RISD STEAM, Brown STEAM and the MIT Media Lab Present Human + Computer at Exposé on February 15

RISD STEAM, Brown STEAM and the MIT Media Lab present Human + Computer, a show at RISD's student-run gallery Exposé. The opening will take place at 7 p.m. on February 15 (and remain open for one week) at Exposé, located on 204 Westminster Street in Providence, RI. It will include music, refreshments, interactive works, and limited-edition prints will be distributed to attendees. The show explores themes of transhumanism, human computer interaction, and the shifting of human relationships caused by technology.

The show is the capstone of a workshop series of the same title, which has occurred over the past three weeks during which RISD, Brown, and MIT students worked collaboratively on work that was critical of the way we experience wearable tech. It also features work from the RISD, Brown, and MIT community at large. This workshop has inspired students at MIT to start their own group, MIT STEAM.

This class combined the design of new body/machine interfaces with learning relevant technical skills in electronics, digital fabrication, and programming. With a focus on building wearable devices, human augmentation, and alternative, more visceral forms of communication, students worked in groups to conceptualize, prototype, and build functioning versions of their ideas. Students were introduced to digital fabrication processes like lasercutting and 3d printing, all the while staying in touch with fine art processes and critique.

Example works include a device that communicates ones heart beat wirelessly to a loved one, a garment that resembles a swarm of butterflies that challenges one's perception of the real, and a silicone cast brain that visualizes the cognition of the person holding it. Follow the course blog for more details.

STEAM is a movement championed by and widely adopted by institutions, corporations and individuals over the last several years. An acronym for adding the Arts to STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, Mathematics), STEAM represents an integrative and multidisciplinary approach to learning and making. More info at stemtosteam.org

With support from RISD CSI, RISD Architecture and Design, the RISD Edna Lawrence Nature Lab, Brown Engineering Department and CAMIT.