Three teams. Three systems. Three projections.

In this section of Art as System, our course is centered on visual development and creative systematic thinking through the creation of complex networks in TouchDesigner.

TouchDesigner, the primary tool used in this course, is a node-based visual programming environment. Instead of writing lines of code, users construct networks by connecting building blocks, each representing an operation such as generating an image, processing data, or creating controls. These nodes form a pipeline of cause and effect, where changes propagate and generate results in real time. TouchDesigner is a tool that makes artists into engineers, and engineers into artists. For many in the art and design field, this approach offers an accessible environment for computational thinking, allowing systems to be programmed visually and iteratively.

At the start of the semester, the majority of students had no prior exposure to node-based workflows. The course was structured around developing the ability to explore, test, pivot and adapt. Students learned how to problem-solve and make decisions through experimentation, while being encouraged to focus on their interests and integrate their existing skills into the program, such as illustration, 3D modelling, and sound design.

Since the midpoint of the semester, we shifted our focus from isolated tutorials to collaborative project building. Students formed three groups and were challenged to define their own working dynamics. Through guided prompts, production tasks, and incremental checkpoints, they began constructing their own pipelines for building interactive work. This process introduced them to the realities of production: coordinating roles, managing timelines, testing systems in space, and refining work toward exhibition readiness. At the same time, these structures served as an entry point into skills used in real-world installations, where creative direction, technical troubleshooting, and collaboration must operate simultaneously as a working system.

Through this process, their projects came to fruition in diverse directions. Each group approached the idea of a "system" differently.

Live anamorphic projection visuals co-designed with Xiao Wu for an SJSU Music Department Symphony performance led by Christopher Luna-Mega and Pablo Fruman. Recognized with the Artistic Excellence Programming Grant (AEPG) from San José State University — awarded for outstanding contribution to public-facing arts programming.