Teaching Technology as an Adjunct to Core Practice in Traditional Arts

This paper considers pedagogical issues in teaching a specific technology for integration in a traditional arts context. The objective of this convergence is to augment the aesthetic nature of a singular creative outcome. In this respect, the technology may function transparently, yet must uniquely enhance, reveal or articulate an expressive agenda for a particular traditional artwork. The technology under consideration has become widely known over the past decade as “physical computing”. Here are combined the two distinct and complex fields of electronics and programming. Physical Computing espouses simplification, seeks to demystify inherent complexities and provide a new creative means to engage technology that can potentially be integrated with any artistic practice. Generally Physical Computing is primarily of and about technology. However, it is this ability to sense and engage the physical world that is inspiring traditional artists today. Artists now appreciate that digital technology may have something to offer their particular practice that both confirms and extends it into the future. While many artists have undertaken private study of this technology, the demand for formal study is growing inside traditional Schools of Art. This is logical, considering the learning context and resource availability. However, traditional Art School education presents some challenges for a technological pedagogy that has no specific affiliation to any art form. From the perspective of a specific institutional context, this paper seeks to consider strategies that accommodate student driven interest and expectations while acknowledging the primacy of a core arts discipline.