Activities
We designed disc-o in the hope that it would be a fun and interesting way for students to explore the idea of mapping data from one domain to another. In our case, we're mapping x-y coordinate data to parameters that are controlling the generation of sounds and images. But that's just a start -- all kinds of physical, biological, numerical and other phenomena can be used as data sources for art-making. Composers have used the movement of the planets for melodic inspiration; artists have used complex algorithms to determine where to put marks on paper; dancers have used their own bio-rhythms to control the form of the dance. And it's not just in the arts that the idea of mapping is important; any time one system is controlling or influencing the behavior of another, there's a mapping of data between domains.
In addition to mapping, disc-o introduces the idea of a physical model or simulation of a system. Like most physical models, ours is a simplified, idealized version of the real thing. But it's close enough to let students get the feel for working in (and within the constraints of) a simulated environment. While many students will have played computer games that use models, this one is different in that there is no particular goal; getting a particular disc to a particular place in the pool isn't very interesting. What is interesting is setting up complex relationships between the elements of the model, and trying to figure out how to get those relationships to generate data that will ultimately produce interesting sounds and images.
Finally, disc-o can serve as a general introduction to the idea of generative or algorithmic art. Since it is very difficult to precisely control most of the elements in this system, you have to give up some low-level control in favor of higher level influence on the system. The idea of the artist relinquishing some degree of control over the creative process has been an important one in much contemporary (and even some ancient) art.
This page contains some suggestions for activities using the disc-o-master application. Some of them work well as group activities, while others are more appropriate for individual explorations. The instruction pages for some of the disc-o-modules contain additional activities specific to those modules.
disc-o in the classroom or computer lab
There are several ways to approach using disc-o in a classroom/computer lab situation. One is to have one central computer running the disc-o-master, and then to have students at their individual computers running disc-o-modules that all connect to that central disc-o-master. That way everyone is making sounds and images with the exact same data and it will become clear that interpreting the same data in different ways can lead to radically different results. (This approach works best when the disc-o-master is projected onto a screen so that the entire class can see it.)
Another approach is to let each student run both the disc-o-master and the disc-o-modules on her own computer. This gives the student control over the entire system and makes it much easier to explore the dynamics of the physical model and the different possibilities presented by each disc-o-module.
A third possibility is to have students form groups and have each group set up with one disc-o-master computer and several disc-o-module computers, as in the first example above.
Group compositions and improvisations
Students can collaborate on group compositions and improvisations. They can divide up the musical landscape in many different ways. One student may work on creating rhythms while another works on melodies. Or one student might decide to make only high-pitched sounds, another may work on bass sounds and a third might contribute sound effects.
They can all share the same central disc-o-master, or they can each work on their own configuration of walls and discs in their own disc-o-master. Fine control of the disc-o-modules is rather difficult, so playing with them tends toward improvisation. Students should be encouraged to listen to one another and to the sound of the group as a whole and try to alter their own sounds to fit into the group's sound in different ways.
- Come up with a broad form for an improvisation. For instance, start very soft and end very loud. Do several versions of the improvisation and talk about which ones worked well and which didn't.
- Alternate solo sections with group sections. Let everyone go crazy for a minute, and then suddenly give the sign for someone to take a solo. Players can use the mute button on the disc-o-modules to turn off their sound quickly.
- Have people form duets and trios and work together to create pieces to perform for the class. Maybe two people can work on creating a sound composition and a third can work on interesting images to go along with it.
- Have one student design a configuration of walls and discs and then ask several other students to use that design in a short performance. This could lead to an interesting discussion of authorship. Whose piece is it? Which has a bigger influence on the resulting piece, the design of the system, or the way the system's output is interpreted?
Designing mazes, traps and patterns
Students can use walls to create geometric designs in the pool. These designs can be both fun and functional.
- How would you make a maze that a disc can solve on its own?
- How can you lure a disc into a trap?
- What kinds of designs generate interesting disc behavior? Can you arrange walls in such a way that a disc follows a complicated, repeating pattern?
- Try setting up a pattern and then listening to the results using different disc-o-modules. Can you tell that each module is using the same information to generate its sound?
The shape of space
The torus feature (which controls whether a disc wraps around or bounces off when it hits a side wall) can be used as an introduction to different kinds of spaces. A torus is a space that is shaped like a donut; it has no edges. When a disc is in torus mode it's as if it were floating around in a donut; it can float continuously in any direction without hitting a wall.
- What would it be like if the classroom were a torus? (You'd walk out the door and reappear on the opposite side of the room...you could never go home!?!)
- Can you think of anything in the real world that is like a torus? What would a musical torus sound like?
Magnetism
Turning on magnetism can make the behavior of the discs unpredictable. You can't tell just by looking at a disc what its polarity is, so it's hard to know how discs will react when they get close to each other. Magnetism can also cause interesting patterns to emerge in the pool; after lots of initial bouncing around, the discs will often slowly settle into small clumps.
- We know that two discs of like polarity will repel and two discs of opposite polarity will attract. What happens when there are more than two discs?
- How does the pool change when magnetism is suddenly turned on? (This is most interesting if the discs are nearly still before magnetism is turned on.)
- Why do clumps of discs sometimes appear when magnetism is turned on?
- How can you transfer an idea like magnetism or clumpiness into the domain of music or painting? How could a dance piece work with magnetism? Can you use one of the disc-o-modules to make clumpy music?
Saving and loading configurations
Students may spend a lot of time fine-tuning a particular design or configuration. They can save their work by selecting "Save Session" from the file menu. The session can then be recalled by selecting "Load Session" from the file menu. Students could present their configurations to the class and talk a bit about how they were designed and what kinds of sounds and images they would work best with.
Some sample sessions are included in the SavedSessions folder.