At the end of the 19th century critics debated whether or not photography can be art. Then in the first third of the 20th century there was much hand-wringing over whether or not movies can be art. You’d think folks would remember how those debates turned out when, in the late 20th century, the fancy folks furrowed their brow at the notion that video games could be art. Anyone who thinks there’s even a debate about video-games-as-art is looking the wrong direction down the 21st century. Video games, like any other medium, can produce art.
In popular culture, programming is often depicted as lines of code flying across a hacker’s computer screen. This stereotype has led to a misconception of computer science not only as an esoteric field, bordering on the arcane, but also an uncreative one. However, Zach Lieberman is one of many artists dismantling these notions by using code as a medium to create mesmerizing animations and interactive environments. Since 2016, Lieberman has posted daily “sketches” on his Instagram (@zach.lieberman)—screen recordings of his work lasting between 15 seconds and a minute. Most of Lieberman’s sketches are created through openFrameworks, a toolkit in C++ he co-created, which programmers can download from the internet to make their own “sketches.”
Earlier in 2020, Lieberman presented “Future Sketches”, an exhibition at Artechouse DC, which utilizes creative coding—coding for artistic expression rather than for function—as a means to urge his audience to think deeper and more expansively about the possible applications of computer science.
Each Friday is PiDay here at Adafruit! Be sure to check out our posts, tutorials and new Raspberry Pi related products. Adafruit has the largest and best selection of Raspberry Pi accessories and all the code & tutorials to get you up and running in no time!
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Stop breadboarding and soldering – start making immediately! Adafruit’s Circuit Playground is jam-packed with LEDs, sensors, buttons, alligator clip pads and more. Build projects with Circuit Playground in a few minutes with the drag-and-drop MakeCode programming site, learn computer science using the CS Discoveries class on code.org, jump into CircuitPython to learn Python and hardware together, TinyGO, or even use the Arduino IDE. Circuit Playground Express is the newest and best Circuit Playground board, with support for CircuitPython, MakeCode, and Arduino. It has a powerful processor, 10 NeoPixels, mini speaker, InfraRed receive and transmit, two buttons, a switch, 14 alligator clip pads, and lots of sensors: capacitive touch, IR proximity, temperature, light, motion and sound. A whole wide world of electronics and coding is waiting for you, and it fits in the palm of your hand.
Have an amazing project to share? The Electronics Show and Tell is every Wednesday at 7:30pm ET! To join, head over to YouTube and check out the show’s live chat and our Discord!
Each Friday is PiDay here at Adafruit! Be sure to check out our posts, tutorials and new Raspberry Pi related products. Adafruit has the largest and best selection of Raspberry Pi accessories and all the code & tutorials to get you up and running in no time!