Programming is as much of an art as it is a science, but it’s easy to forget the human element of building software systems. The legendary Computer Scientist, Donald Knuth once said, “Science is what we understand well enough to explain to a computer. Art is everything else we do.” As programmers, we are constantly building and exploring new territories and exploring what the medium of computers is capable of and what makes it beautiful.

In this talk, Joe will discuss what makes code beautiful and explore several digital art projects. We will then discuss why exploring art and beauty in tech can actually make you a better developer.

Audience: * There will be very little to no code in this talk, but I will be discussing how I built my projects from a high level. This talk is aimed at being useful and inspiring to new and veteran developers.

Outcomes: * The goal of this talk is to inspire the audience to try something new and build something just for the sake of building something. without the worry of monetization or fear. I want to reject the idea that every project needs to be a side hustle or needs to generate income somehow. It’s totally okay to make something totally stupid and just for you and your community.

In an age when algorithms and massive data tracking, it’s easy to forget that technology is made by people for people. This talk is a reminder that technology is human and we should be more mindful of that as we create it.

Talk Outline:
Introduction
What is Art and Tech?
Digital art is a term and a practice that has been prevalent in the museums and contemporary art sectors since the 1960s. As technological advances mean that digital innovations are now pervading many more areas of our lives, the arts industry is starting to take the work of artists working in the digital realm increasingly seriously.
Discuss several of my projects
Note: This is a small list of some of my digital art projects - I will probably tighten the talk up to on focus on 1 to 3 of these).
The focus of each of these is to be on how I got started. Creative process. And impact of each project. My goal is to inspire others to explore ideas and see where they go. I also want to cover mistakes I made to show that it’s okay to not have it be perfect.
Stupid Shit No One In Hawaii Needs and Terrible Ideas “Hackathon”
A one-day event where participants conceptualize and create projects that have no value whatsoever.
https://stupidshitnooneinhawaiineedshackathon.github.io/
Bechdel.io
Bechdel.io is a film script parsing tool that automatically tests film scripts to determine whether or not they pass the Bechdel Test in a fraction of a second.
We discuss the technical details of how we created the tools, including how we used MongoDB to help us scale and create new insights and discoveries.
We will also cover highlights from our academic research that has emerged as a result of this software.
http://bechdel.io/
MagicMirror²
MagicMirror² is an open source modular smart mirror platform. With a growing list of installable modules, the MagicMirror² allows you to convert your hallway or bathroom mirror into your personal assistant.
https://www.joekarlsson.com/portfolio/magicmirror%c2%b2-smart-iot-mirror/
Moodlite – Smart IoT Light Panels
Moodlite is an open source 3D printable mountable interconnecting system.
https://www.joekarlsson.com/portfolio/moodlite-smart-iot-light-panels/
IoT Kitty Litter Box
My favorite things in life are cats 🐈, computers 🖥 and crappy ideas 💩, so I decided to combine all three and make an IoT (Internet of Things) litter box using a Raspberry Pi and JavaScript!
https://github.com/JoeKarlsson/iot-kitty-litter-box
Rose Hobart
Exploration of the lack of performativity in the current version available of Joseph Cornell’s Rose Hobart. It is an attempt to bring the performative aspects of screening Rose Hobart back to the film by allowing viewers to change the soundtrack, filter, speed, and other options as they view the film.
https://www.joekarlsson.com/portfolio/rose-hobart/
rosehobart.herokuapp.com
So how can Art+Tech make you a better developer?
Explore new technologies, languages, frameworks, libraries, whatever you want.
Release your inhibitions and build something just for you. It doesn’t have to be perfect. It doesn’t have to be perfect.
I think Art frees us from the constraints of making something to profit from.
Making something fun helps me actually enjoy the process of building and learning. I would much rather make a community art installation than make another app that somehow monetizes the dead or privatizes community spaces.
Studying “beautiful” code makes you better.
Exploration is a part of learning and growing as a developer.
Final thoughts
Digital art is a new frontier and as people in this room right now, you are all uniquely positioned to push humanity forward. To take back control and make our field more human and inclusive.
Recap
Questions
End!