Creative Coding has become a popular, alternative material used within the Studio-based model of education in Art and Design Schools. This process driven, exploratory material approach to the use of technology provides important potential for creative expression and pathways within creative industries for experiential approaches. However, there still remains a friction in how one uses materials that stem from instructional or solution based outcomes in experimental creative practices.
Often, we approach introductory methods of understanding programming by following step by step instructions or tutorials. Whilst these methods are benefiticial in their early principles there remains a steep learning curve when creating individually driven projects. It is through the experience of making mistakes and problem solving that provides us with self sufficiency and independence.
This practice-based research focuses on how we can explore methods of teaching mistakes in Creative Coding through working with Functional Errors. A Functional Error is defined as as a piece of code that compiles without error in software yet it results in a different kinetic or graphical output than desired. A Functional Error is also the result of a gap in conceptual understanding between established and new creative disciplines and can often be difficult to identify through the use of different descriptive language.
This collection of alternative teaching tools aims to provide more immediate feedback, legibility and creative agency to students within Art Schools.
This site hosts a collection of Functional Error Examples to explore in graphical and physical computing environments.
These example pages are best viewed in Chrome or Firefox browsers.