
Irrespective of your creative vision, we will guide you in refining it from concept to execution, drawing on two decades of experience in professional design education.
While the course is designed with the assumption that participants already possess a foundational understanding of TouchDesigner, it’s important to note that the creative process of content production transcends the boundaries of any single tool. Under the expert guidance of Stefan Kraus, attendees will embark on a journey to create a concise audiovisual composition through a series of iterative steps. The ultimate showcase will feature input and critique from notable figures representing Bright Festival and Kunstkraftwerk, both of whom continuously seek out promising new talent.
What if you can not attend the Bright Festival Connect in Leipzig, Germany?
We are aware that most of our students do not live in Germany, and many of them may not be able to attend the Festival in person. While we won’t be able to stream the experience on location, we will showcase their pieces and document them with video. We will also encourage other participants to do the same, so remote participants can get a multifaceted impression of how the content felt “in real life.”
Additionally, we are considering hosting an extra Zoom session for these participants to watch the recordings together and provide feedback on the actual on-location experience.
Requirements
This module is made for participants, who have a basic understanding of TouchDesigner, but do not need any experience with shader languages. If you just getting started, please visit our Beginners Course first.
It is further recommended to familiarize yourself with the free 3D software Blender and have at least a demo version of Adobe After Effects and Photoshop (or similar) at hands.
- A recent PC or MAC Computer (discrete GPU recommended) with stable internet connection
- The latest build of TouchDesigner installed
- Zoom Client installed (please test your audio setup beforehand), wired internet is recommended
- 3-Button Mouse recommended
About the Instructor
http://www.mxzehn.de
The Berlin based media artist and educator, Stefan Kraus, is co-founder of the creative coding education hub, The NODE Institute, the projection mapping festival, Genius Loci Weimar, and the media art studio, MXZEHN. Trained as an architect, Stefan explores the augmentation of physical structures using interactive and generative media and the narrative potential of abstract imagery. He holds a special interest in the art of live visual improvisation and creates augmented scenographies for theater, dance and music performances. After teaching Interaction Design at Bauhaus-University Weimar for over two decades, Stefan now enjoys sharing his knowledge and experience with the creative coding community. His studio produces interactive installations, live media performances and augmented reality applications for commercial clients, festivals, institutions and exhibitions.
Flexible Pricing
As with all our courses, we offer three pricing categories to accommodate the different economic value this course can have to different participants. Be fair and respect our work and the instructors by doing the right thing! Assess your situation and choose which ticket is right for you.
– Student & Hobbyist
You are currently studying or want to learn TouchDesigner for personal reasons that are not related to your source of income.
– Professional
You are working professionally as a self employed or freelancing person and want to learn TouchDesigner to advance your career and win new customers by expanding your skills.
Maybe you work as an employee in another field, but want to qualify yourself for new challenges, yet your company is not supporting you on this path.
– Company
You are employed with or are running a company that will leverage the new skills acquired in their work with clients. You want to further qualify your employees and support them on their learning path.
Pricing
Student – 5 Modules at 50 EUR each = 250 EUR / BUY NOW!
Professional – 5 Modules at 100 EUR each = 500 EUR / BUY NOW!
