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Collaboratory Creative Coding Jam with Hydra Video Synth
2024-06-06 , NewYorck Room 2
Language: English

Introduction

I would like to propose a creative coding workshop on Hydra Video Synth , an open-source browser-based tool created by Olivia Jack. Hydra is written in Javascript and takes inspiration from modular synths. Extensive documentation about Hydra can be found online.

Hydra Crash Course

I would like to begin the workshop by giving a small overview of the main commands. As this workshop is intended for people with all kinds of different skillsets and expertises, the mini crash course will tackle all the basic syntax and primitives, texture, modulation commands. However, the software is pretty intuitive and can be used intuitively.

Ideally, during and after the Crash Course, the participants will have time to explore and practice the software.

Collaboratory Live Coding Performance

This second part of the workshop aims to have the participants work on some original code but also on other people's code, in an additive way.
The participants are sitting in a circle, each has their own laptop ready with:

  • A web page with a blank Hydra sketch

  • A software like OBS studio ready to screencast the performance

At the agreed start, everyone presses the record button and starts coding for a set amount of time. I have yet to decide if do just 5 min rounds, or change the amount of time in the different rounds.

When the timer goes off, every one of the participants passes their laptop to the person sitting on their left. This person writes a comment with their name and continues to code for the set time. It is discouraged to change other people's code, unless there is an error that does not allow to go on.

At the end of the perfomance, that can go on for how much the participants desire or until the sketches start to become really noisy and cluttery, the screencasts are collected in a montage that is ideally projected with a beamer :)


What level is your session aimed at?

All

What to bring to your session?

Laptop ! That’s it :)

My name is Alice (they/he) and I am currently a researcher at Institute of Network Cultures in Amsterdam. I am also currently a participant in Voices of Makers, a digital mapping program coordinated by The Hmm and DEN Institute of Culture and Knowledge, focused on mapping digital cultural spaces for digital transformation of cultural institutions in The Netherlands.

I am an Anthropology graduate, Digital Humanities student and Design enthusiast. My research areas are located at the intersection of technology and culture, I am interested in new media, computer graphics, usability, cultural analytics, creative coding, digital culture. I like to apply visual methodologies, computational methods and interactivity to cultural scenarios, artifacts, domains.