Printed circuit boards (PCBs) are the core functional electronic architecture of our everyday technologically-mediated reality. In this class we will dig deep into what materialities, design conventions, energetic regimes, (un)written rules and assumptions are embedded in PCBs - in order to understand, break, diverge or expand on them:
- What alternative materials can we think of to implement electronic schematics?
- What hidden humor can we inject in electronic schematics?
- What aesthetics may emerge from electronic boards if their most important design criteria are not efficiency or functionality?
- Which alternative approaches to making PCBs can we imagine other than designing/engineering? (craft, alchemy, witchcraft, hacking, …)
The production-oriented aspect of this class will be coupled to a strand of research on artist publications: Zines, net art, photo books, editions, etc. are established artist publication formats that have a similar mass- or selfproduced character. Also, we will take a look at some media artists’ practices who have made PCBs a central artistic medium.
This class introduces some manufacturing processes of how to DIY/DIWO produce circuit boards (for example etching + milling), but mostly invites you to expand on the repertoire of design methods to develop unconventional ways of producing analog, digital, expressive or non-sensical physical electric/electronic objects that might possibly double as artist publications.
If you would like to join this class, please write me a short e-mail with your name, study background and briefly describe your interest in the class (max 250 words).
P.S. {
This class is loosely connected to the KICAD workshops *How the Electron goes from A to B*. It's not mandatory that you join both class + workshops. If you have little or no electronics knowledge (or you are interested in a more pragmatic workshop to design PCBs), then I'd recommend you to join this workshop series. But you are welcome to join both.
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Certificate of achievement
- Presence, regular and active attendance and participation
- Participation in the mid and end presentation
- Submission of the documentation (until end of semester)
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