This is what I tell people I do at UAL.

I generally get a perplexed look and I have to explain, when for example down the pub meeting new people, that I teach computing to artists for use in their practice.

If I still have their attention and they are curious I will delve deeper and explain;

I teach artists how to use computing as an art material. I express that like pottery or weaving, design or painting, there are a set of principles, processes, preparations, components, theories and practices that when creatively put together, creates work that is larger than the some of the individual parts. Each piece of code, has properties and aesthetics of their own. The trick really, is to know how these frameworks work well together, like it is in any other artistic creation, from painting to sculpture to music and animation.

If they still haven’t grasped the concept, I would jump in and point to developments such as building Jim Henson’s workshop puppets, interactive amusements at arcades, kinetic artworks that are prominent or museum installations all started as a conceptual work brought into reality by prototyping, then adding in actuators, sensors and a bit of computing wizardry.

“I’m actually an accidental educator. I have been helping artists through collaboration to build interactive, new media and digital artworks for 20 years though,” -this is also what I say, then go on to list some of the public projects and where they can see them. I don’t know why I do this, maybe I am just a romantic of the time when that’s all I did for money. Perhaps I have accidentally fallen into teaching, at Queen Mary, Goldsmiths, RCA, Imperial and now at UAL:- yet this idea of computing as an art material has been swimming around my mind for years, and I can’t help but show people how to make things with it- it’s what I naturally do.

I guess most people have this explanation barrier when teaching complex subjects. I do wonder, though, how others go about explaining their role at UAL and if people seem as blown away and somewhat confused as some of my random party associates were/are.