Computer programs touch every aspect of our world, but how do they work?  More importantly, how can we take back a bit of control in our lives and make programs of our own!  This workshop will introduce participants to fundamentals of programming as well as provide resources for further study.  Potential topics include web design, visualization, simple game making and more.  The class is open to all ages and will be responsive to the interests of the participants.

 
Stephen McLeod is an interdisciplinary artist based out of Toronto and Newboro Ontario. His work is collaborative, socially engaged and presented in shifting forms of code, interactive installation, performance and video. In 2009 he completed his B.A. in Studio Art at the University of Guelph – as well as a good 2/3rds of a computer science minor. Often cloaking his work in humor and absurdity McLeod explores topics such as computational poetry, sound sculpture, repetition and labour, embodied consciousness, and learning through failure.

McLeod has exhibited in Canada and internationally, both as a founding member of the collective VSVSVS and individually. He has taught seminars on interaction design at Sheridan College, and has presented workshops on topics such as machine learning, and creative coding. In 2016 he shared the honour of being awarded the Toronto Friends of the Visual Arts Artist Prize as a member of VSVSVS and has received funding from the Toronto Arts Council, and the Ontario Arts Council for his project Vexations Vexations. At Flux Factory, he is developing new work while continuing to perform his multi year video interpretation of Erik Satie’s composition Vexations. His residency is funded through the support of the Canada Council for the Arts.