School of Machines, Making & Make-Believe

Berliners, come join us tonight for another edition of Cereal Party: 5 strangers, 5 minutes, and a bowl of cereal over deep conversation at the Opening Night 2023 event at !!!

Spaces are first come, first serve but you can sign-up for a golden ticket to jump ahead of the line here: https://www.schoolofma.org/programs/p/pictoplasma2023-cereal-party (Link also in bio).

School of Machines Cereal Party will run from 8pm - 9:30pm along with other fun and exciting character-themed events throughout the ACUD compound. Bring your friends and see you there! w/ Rita Eperjesi

‘The Godfather of A.I.’ Leaves Google and Warns of Danger Ahead

‘The Godfather of A.I.’ Leaves Google and Warns of Danger Ahead For half a century, Geoffrey Hinton nurtured the technology at the heart of chatbots like ChatGPT. Now he worries it will cause serious harm.

What can we learn from transforming small self-tracking datasets into creative computational sketches that explore our human bodies as complex systems? Our 5-week online program aims to bring a small group of thoughtful humans together to find out.

(Image 2) In a past course on self-tracking by the prolific multi-disciplinary artist and researcher, Kit Kuksenok {), participants from Radical Imperfection in Time Tracking started a Data Visualisation Exquisite Co**se during and beyond their class. It started with one person creating a data visualisation, which they passed onto the next person with no contextual information, who would then responds creatively to this with another data visualisation, before sending it onto the next email in the list. Like this, the chain kept growing with each response interpreting and building upon the last. Projects shown from

The conversations in class around what data is and isn't, and what we are and are not, are always thought-provoking and insightful! If this is an area you'd like to explore further, sign-up! Link in bio and: https://www.schoolofma.org/programs/p/spring2023-body-data-and-complex-systems

Interactive Berlin: Designing Interactive Artworks for Public Space
How does our message change when we take art out of the gallery and into public space?

Course description:

This program is about creating artworks not for the gallery but for residing in public space: it aims to produce collaborative public artworks to be displayed in Volkspark am Weinberg in Berlin Mitte. We will use electronics, various materials and fabrication techniques and explore how they can work seamlessly together to help students express themselves.

The goal is for students to develop ways to approach, navigate, and realize those ideas that just seem too big, too deep, or too powerful to become real. With some tools and guidance, any idea can be broken down into a process and series of steps to take.

Students will be introduced to:

_How to concretize ideas
_Electronics
_Basics of coding and sensors
_Building interfaces and circuits
_Creating interaction with sound
_Working with paint and other materials
_Installation and fabrication techniques
_Project management + Professional development
_Critical and conceptual development of projects
_An amazing network and community of like-minded creative beings and potential future collaborators
_With brilliant instructors and more!

This month-long intensive program will equip artists with the technical expertise and confidence needed to continue working on their own projects long after the program has ended.

More info and application on our website! Link in bio and https://www.schoolofma.org/

3. - 28. July, 2023
Based in Berlin, Germany
Four weeks, full-time
Small class of participants
Discounted rates till May 1st

We're excited to be working closely with and their international conference on Computation, Communication, Aesthetics & X taking place 5-7 July 2023, in Weimar, Germany.

one of the festival's brilliant co-founders attended our very first School of Machines program in 2014, one year after their festival was founded. And now it's 11 years old. Oh, how time flies! :)

Tickets to attend the conference are now available from our website. More info about the official program coming soon. If you plan to be in Germany this July, consider joining us!

Visit their site for more info: https://xcoax.org/

Who wants to take a much deserved work vacation to come and learn and play this summer at School of Machines?

How can we create meaningful experiences and tell stories by making things interactive? This course will focus on physical computing, interactivity, materials and fabrication, with the goal of creating a series of interactive public artworks by programs end. We will use electronics and various materials and fabrication techniques and explore how they can work seamlessly together to help you express the ideas inside your head now and in the future.

This program is geared toward anyone involved in creative fields (conceptual artists, architects, designers, makers, builders, visual artists, performers, production workers in theater, film, and tv, etc.) interested in expanding their creative practice into designing interactive artworks for the public domain. No previous experience necessary.

Photo from our 4-week summer program Waiting and Escaping in 2019 during 's short visit to the school. This summer he'll be with us for the month of July! 🎉 Can't wait! 🎉

🗓️Interactive Berlin runs 3. - 28. July, 2023
⌚️4 weeks full-time in Berlin, Germany
📌Participants will develop projects for public showcase at programs end
🕶Professional development for Artists workshop included
👾 Additional month-long residency (August) for those who join us

More info, link in bio and at: https://www.schoolofma.org/summer-2023-interactive-berlin

Early fees until 1. May

Photos from IMPAKT's post

Python for creative practices.

This course will take some time to review the basics of programming in Python before looking at a few interesting examples of how you can use Python to elevate, automate or activate your creative processes. There will be lots of time for questions and lots of opportunity to direct the examples together as a class.

In the first half of the course, instructor and students will review some programming basics and move on to some intermediate topics that will help get the most from Python.

The second half of the course will cover specific applications in response to the creative interests of the class. The intention is to show examples that will be most useful to students as they develop their own specific projects. For example, Python in relation to: Telegram bots, Large Language Models (LLMs) - e.g. GPT-3, working with hardware (rapsberry pi, sensors, etc.), data, Blender, TouchDesigner, OSC for communicating with other programs, and more.

If you have had experience with another programming language or worked your way through an “intro to python” class at some point within the last decade, you probably have the prerequisites for the course.

🗓️Starts March 14th
⌚️10 weeks
📌Online

More info at www.schoolofma.org

Our friends at Theater are running Clown workshops for beginners! 6. & 7. March, and again 4. & 5. April. If you know somebody, who might be interested, please feel free to share with them this information and links:

https://www.acud-theater.de/programm/5335-2-x-2.html

and

https://www.acud-theater.de/programm/5336-2-x-2.html

Many peeps write us to inquire about teaching at School of Machines. Now here is your opportunity to come get to know the community first and then submit your pitch, this Sat. 11. March!

You do not need to have a plan to pitch in order to join but we will only accept pitches from those who have participated. For more info, and to sign-up, visit: https://www.schoolofma.org/class-pitch-conversation-sign-up

I WANNA START MAKING MORE MONEY AS AN ARTIST!

Everyone talks a lot about making art but not enough people talk about how to make a living from art. If you have unanswered questions about the professional side of your art practice, from how to begin and beyond, we invite you to join our Professional Development for Artists class 25. - 26. March in Berlin!

The world needs more thoughtful artists realizing the true value of their voice and leveling up their art practice for all to see. We're here in support! If this sounds like your own interests and goals, come join us!

This weekend workshop will be led by the wonderfully inciteful human and profi artist manager, Michele Walther.

Raving testimonial:
"Working with Michele all these years has been a true godsend. She's the best! Don't miss out on the opportunity to glean her knowledge about being taken seriously in the art/digital art/new media art space. Seriously." - School of Machines :)

For more info and to sign-up, visit: https://www.schoolofma.org/programs/p/spring2023-professional-development-for-artists

We are often asked about the possibility of exchanging work for participation in a class. This is one such (temporary) opportunity! If you're in Berlin next week and have some free time to help us out, have a look here: https://www.schoolofma.org/news/work-exchange

:)

Have you ever been been creating digital artwork with google colab and everything works great but the next time you open up to the notebook, you're confronted with an error message you have no idea what to do with? If so, our upcoming class, Python(for) “confuse{d” art):ists is for you!

We're super excited to explore this topic and more artist python woes in this online course being taught by creative technologist Meredith Thomas beginning 14. March.

A limited amount of solidarity tickets (€200) are available for women, BIPOC & LGBTQIA+ in need. Come join us! https://www.schoolofma.org/programs/p/spring2023-python-for-confused-artists



For more info and to sign-up, visit: https://www.schoolofma.org/programs/p/spring2023-python-for-confused-artists

Augmented reality headset enables users to see hidden objects

Augmented reality headset enables users to see hidden objects MIT researchers developed an augmented reality headset called X-AR that combines computer vision and wireless perception to find hidden objects in a room and then guide the wearer to retrieve the targeted item.

What can we gain from a deeper understanding of our physical bodies using technology as a critical lens with which to see ourselves? We are super excited to explore this and more in the online course, Algorithmic Bodies, by Artist/Designer/Educator Helin Ulas, beginning 16. March.

In this course, we invite you to see your body anew, and to reclaim its possibilities, as we explore and collect memories of our selves through visual (footage) and textual means. will serve as a tool for better understanding the relationship between technology and physical form and exploring the potential for technology to enhance our self-expression. The hands-on nature of the course will give us a deeper understanding of how technology affects our bodies and how it can be used creatively to share the narratives we wish to convey.

In the photo, Helin was using Touch Designer for live performance in Berlin last summer via .lab

A limited amount of solidarity tickets (€100) are available for women, BIPOC & LGBTQIA+ in need. Come join us! https://www.schoolofma.org/programs/p/spring2023-algorithmic-bodies

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How a Drake concert showed up NYPD’s ‘arsenal’ of surveillance technology

How a Drake concert showed up NYPD’s ‘arsenal’ of surveillance technology Tens of thousands of cameras and facial recognition software police the nation’s largest city and its world-renowned performances halls. Watchdogs and lawmakers are calling on NYPD and billionaire-owned venues to hit pause, Alex Woodward reports

Picsart's 'Replace My Ex' is the most savage AI art tool yet

Picsart's 'Replace My Ex' is the most savage AI art tool yet Snakes don't hiss.

This 22-year-old is trying to save us from ChatGPT before it changes writing forever

This 22-year-old is trying to save us from ChatGPT before it changes writing forever A college kid's mission to prevent misuse of artificial intelligence.

The man who married a hologram in Japan can no longer communicate with his virtual wife

The man who married a hologram in Japan can no longer communicate with his virtual wife The software that allowed the interaction is no longer supported and the man can no longer interact with the hologram with which he had a relationship for years.

CODE panel at today, 12:30-14❗️Livestream info below. ⁠Repost from IMPAKT
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Modelled on rules of computation, experiments with DAO’s, blockchains, and smart contracts all point to new possibilities for solutions to politics. On 2 February, 12:30 – 14:00, we talk about the opportunities and limitations of these decentralised technologies in the panel Proof-of-Scale at festival in Berlin. ⁠
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The panel is part of CODE 2023, a programme bringing together artists, non-artists, politicians and concerned citizens around the theme of our digital rights.⁠

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🎤 Speakers include: anthropologist Miriyam Aouragh, researcher Nick Houde, curator and researcher Paulien Dresscher, and political theorist at The New Institute and Humboldt-University of Berlin Rahel Süß ().⁠
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You can visit the panel with a transmediale festival ticket or watch the livestream for free! or https://impakt.nl/events/2023/panel-discussion/proof-of-scale-at-transmediale/⁠
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How can we help each other get on in this world? As we all know by now, human communication is complicated. As humans, at times we wanna open up and be more real with others but the opportunity rarely presents itself. And yet, communication is essential for our survival. So let’s practice this communication thing together this Saturday and enjoy some intimate conversations with strangers! Plus, there will be cake!

We will host two one-hour conversations* for six people at a time, one at 5pm and another at 8pm. Each group will be presented with a series of questions, and the possibility to discuss with other curious humans things you love/hate, how you experience the world, and what hopes and dreams you have for yourself and for others in this lifetime. You know, the easy stuff. The plan will be to be as open, thoughtful, playful, and as honest as we can be together, so please prepare yourselves! It will be lovely!

Cake and Vorspiel is a special event being brought to you by School of Machines, Making & Make-Believe and School of Humans as part of transmediale Vorspiel 2023 festivities.

School of Machines, Making & Make-Believe is an organisation born in 2014, dedicated to creating one-of-a-kind hands-on learning experiences at the intersection of art, technology, design, and human connection.

School of Humans, it’s sister organisation, is being brought into being with the idea that there are many important aspects of being human that should be explored which may have nothing at all to do with technology. It is dedicated to the imaginative and thoughtful exploration of humans and human experiences. We hope you’ll join us for this one! Link In Bio. Or copy this: https://www.schoolofma.org/programs/p/vorspiel2023

*Spots are limited! PLEASE SIGN-UP FOR ONLY ONE TIME SLOT, ONE TICKET, AND DO NOT INVITE YOUR FRIENDS! LOL. BUT SERIOUSLY, FROM EXPERIENCE, THIS WILL BE MUCH MORE FUN WITH STRANGERS. :)