Teaching
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Live Image Processing and Performance
This course teaches the ins and outs of using imagery in real-time within a performance context. The class will use OBS and MaxMSPJitter to study various ways of manipulating visual media (video, still imagery, live camera feeds) in integration with various interactive elements (sound, physical interfaces, sensors) in order to create dynamic and replicable performance systems with a focus on remote and online spaces.
We will look at ways in which images are represented by a computer in order to increase our understanding of these systems and expand our visual/digital palette. We will then apply that understanding to a variety of different performance formats and contexts while discussing strategies and techniques for creating compelling performances.Students will be assigned short solo and duet performances based on the ideas of computer desktops, text, and cell phones as well as a group project based on practices found in object theater & experimental animation. The final project will a collaboratively online TV show called LIPP TV hosted and produced by the instructor and presented as a live performance to the public.
University: NYU ITP & IMA
Years: 2019 | 2020 | 2021 | 2022
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Performative Avatars
Whether it’s through photo realistic scans found in current generation video games or the cartoonish and low-fi aesthetic of Bitmoji there is no limit to ways in which the body and the self are represented in digital spaces. As digital spaces proliferate our lives it is important to think critically and expansively not only about how we represent ourselves in them, but how others are represented as well. This 2 credit class will look at how avatars are being used in art, entertainment, and social spaces and utilize existing avatar creation tools to develop projects that examine the many aspects of identity, embodiment, and self.
We will dive into using Unreal Engine, a game engine used in a variety of industries, with a focus on skeletal meshes, rigging, animation, cameras, and more. This will culminate in a short film made using Unreal Engine that will act as the final project for the class. To supplement the technical side of the class we will be reading and discussing articles, news stories, and research papers that address the ethical complexities in creating and controlling digital bodies and the ways in which the inequities and injustices of the physical world are repeated and reinforced in the digital world.performance to the public.
University: NYU ITP IMA
Years: 2018 | 2019 | 2020| 2021 | 2022
Syllabus: https://matt-romein-teaching.notion.site/Performative-Avatars-1708d6bd4a0880f784edf165ffd977d6?pvs=4
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Reimagining Zoom
Zoom has become one of the primary modes of gathering, communicating, and interacting with many of the people in our lives. This simple but robust tool has replaced the complexity found in typical day to day modes of engagement with tiny portals locked in a grid. Everyone is burnt out, everyone is tired of it, and everyone dreads the next Zoom meeting in their calendar. This class is all about bringing a sense of joy, fun, and experimentation to our online gathering spaces.
Over 7 weeks we will engage in a series of prompts and experiments to reimagine what kind of experiences we can have on online social spaces, culminating in a collectively designed event open to the NYU community. We will look at tools such as OBS, Virtual Cameras, Virtual Audio, and more to learn how we can control and manipulate our audio and video portals. From there we will explore an online platform called OhYay to look at how we can collectively design new spaces for online community.
University: NYU ITP
Years: 2021
Syllabus: https://matt-romein-teaching.notion.site/Reimagining-Zoom-1708d6bd4a08809382e5f4be79f27adc?pvs=4
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