Blog – modes.io

An Intro to Programming for the Arts

Posted on April 11, 2016 (November 18, 2019) by Wes Modes

This quarter I’m lecturing in the UCSC Art Division for an Introduction to Programming for the Arts., an introduction to both programming and web markup languages, designed to help students code their creative projects. Programming is all about methodical problem solving and learning to see the world differently. These skills will serve you well in many things you do….

Rydell Visual Arts Fellowship Shortlist Nominee

Posted on December 14, 2015 (November 18, 2019) by Wes Modes

This year, I was honored to be nominated and shortlisted for the prestigious Rydell Fellowship. In December, Helen and Newton Harrison, Irene Lusztig and Kathleen Crocetti were announced as this year’s visual arts fellowship…

Bella Ciao, Zombie Edition

Posted on November 28, 2015 (November 18, 2019) by Wes Modes

Bella Ciao, Zombie Edition The ZombiesThey are wakingBella ciao Bella ciao Bella ciao ciao ciaoIn the night time While you are sleepingThey will eat your brains in bed We are…

Cryptography Time Capsule

Posted on December 9, 2014 (November 18, 2019) by Wes Modes

What if you could leave an art time capsule for the future? Using cryptography to hide art for future generations….

Upload Video to the Cloud Before the Police Delete It

Posted on December 7, 2014 (November 18, 2019) by Wes Modes

While it is perfectly legal to film cops doing their job, frequently officers will claim otherwise. In many cases, police will detain someone who filmed them doing something questionable and delete the footage from their mobile device….

Adventures in the Urban Landscape

Posted on March 27, 2014 (November 18, 2019) by Wes Modes

A vague idea that lies at the intersection of two of my obsessions: Urban Landscape Dioramas. And a brief history of how we got here, including shadow boxes and graphic novel artists….

Secret Exchange

Posted on March 2, 2014 (November 18, 2019) by Wes Modes

Secret Exchange invites people to share their secrets with strangers. A table and two chairs on a downtown street corner, and a sign inviting people to sit down share a secret….

The Ghost of George Orwell

Posted on February 19, 2014 (November 18, 2019) by Wes Modes

It feels like no one has mentioned George Orwell in a while. Was that my imagination? I remembered in the early oughts, during the George W. era, it seems like every week something was “Orwellian” or “Big Brother” or “1984.” Was that my faulty memory?…

Seriously, Wheel of Chaos

Posted on February 10, 2014 (November 18, 2019) by Wes Modes

I pulled the Wheel of Fortune in tarot as well as a reminder to work on this project from my task bag. I’ve struggled with the form of this sculpture forever. More thoughts on it. Where will it lead?…

The Jar: A Strategy for Timebanking Inspiration

Posted on February 9, 2014 (November 18, 2019) by Wes Modes

I overheard something in the Thrift Center the other day. A woman was talking about The Jar. Rarely do I hear other people attempting to gamify their life the way I do. …

Don’t Freak Out, Try This!

Posted on February 4, 2014 (November 22, 2019) by Wes Modes

A Simple Strategy for Tackling Overloaded Task Lists: This weekend I was freaking out. I had so many things to do, all pressing, all priority one, that I was deadlocked. Checking email, updating my Facebook status, and organizing my music collection is so much easier than making a hard choice. For every choice I might make, I am choosing not to do some other critically important task. Freak out. Arrrgggh….

Fingerphone: A Telephonic Performance

Posted on January 28, 2014 (November 18, 2019) by Wes Modes

Two people sit on an empty stage in ordinary chairs. They appear to be waiting. The house lights remain up. Ring ring. (Pause) Ring ring. (Pause) Ring Ring….

Playing Bear Creek

Posted on January 28, 2014 (December 8, 2022) by Wes Modes

Bear Creek is interactive fiction, a coming-of-age story from a child’s point-of-view. Looking back, it was that summer, or maybe just that one day that changed everything. Play online or with an IF player, includes period-accurate musical accompaniment….

The History of Kisses and Flirty Looks

Posted on January 26, 2014 (November 18, 2019) by Wes Modes

as I stepped off the train alone on my way to the airport to fly, for the first time, out of my country, a pretty girl blew me a kiss from the train as it pulled away. I blew a kiss back and spent the next hour wondering who she was and what made her think to give such a sweet ephemeral gift to a total stranger….

FOMOphobia Build Details

Posted on January 22, 2014 (October 10, 2020) by Wes Modes

The highlights the build process of this complicated network-connection art installation in one place. Microprocessors, programming, woodworking, serial controls, the works. …

An Artist Bio via 500 Letters

Posted on January 20, 2014 (December 2, 2019) by Wes Modes

I just discovered an amazing bit of coding fun. The Belgian artist Jasper Rigole, created the 500 Letters Artist’s Biography Generator. The generator creates a strangely fitting artist bio that all emerging artists are encouraged to use to replace the terrible one they already have….

An Interview With Mark Hansen

Posted on January 18, 2014 (November 18, 2019) by Wes Modes

Mark Hansen talks to me about technical aspects of his collaboration with Ben Rubin, the seminal art piece Listening Post. He also reveals some startling news that changes the entire context of this early 2000s New Media work….

The Future: How do we make decisions?

Posted on January 12, 2014 (November 19, 2019) by Wes Modes

How do people make decisions? What tools do they have available to make informed choices? Can computers make better choices than you can using what you already know? A decision-maker now runs my life….

Really Really Retro Music

Posted on January 12, 2014 (November 18, 2019) by Wes Modes

I love old music, old music players, and especially weird cross-genre covers. So this project would be a beautiful perfect storm of esoteric interests. I’m into it, as I always am into the idea of horribly ridiculous low-fidelity audio. A blog post with its own soundtrack!…

What takes you to new places?

Posted on January 11, 2014 (December 2, 2019) by Wes Modes

This one is harder… and easier. Harder to pin down maybe, but easier because there are a bunch of things that take me to new places. Love, music, art, a few other things. How about you?…