Prof. Mark Santolucito
Wednesdays 6:10 - 8:00 PM, Computer Music Center, Columbia University
This seminar explores live coding: the practice of writing and modifying programs as they execute in real time as an artistic performance practice. We will study the design of programming languages built for live coding (TidalCycles, SuperCollider, Sonic Pi, Strudel, Hydra), asking what makes a language good to perform with rather than just to program with. What is the human element of designing a programming language. We will engage with live coding as an artistic practice - its history, its communities (TOPLAP, algoraves), and its aesthetics of liveness, risk, and error. Finally, we will ask what code as performance means in the age of AI: when machines can generate code, what is the value of a human writing it live? How can the AI assisted generation of bespoke programming languages change live coding?
Students will read and discuss key texts, develop their own live coding practice, and perform.
Each week combines seminar discussion of readings with hands-on live coding practice. Every student will lead at least one discussion during the semester and post a short reading response before each class. Alongside the readings, students will develop a personal live coding practice through a series of short in-class performances (études).
One of the most important parts of Live Coding, as with any performance practice, is practice. To the end, we will have a component to this class which involves regular public performance of life coding. Our plan is to set up a Twitch live stream, for which we all have access, and will live code on. Everyone will be required to live code for one hour a week on this channel. You’ll also be expected to do 20 minutes (across 2 periods of 10 minutes) of listening on this channel to your peers, and to leave comments during their sessions. The goal of this is both to get practice live coding, but also to practice live coding in (virtual) public setting.
Grading:
Schedule and readings are tentative and will be adjusted as the semester progresses.
Basics of live coding in Rattle, communities
hw live code on stream with rattle https://forg-lab.github.io/rattle/
MaxMSP
hw live code on stream with strudel https://strudel.cc/
An impressive display of manual dexterity
Installing Tidal locally pattern based languages with Strudel/Tidal, visuals with Hydra
hw practice vim bindings https://vim-adventures.com/ https://www.vim-hero.com/
From Vim to Autocomplete to LLMs. The meaning of intention and control in code.
Language paradigms - ergonomics of syntax and semantics
hw vibe code your own live coding language
Algorave - rattle at Movement Lab
Showcase/critique of student languages
Algorave - your own language at Movement Lab
Live coding beyond music - dance, textiles, games
going beyond the screen - connecting to physical interfaces
hw connect some external device for parameter control
Laptop Orchestras: Networked live coding
Algorave at Movement Lab
Liveness, risk, and error. reflecting on the semester