Assignment 04, Unit 01
Page of Contents:
Week 01
- Getting Started
- Iteration 01 – Replication
Week 02
- Sketching with Code
- Computational Design
- Iterations
Week 03
- Kaleidoscopic Iterations
- Written Response
- Workbook
Week 01
Original Reference
For this assignment, I chose to replicate Alida Sun’s artwork made through the medium C++ and AV synesthesia (alidasun, 2025) to try my hand at creative coding. Sun’s work aligns creative coding with resistance against big tech. Her “distortion” and “low-poly” aesthetics function as a form of refusal of smoothness and efficiency, and instead favours expressive friction.
While I didn’t have full information how this piece was constructed – I decided to keep two things in my process: an interaction that triggers the ‘star’ response and using, frankly, curiosity and play to figure out this process (as the artist aptly advises).
Iteration 01 – Replication
Using YouTube tutorials and AI supported input, I first coded in a mouse-responsive version of this iteration, where the ‘arm’ moves when dragged with the mouse and creates stars.
Coming with very little background in code, this process was challenging as it felt like working – quite literally – in a different language.
I had to work a little more, with the help of technicians, who helped me add a interactive model in my code, that assessed the hand gestures through the webcam to fully create the interaction I wanted.
This was my first full iteration for the reference:
You can also view the full sketch here.
In my iterations moving forward, I wanted to experiment with visual and sonic disruption and interaction while learning how to code, as a way of exploring the methods of coding “fluency”. While AI-assisted coding is a pragmatic support, I also wanted to echo Sun’s resistance by adopting the early pedagogical approaches of coding. I want to dive into the iterative process with repetitions, exercises and incremental development and emphasize on learning through sustained effort by engaging in its community and literature.
Week 02
Sketching with Code