Course General Description

Creative processes have always manipulated materials to make artefacts that are beautiful, useful and engaging. Extending the notion of material to include intangible things such as computation leads to very different types of objects – those that have behaviour and interact in new ways. While the underlying computational principles are invariant, the form that objects that are built using computation as an ingredient covers a wide spectrum including installations that interact, toys that intrigue and puzzle, apps that react based on the users situation, health products that talk to an expert system and narratives that evolve. As machine learning and artificial intelligence appears in an increasing number of situations, in there is an urgent need to have professionals who understand both the human and the technological, and build digital and physical objects that satisfy human needs in ways that are both ethical and meaningful. Building such objects requires both design as well as algorithmic thinking. It requires working with technologies that are still evolving, often experimental and which require tinkering to develop with. While frameworks and tools exist, they are not well-established and the landscape here is dynamic and changes fast. Practitioners can seek to position themselves in spaces that range from functional and useful to whimsical or enlightened.

School General Description

Srishti Institute of Art, Design & Technology (Srishti) is a design school established in 1996 by the Ujwal Trust in Bangalore, India. It offers design education in Digital Video Production, Film, Visual Communication, Experimental Media Arts, Design in Education, Textile Design, Animation and Visual Effects, Interaction Design, Product and Interface Design, Furniture and Spatial Design, Business Systems and Design and much more. Srishti has a number of centers and labs that offer practice- and research-based environments for students and faculty from a multitude of disciplines. These include (in alphabetical order): BHSI – Bangalore Human Sciences Initiative CEMA – Center for Experimental Media Arts CERTAD – Centre for Education, Research, Training and Development CPH – Centre for Public History GRIDs – Grassroots Innovation Design Studio Kabir Project[5] LEDLAB – Law+Environment+Design Laboratory Srishti Films Srishti Labs DesignEARTH Lab Natural Fibres Lab Pandimonium Lab SUI-Srishti Collaborative Blank Noise Srishti's culture encourages thinking, questioning and experimenting to harness the artistic and intellectual potential of each individual and place the institution at the leading edge of contemporary art and design discourse. A multi-disciplinary approach inculcates self-initiated learning and independent thinking and expands perceptual perspectives. Regular interaction with design studios, production and distribution centers, community projects, retail establishments and industry forms a vital bridge between Srishti and the world.