Dreaming Community: Immersive 3D World Building in New Art City
with Hiba Ali
ART & TECH 606 001 | 3 credits
Online | June 28 - July 11, 2024 | 1 - 3:30 p.m. CST
Dreams have the ability to activate our imagination. In this class we start with dreams as an inspiration point, and translate them via a collective 3D collage in New Art City, a 3D interactive platform. Demonstrations will prepare students to use 3D objects, images, and soundscapes to create a collective dreamland. We will use software including Blender, GIFs, and Bandlab to build an immersive collective collage on New Art City. Inspired by the work of Tabitha Rezaire, Ruha Benjamin, and Mariame Kaba, in dreaming with community, we will create a digital portal of inspiration and activate our collective imagination. We will screen Tabitha Rezaire, Neema Githere, Merriam Bennani, Amina Ross, and Hito Steyer's video work and discuss them. We will read chapters from We Do This 'Til We Free Us: Abolitionist Organizing and Transforming Justice (2021) by Mariame Kaba, We "Viral Justice: How We Grow the World We Want (2022) by Ruha Benjamin and I Will Survive (2021) by Hito Steyerl. Assignments will invite students to locate their sense of comfort online, and arrange images, 3D objects and text, and sounds to translate those feelings into a space of virtual relaxation. Students will present a final project to the group. Students should supply a laptop with Blender software installed and create an account in New Art City (links will be provided upon enrollment). This class is open to students of all levels.
hiba ali is a producer of moving images, sounds, garments and words. they use principles of game design, 3d animation and immersive installations to create liminal spaces where they engage in world building, storytelling and digital poesis. in their practice, this term means a way to call forth more loving and healing into our world. they use virtual reality, 3d animation and augmented reality to slow down time and create portals of solace and care. they are an assistant professor at the college of design in the art & technology program at the university of oregon in eugene and they teach on decolonial, feminist, anti-racist frameworks in digital art pedagogies. their work has been presented in chicago, stockholm, vienna, berlin, toronto, new york, istanbul, são paulo, detroit, windsor, dubai, austin, vancouver, and portland.
HIba Ali, in the weeds installation, 2021, installed roman susan gallery in alignment with the available city as a partner program of the chicago architecture biennial, chicago, IL, astroturf, video projection, sound of lawnmowers