Build, Break and Broadcast II

Build, Break and Broadcast II
Trimester 1, Sep.-Dec. 2010
Thematic Project Tutors: Moddr

Rule #1: Fear not! Ignorance is bliss, anything worth doing is worth doing wrong, and two wrongs can make a right.
Nicolas Collins, The Seven Basic Rules of Hacking, 2009

Build, Break and Broadcast II is a thematic project dedicated to radical hands-on research, the perils of trial and error and hacking within mediated environments. Building on the 2009 edition of this project, we will be exploring critical system design at the intersection of user interfaces, networked applications and digital hardware. Our research will be oriented towards an integral understanding of the underlying structures of modern everyday technology.

On a practical level, students will learn how to solder, wire and program an Arduino board. They will also be applying hardware hacks to embedded devices and learn powerful UNIX applications. Next to tinkering with hardware and testing different software, we will be reading for each session a selection of related theoretical texts from the Build, Break and Broadcast II Reader. Through close readings and critical discussions, the aim is to stimulate and contextualize DIY practice-based research within a broader frame of reference.

Moddr is your ‘unfriendly’ neighbourhood medialab. Co-founded by Danja Vassiliev, Walter Langelaar & Gordan Savicic. A large part of their practice involves the modification (modding) and re-creation of already existing technology. They have presented their projects at various national and international festivals and received critical attention for their project, the Web 2.0 Suicide Machine. For a comprehensive view of their projects see: http://moddr.net/