Hacking is in nowadays a common practice and creative strategy employed among post-internet artists. By subverting the system, reverse engineering, hacking creative processes, defending access and openismus, they instrument a top-down methodology using deconstruction as a method to “make” art. Acknowledging Vilém Flusser's (1986) challenge of opening the “black box” they question what is behind commercial apparatus, defying its potentials with the awareness of the impact of technology in the current neo-liberal market. Built upon the belief that art practice can be a critical impetus for social change, hacking practices and methods might be constituted as a potential tool for activating the spectator, emancipating and leading them into the process of questioning the current consumer capitalism. Demystifying the black box is an invitation for those that are interested in intersecting their view points with other politics of perception contributing for a critical thought towards the necessity of demythifying and demystifying the apparatus.

Drawn on the context of the lecture the students will learn the basics of electronics and programming in order to develop interactive art projects with microcontrollers — Arduino, Teensy 3.1 and/or LilyPad. The program will focus on tangible human-computer interactive interfaces with practice applicability in the context of interactive, closed-circuit and mechanical installations. The students will be encouraged to create their own art projects inspired by DIY and open source communities.

Regular attendance, active participation and the development and production of a prototype is a prerequisite for obtaining a mark. Examination: 80% attendance; Literature study and preparation of project; Research material with design and schematics; Short text explanation of the project; prototype.

This lecture is mandatory for the 1st Semeter of Digital Art. Registrations from other departments are subjected to available seats.