Kinetic Creations: Moving Sculpture

In this course, you will learn how to use electric motors to add movement to your creations. You will learn about the different types of electric motors, their properties and how to control them with an Arduino microcontroller. Additionally, you will look at how to integrate these into your work by exploring mounting, drivetrain, and power options.

This is an advanced class focused on artists looking to add physical motion technologies to their current work. A familiarity with Arduino, microcontrollers, and/or programming will be helpful, but not necessary if willing to study outside of class. A simple clock project will be available for those looking to explore integration without diving into advanced programming or fabrication techniques.  Each student needs to bring a computer that is capable of running the Arduino IDE (Integrated Development Environment).  An educational Arduino kit will be provided for each student, but additional materials may be required depending on your choice of project.

Instructors: Nik Theuning spent nearly two decades of working at the intersection of digital art and technology with Fortune 50 companies and is now focused on moving this experience into the physical world. He seeks to find areas where the most fundamental of human experiences, music and play, can be explored through the combination of software, hardware, and human interaction.

Nicholas Maurstad is an author, kinetic sculptor and installation artist working in Minnesota and Louisiana. He is a co-captain of Interrobang Parading Krewe, building floats for Mardi Gras and other events in Southeast Louisiana. He has also shown work at The Art Shanty Project in Minneapolis. Splitting time between Louisiana and Minnesota, Nicholas hopes to bring a little bit of his farm kid ingenuity to New Orleans and a little bit of the Mardi Gras magic to Minnesota.