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Tega Brain
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Code as Creative Medium: A Handbook for Computational Art and Design Kindle Edition

by Golan Levin (Author), Tega Brain (Author) Format: Kindle Edition
4.3 out of 5 stars 74 ratings
An essential guide for teaching and learning computational art and design: exercises, assignments, interviews, and more than 170 illustrations of creative work.

This book is an essential resource for art educators and practitioners who want to explore code as a creative medium, and serves as a guide for computer scientists transitioning from STEM to STEAM in their syllabi or practice. It provides a collection of classic creative coding prompts and assignments, accompanied by annotated examples of both classic and contemporary projects, and more than 170 illustrations of creative work, and features a set of interviews with leading educators. Picking up where standard programming guides leave off, the authors highlight alternative programming pedagogies suitable for the art- and design-oriented classroom, including teaching approaches, resources, and community support structures.
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  1. Print length
    715 pages
  2. Language
    English
  3. Publisher
    The MIT Press
  4. Accessibility
    Learn more
  5. Publication date
    February 2, 2021
  6. File size
    77.0 MB
  7. Page Flip
    Enabled
  8. Word Wise
    Enabled
  9. Enhanced typesetting
    Enabled
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Due to its large file size, this book may take longer to download

Editorial Reviews

Review

“Code as Creative Medium is a must-read and an invaluable teaching tool for the creative coding community, from computer scientists and artists to teachers and students of computational arts. Developed by two of the most accomplished practitioners in the field, this book expertly expands knowledge in both coding and digital art history, offering the best of both worlds.”
—Christiane Paul, Adjunct Curator of Digital Art, Whitney Museum; Professor of Media Studies, the New School
 
“Code as Creative Medium is both practical and poetic in its walkthrough of ideas large and small that can fluidly be integrated into a computational studio setting. This handbook represents a landmark task in updating centuries of traditional art practice to this very moment, when we can choose to either create with the machine or just get left behind.”
—John Maeda, technologist; author of How to Speak Machine
 
“This remarkable book brings code to artists and brings art to code. Teachers and learners can use these creative prompts to explore the building blocks of digital technology. The book itself seeds our minds with questions—not just answers—about how rule-based systems, user interaction, global connectivity, and virtual experience bridge the gap between computer science and the arts.”
—Ellen Lupton, Betty Cooke and William O. Steinmetz Design Chair, Maryland Institute College of Art; coauthor of Health Design Thinking
 
“I am struck by Brain and Levin’s use of ‘make it meaningful,’ highlighting the critical core of this timely book—it links deeply the why to the how of teaching and learning creative coding.”
—Chris Coleman, Professor of Emergent Digital Practices and Director of the Clinic for Open Source Arts (COSA),University of Denver 

About the Author

Golan Levin is Professor of Electronic Art at Carnegie Mellon University, where is also Director of the Frank-Ratchye STUDIO for Creative Inquiry.

Tega Brain, an Australian-born artist, educator and researcher, is Assistant Professor of Integrated Digital Media at New York University. Her work has been exhibited in such venues as the Whitney Museum, the Guangzhou Triennial, the Vienna Design Biennale, and the Transmediale Festival.

Product details

  • ASIN ‏ : ‎ B08941B584
  • Publisher ‏ : ‎ The MIT Press
  • Accessibility ‏ : ‎ Learn more
  • Publication date ‏ : ‎ February 2, 2021
  • Language ‏ : ‎ English
  • File size ‏ : ‎ 77.0 MB
  • Screen Reader ‏ : ‎ Supported
  • Enhanced typesetting ‏ : ‎ Enabled
  • X-Ray ‏ : ‎ Not Enabled
  • Word Wise ‏ : ‎ Enabled
  • Print length ‏ : ‎ 715 pages
  • ISBN-13 ‏ : ‎ 978-0262362030
  • Page Flip ‏ : ‎ Enabled
  • Customer Reviews:
    4.3 out of 5 stars 74 ratings

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Tega Brain

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Customer reviews

4.3 out of 5 stars
74 global ratings

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Customers say

Customers find the book's design engaging, with one mentioning it serves as a portal into digital art. Moreover, the book receives positive feedback for its inspiration, with one customer noting it's a great resource for both teachers and artists.

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DesignInspiration
4 customers mention "Design"4 positive0 negative

Customers appreciate the book's design, with one mentioning it serves as a portal into digital art, while another notes its perfect blend for creativity.

"This book is a portal into a universe of digital art, creative technology and computational design...." Read more

"Nice layout, great artists, and prompts included" Read more

"Wonderfully written and illustrated..." Read more

"Nice survey of art for you coffee table..." Read more

3 customers mention "Inspiration"3 positive0 negative

Customers find the book inspirational, with one mentioning it provides great suggestions and references, while another notes it serves as a valuable resource for both teachers and artists.

"...This book will also be inspirational for anyone already into creative coding." Read more

"...I bought it to teach and it gives great suggestions, exercises and allied material. It just doesn't give coded examples...." Read more

"It's a great resource for both teachers and artists. Interesting assignments with great references." Read more

MUST BUY if available. This book contains a universe.
5 out of 5 stars
MUST BUY if available. This book contains a universe.
This book is a portal into a universe of digital art, creative technology and computational design. Whether you are a student, teacher, artist or explorer, you will find a depth of knowledge within this book that will take you to new places. Can't recommend it highly enough.
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Top reviews from the United States

  • Some name
    5.0 out of 5 stars Wonderfully written and illustrated
    Reviewed in the United States on March 9, 2021
    Format: PaperbackVerified Purchase
    This is a wonderful text that is an essential entry point for anyone looking to get into creative coding. This book will also be inspirational for anyone already into creative coding.
    4 people found this helpful
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  • claire h
    5.0 out of 5 stars MUST BUY if available. This book contains a universe.
    Reviewed in the United States on March 9, 2021
    Format: PaperbackVerified Purchase
    This book is a portal into a universe of digital art, creative technology and computational design. Whether you are a student, teacher, artist or explorer, you will find a depth of knowledge within this book that will take you to new places. Can't recommend it highly enough.
    Customer image
    claire h
    5.0 out of 5 stars
    MUST BUY if available. This book contains a universe.

    Reviewed in the United States on March 9, 2021
    This book is a portal into a universe of digital art, creative technology and computational design. Whether you are a student, teacher, artist or explorer, you will find a depth of knowledge within this book that will take you to new places. Can't recommend it highly enough.
    Images in this review
    Customer image
    5 people found this helpful
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  • Fun Gus
    3.0 out of 5 stars Very good but falls short.. very few code examples, more a cookbook for educators.
    Reviewed in the United States on March 29, 2021
    Format: PaperbackVerified Purchase
    As a catalogue of digital art projects I would have given this 5 stars. I bought it to teach and it gives great suggestions, exercises and allied material. It just doesn't give coded examples. The latter is kind of necessary at times just even for reader comprehension or as an illustrative learning example. If you want inspiration and use it as a catalogue then it has 5 starts from me but at $35 I was expecting more. Kindle books at a tenth of the price were replete with examples and code but light on a catalogue survey. Great value if it was significantly cheaper around $10 kindle / $20 print.
    15 people found this helpful
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  • YinXiao
    2.0 out of 5 stars A torn page inside the book
    Reviewed in the United States on December 5, 2024
    Format: PaperbackVerified Purchase
    This is a nice book. But one of the pages of the book is torn.
    Customer image
    YinXiao
    2.0 out of 5 stars
    A torn page inside the book

    Reviewed in the United States on December 5, 2024
    This is a nice book. But one of the pages of the book is torn.
    Images in this review
    Customer imageCustomer imageCustomer image
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  • Lleyton s
    5.0 out of 5 stars Perfect Blend For Any Creative
    Reviewed in the United States on June 6, 2021
    Format: PaperbackVerified Purchase
    Nice layout, great artists, and prompts included
    2 people found this helpful
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  • Yoris
    5.0 out of 5 stars Structure of the book is amazing
    Reviewed in the United States on February 11, 2021
    Format: PaperbackVerified Purchase
    It's a great resource for both teachers and artists. Interesting assignments with great references.
    2 people found this helpful
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  • Golan Levin
    5.0 out of 5 stars Primarily intended for educators; sample code solutions are online.
    Reviewed in the United States on April 2, 2021
    Format: Paperback
    This handbook is primarily intended for educators who are assembling a syllabus for a university or high school course in new-media art or computational design. It emphasizes "what's worth making and why", rather than "how". While this book may also be suitable for motivated auto-didacts, it's not an introductory text for first-time creative coders. If that's what you're looking for, consider Reas & Fry's "Processing", Shiffman's "Learning Processing", McCarthy's "Getting Started with p5.js", Parrish's "Getting Started with Processing.py", or Gross's "Generative Design".

    Some readers may find it odd that there is no code printed in the book itself. Instead, the authors have published a comprehensive code repository online. Sample solutions for the book's 200+ exercises can be found at the GitHub URL printed on the book's back cover. This trove of free, open-source code includes solutions in three different programming languages (JavaScript, Java, and Python). In the Introduction, the authors explain that putting code online allows support for a wider range of creative-coding toolkits, and can help avoid the code becoming obsolete.
    24 people found this helpful
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  • Wax Mathews
    2.0 out of 5 stars Nice survey of art for you coffee table
    Reviewed in the United States on December 9, 2021
    Format: PaperbackVerified Purchase
    Underwhelming.
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Top reviews from other countries

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  • Ernest W
    4.0 out of 5 stars Ok if you start preparing your first Creative Coding classes.
    Reviewed in Poland on May 17, 2025
    Format: PaperbackVerified Purchase
    A book with ready to use assignments for your classes. Great if you conduct Creative Coding classes for the first time. For a seasoned lecturer only the final chapter with interviews is interesting.
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  • Keller Joachim
    5.0 out of 5 stars Super!
    Reviewed in Germany on March 21, 2022
    Format: PaperbackVerified Purchase
    Super! Tolles Buch über Creative Coding!
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  • Louislp19
    5.0 out of 5 stars Very useful book for artist.
    Reviewed in Canada on February 27, 2021
    Format: PaperbackVerified Purchase
    Awesome good for an artist like me. It help me a lot to find ideas and good practice to develop projects further.
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  • Tiago Rodrigues
    5.0 out of 5 stars Essential
    Reviewed in Spain on January 29, 2022
    Format: PaperbackVerified Purchase
    A very interesting book, well documented and visually appealing for anyone interested in acquiring a comprehensive knowledge of the various themes, approaches, formats and authors in digital art.
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  • Camillus
    5.0 out of 5 stars Yes
    Reviewed in the Netherlands on February 2, 2021
    Format: KindleVerified Purchase
    Yes!
    Report

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