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THE DARTMOUTH WINTER CARNIVAL ISSUE
FRIDAY, FEBRUARY 9, 2018
Digital arts program offers interdisciplinary study plans makes good art.” In addition to not requiring The Dartmouth Staff previous artistic ability, digital arts The phrase “digital arts” may classes are accessible to students seem paradoxical: a confluence of without a great deal of coding ability. two fields that have almost nothing “Unlike traditional CS classes, in common. At Dartmouth, however, [‘3D Digital Modeling’] requires students and faculty have worked no coding ability and very little together to create innovative projects computer knowledge even,” he said. at the heart of the intersection “I would say that as long as you can move a mouse and click on things and between art and technology. In the past two decades, the read, you’ll be one hundred percent College has increasingly focused on okay with taking this class, as long as the digital arts, in conjunction with you’re willing to put in the work.” the field’s explosive rise in the wider This accessibility is what gives world. Today, Dartmouth has a digital the program of study such broad arts minor, a modified major and a appeal. Computer science professor specialized graduate studies program Lorie Loeb, the director of digital for students interested in exploring arts at Dartmouth, said the program is working to increase collaboration this interdisciplinary field further. One of the things that makes and crossover across departments. digital arts at Dartmouth so unique “We’re really trying hard to be is the sheer number of departments as interdisciplinary as possible,” it encompasses. With classes available Loeb said. “So students in studio art in the computer science, studio art, are welcome to come and use our film and media studies, engineering, computers, and get help on things. music and theater departments, We’re really working with the faculty the program is one of the most and staff in studio art and film and interdisciplinary at the College. theater to coordinate and cooperate In these classes, students learn a as much as we can.” variety of different skills, including Studio art professor Karolina 3D modeling, 3D animation, digital Kawiaka, who teaches a course in design, Photoshop, virtual reality, digital drawing, also emphasized the diverse array interactive of students who installations, 3D “We’re really participate in printing, laser trying hard to be the digital arts cutting and program. sound editing. as interdisciplinary “My classes in Most students as possible. So digital art have no come into these prerequisites, so I classes with little students in studio get students from to no artistic art are welcome to many departments, ability, and the come and use our i n c l u d i n g course draws engineering and students from all computers, and get different majors. help on things. We’re computer science,” Kawiaka said. Justin Luo ’20, “They take that who is pursuing really working with knowledge and a c o m p u t e r the faculty and staff integrate it with science major in studio art and the different other modified with areas of art that are d i g i t a l a r t s , film and theater offered.” said the digital to coordinate and Students who arts faculty participate in these work to make cooperate as much courses spend t h e p ro g r a m as we can.” countless hours in accessible the studio working to ever yone regardless of -LORIE LOEB, COMPUTER on their projects, for the digital arts previous ability. SCIENCE PROFESSOR program is also one “I think [the of the most handsprofessors] and AND DIRECTOR OF on at Dartmouth. the TAs make DIGITAL ARTS They are guided it really easy for by faculty who someone who are at the peak of d o e s n’t h ave their field, such as any artistic background to be able to come in computer science professor Patricia and just give it their best shot,” said Hannaway, who teaches a computer Luo, describing the “3D Digital animation course. Hannaway was Modeling” class offered by the the senior animator for the character computer science department. “They “Gollum” in “Lord of the Rings: The teach you how to create 3D models Two Towers,” in addition to various that look visually appealing. I think a other film credits. lot of the class was just experimenting Computer science professor and just learning how to be artistic Wojciech Jarosz, who teaches a course too. It taught you a lot about what in computer graphics, has done work
By KYLEE SIBILIA
COURTESY OF LORIE LOEB
Computer science professor and director of digital arts Lorie Loeb said that the digital arts program works to increase collaboration and crossover across departments.
on Disney’s “Tangled,” “Frozen,” and “Big Hero 6.” The experience of professors such as these is valuable in classes in which students are taught the programs used to create famous animated films. “It’s really cool to literally be taught the program that the professionals are using,” Luo said. “It really just shows how much of a hands on department and program it is.” There is no limit to the variety of projects students create through involvement with the digital arts program. Music professor Michael Casey, who teaches several digital arts classes in the computer science and music departments, named some of the interesting projects he has come across in his time teaching digital arts students. “I’ve had students who have done sculpture, and the sculpture’s been interactive in the sense that it has code behind it that will detect when someone’s moving or close to the sculpture, and then it will react in some way,” Casey said. “I’ve had students in music who make digital musical instruments and then play them in a performance.” Loeb also said she has seen a wide array of student projects. “A lot of students work to make a short animated film that they write, and they do all the modeling, animate it, and they render it out and they model it,” Loeb said. “Some students do virtual reality games, or regular video games. Some people use engineering to build interactive drawing machines. It’s quite cool, the range of things people make in class.” Every spring, the digital arts program puts on an expo called the Digital Arts Exhibition in which student projects are put on display. Loeb said the ingenuity of a program
like digital arts is that it combines said her experience with animating such wildly different fields. human models has made here more “Any time you mix two fields like aware of the way people move in real that, art and technology, you really life. are at the cutting edge,” Loeb said. “We had to be observant of what “Does the computer become a tool for things look like in real life, because making art, or does art become a tool if you understand what happens in for understanding the computer?” real life, than you can animate it more Casey attributed the uniqueness easily,” Hodel said. “Even just the way of digital arts people walk, because to its ability to you have to look at walk combine the “My classes in cycles. So now I notice intangible with digital arts have no the different walk cycles the tangible. that people have in real prerequisites, so I “ We a r e life.” finding more get students from U l t i m a t e l y, and more ways many departments, the most influential for the digital thing about digital to become the including arts at Dartmouth is a c t u a l , t h e engineering and the way students and real,” Casey faculty have taken this said. “There computer science. connection between may be code They take that the real and the virtual b e h i n d a n knowledge and and applied it to foster artwork or positive change in the a p i e c e o f integrate it with wider world. e n g i n e e r i n g the different other “There are a lot d e s i g n , bu t of ways that people are at the end of areas of art that are building virtual reality the day it’s offered.” and augmented reality something experiences, both for physical, in games but also to help t h e w o r l d , -KAROLINA KAWIAKA, people deal with PTSD that is being STUDIO ART or stress, or those kinds manipulated of applications,” Loeb or controlled. PROFESSOR said. “It’s an innovative There’s a 3D use of technology and object that is art to help impact being made ... Movement in air that people’s lives.” you hear. It’s not just about being At Dartmouth, students and behind the scenes anymore. It’s more faculty have taken the paradox that and more about things in the real is digital arts and used its apparent world.” disconnect to create art that brings T his connection between people together, whether that be observation and physical creation through film, music, sculpture or is something that students also have countless other mediums. They have noticed. Lindsey Hodel ’19, who is brought that which seems intangible also pursuing the computer science to life, and they have innovated at major modified with digital arts, every step along the way.