|
In this class the student will create a piece by hacking into common everyday devices and machines. In this way we will explore systems by examining the components and repurposing them for a new system designed by the student. On a larger scale, we will look at how entire systems can be repurposed with little modification to the original system. This will include looking into the workings of game systems and common appliances. The class will look at both the hardware and the software sides of recycling technology. We will also be looking at “throwaway culture”. Issues surrounding the ethics, effects, and solutions for discarded technology are covered. Currently only 2% of consumers will hold onto a particular device for 5 years. What can we recycle from this throwaway technology and what should we do with what can’t be repurposed? This deconstructionist approach to physical computing includes creating our own components from the ground up as part of the new system. By by co-opting the components of other systems and combining them with our own, the students have the opportunity to explore the make up of a system, create a new one, and provide commentary about technology in todays culture. We hack into things – we go in and modify a component to alter it’s original function, we make something new. |