This is the third lab for computational art (CS1) using Processing where students write a program that creates an interactive sketch including a surrealist juxtaposition (i.e. the juxtaposition of two things that create a sense of surprise based on their presence in the same frame). The goals for this lab are:
- Practice writing an interactive Processing program
- Practice using conditionals in your program
- Practice testing where the mouse is clicked within an area of your scene
- Practice using variables to control appearance
- Make an interactive program that visually changes when a mouse is clicked in a certain area
- Learn about surrealism
As with prior lab assignments, I recommend having students set up a Pinterest account to share their creations. This provides students an opportunity to pin reference art (which I tie into the research phase of the engineering design process) and to pin final results and share their work more broadly with friends and family. Another option is to have students set up their own webpage (if possible) and export their sketch to run as javascript so the interactive elements of their sketch are also shareable more widely.
Art is a compelling context to many students and is thus meaningful and relevant as well as interdisciplinary. In this lab, students see how they can use programming to create expressive art and use conditionals to change the behavior of their sketch. The final art piece is then demonstrated to the instructor or TA in class. Within the confines of the assignment, students are allowed to choose their own surrealist juxtaposition.