How do we become part of the city around us? How can we contribute to a city in which we will belong? How can we use new media — especially real-time, networked text and video — to forge communities? How can the city transform our use of new media?  We will view the creative work of media activists and artists, read texts that explore the convergence of screen media and architecture, conduct site visits, and interview local residents.

Each week we will devise new-media projects that negotiate city life and suggest ways to transform urban experience and find new ways to connect with its spaces.  The course is designed as a project-based media lab, in which class discussions are combined with hands-on experimentation and excursions. Course outcomes include:

(1) Learning how to forge a narrative by implementing images and texts in physical and virtual space;

(2) Developing skills for collaborative learning, peer feedback, and community building;

(3) Getting to know the UW Seattle campus and other sites around town, including the Seattle Center, the International district, Northgate, and Beacon Hill.  

The course does not require any technical skills, special equipment, or logging in to commercial social platforms.

The course targets students interested in visual arts, communication, and/or urban studies, and who are curious about the diverse communities in Seattle. Students are encouraged to develop their media skills toward creative purposes and social activism.

Learn more about the instructor of this course: https://cinema.washington.edu/people/yomi-braester