Mattia Casalegno
Mattia Casalegno is a visual artist working in video, performance, immersive installations and mixed reality. His work explores the physical and sensory perceptions of its viewers, evoking experiences that are fully immersive, sensorially embodied and psychologically heightened. His art practice draws from such disparate disciplines as anthropology, ecology, biology, neurosciences and informatics and focuses on the relations and tensions between nature, society and technology.
Casalegno has won multiple prizes and received various grants and fellowships including the Lumen Prize and New Technological Art Awards, and his work has been funded by such organizations as NEW INC, the Center for Cultural Innovation, Young Italian Artists Network, NYFA, the Elizabeth Foundation for the Arts, Eyebeam, Chronus Art Center and the Asia Culture Center.
Casalegno has exhibited in more than 100 international venues and institutions including Siggraph Asia, ISEA - International Society of Electronic Artists, Ars Electronica Animation festival, Mutek festival, Untitled Art Fair, Superblue Museum, MACRO Museum, Cini Foundation, RomaEuropa Festival, Cimatics festival, Festival de la Imagem and Kuandu Museum of Fine Arts. His work has been featured in such publications and catalogues as A Touch of Code (Gestalten Books), Tactics of Interfacing (MIT Press), Deleuze and Audiovisual Art (Manchester Metropolitan University), The New York Times, Washington Post, Wall Street Journal, CNN, Art Tribune, Exibart, the Creators Projects, Hyperallergic, Digicult and e-artnow.
In addition to teaching at RISD, he serves as an assistant professor in the department of Digital Arts at Pratt Institute in New York.
Courses
Fall 2024 Courses
CTC 1000-01
INTRODUCTION TO COMPUTATION
SECTION DESCRIPTION
Introduction to Computation focuses on computational techniques, methods, and ideas in the context of art and design. Studio projects first center on the design of algorithms then shift to involve computer programming and scripting. Critical attention is given to code as a body of crafted text with significant aesthetic, philosophical, and social dimensions, as well as the tension, conflict, and potential possible when computation generates, informs, or interacts with drawings, materials, forms, and spaces. Historical and contemporary works of computational art and design will be presented and assigned for analysis. This course is open to students of all majors and is designed for those with little or no experience in programming. In order to conduct work in this course, students will need a laptop computer. Estimated Cost of Materials: $250.00
This course fulfills one of two core studio requirements for the CTC Concentration.
Requirement | CTC Concentration
Elective
DM 2039-01
IMMERSIVE SPACES
SECTION DESCRIPTION
This course explores the relationships between new media languages and physical space. Building from the history and aesthetics of installation art and relational theater and based on conceptualizations such as "Relational Architecture" by Lozano-Hemmer and the "Poetics of Augmented Space" by Lev Manovich, we will learn to leverage interactive and audiovisual elements in order to design spatial experiences that are media-rich, relational, and responsive. We will use software, video-projectors, sensors and VR equipment, and explore emergent techniques including video-mapping, computer vision and augmented reality. We will learn to deploy not only vision, but also hearing and haptics to create immersive and multi-sensory environments. Class is comprised of lectures, hands-on workshops and individual projects. Students will gain a deep understanding of topics of spatial thinking and user-generated experiences related to space, as well as a theoretical and critical understanding of the history of installation and interactive arts. Although not a prerequisite, basic coding or scripting knowledge (Processing, javascript, or MAX, Touch Designer, etc.) is recommended.
Estimated Cost of Materials: $250.00
Elective
DM 7100-01
DM GRADUATE STUDIO/SEMINAR 1
SECTION DESCRIPTION
This combined studio and seminar forum for Digital + Media first year students supports the exploration of theoretical, social, material, technical and contextual research and concerns in new media arts practices during the first semester of the D+M MFA program at RISD. Students are introduced to a core set of methodologies and technologies from basic electronics, programming and interaction design to installation, and are encouraged to break comfort zones through experimentation. Students conceptualize and discuss their work and ongoing practice. The course is a mix of group discussions, individual meetings, required lecture and workshop series, and group critiques. The technical workshops are opportunities for students to experiment and test out aspects of their research in order to develop a sound practice. Guest lecturers and visiting critics may join during other portions of the class time on occasion.
Estimated Cost of Materials: $100.00 - $300.00
Majors are pre-registered for this course by the department. Enrollment is limited to Digital + Media Students.
Major Requirement | MFA Digital + Media
DM 7108-01
DM GRADUATE STUDIO/SEMINAR 3
SECTION DESCRIPTION
The course supports the exploration of theoretical, social, material, technical, and contextual research and concerns in new media arts practice during the final semester of the DM MFA program. It is a combined studio and seminar forum for Digital + Media second-year students. (Students conceptualize and discuss their work and their ongoing practice and thesis process). The course is a mix of individual meetings, group discussions and group critiques. Guest lecturers and visiting critics will also become involved with this class in terms of critical/research aspects. Each student will practice articulating their art process and work towards their thesis and will contribute to the dialogue concerning the research and work of their classmates.
Estimated Materials Cost: $100.00 - $300.00
Majors are pre-registered for this course by the department. Enrollment is limited to Digital + Media Graduate Students.
Major Requirement | MFA Digital + Media
Spring 2025 Courses
DM 7102-01
DM GRADUATE STUDIO/SEMINAR 2
SECTION DESCRIPTION
This combined studio and seminar forum supports Digital + Media first-year graduate students during their second semester as they research and develop the theoretical, social, material, technical, and contextual aspects of their emergent arts practices. Students are encouraged to break comfort zones and practice through experimentation. Students pursue and refine individual interests, as well as collaborative projects within the department. Students conceptualize and discuss their work and their ongoing practice. Readings in critical cultural theory, media art theory, philosophy, semiotics and other areas further support the contextualization and grounding of the innovative practical and conceptual approaches of students. Each student is responsible to select readings and works important as references in individual research and to co-lead a discussion on a set of self-chosen readings and artists' works during the semester. The course is a mix of group discussions, group critiques, and individual meetings. Guest lecturers and visiting critics may also become involved with this class in terms of critical/research aspects. Each student will practice articulating their art process and work towards their thesis, and will contribute to the dialogue concerning the research and work of their classmates.
Estimated Cost of Materials: $100.00 - $300.00
Majors are pre-registered for this course by the department. Enrollment is limited to Digital + Media Students.
Major Requirement | MFA Digital + Media