01. TouchDesigner Recital

Introduction

For this project we'll create a piece in TouchDesigner for our class show. Your piece should develop from our demonstrations, discussions, and your own interests. It might be an interactive screen, a visual instrument, a projection, or another experience we discuss together.

You may work individually or in groups. The "recital" is an opportunity to show what you can do with the software, but also what you want to do with it.

Objectives

• gain greater facility creating and organizing work in TouchDesigner.
• connect visual decisions and interactive behavior to an idea or experience.
• develop work through experimentation, feedback, and revision.
• prepare a working piece for an audience outside our class.

Your Task

Create a piece that changes over time or responds to input. Consider what someone sees, hears, or does, and how the piece responds.

• Develop your own direction beyond reproducing a tutorial. Credit tutorials, borrowed components, and outside assets.
• Be able to explain the main parts of your network and how they contribute to the piece.
• Discuss equipment needs with me early. Additional hardware and programming are not required.

Process

1. Make three small studies → exploring different behaviors, inputs, or compositions. These can build on our class demonstrations.
2. Choose a direction.→ Bring references, sketches, and a brief description of how someone will encounter the work.
3. Build a working prototype.→ Test the central behavior before worrying about every visual detail.
4. Have classmates try or watch the piece.→ Use their responses to revise it, and document what changes.
5. Prepare for presentation.→ Confirm equipment, test the intended display, and make sure the piece can be started and reset.

Final Submission

Submit a clearly labeled folder containing:

• the working TOE file and all required assets.
• documentation of your studies, prototypes, and revisions.
• a short video showing the finished piece working.
• a project title, a 50–100 word description, and credits. For group work, identify each person's contributions.

Your piece should be ready to install, not only work when you explain it from inside your network.

Grading

Criterion	Percentage
Relationship between the idea and the experience of the piece	25%
Aesthetic execution: composition, typography, movement, and sound where relevant	25%
Functionality and readiness for presentation	20%
Experimentation, revision, and individual contribution	20%
Complete documentation, files, and credits	10%

Technical complexity is not a grading criterion by itself.

Examples

Possible directions, not required outcomes:

• A mirror that delays, distorts, or accumulates the viewer's image.
• A visual instrument performed with sound, a keyboard, or a mouse.
• Typography that changes meaning through movement or interaction.
• A projection that changes how we perceive an object or space.

Show Ephemera

After the recital, we'll work collectively on material for the class show.

Each person or group will propose one visual direction using imagery, typography, or motion developed in their piece. We'll review these together and develop a shared direction for a poster, a digital announcement, and artwork labels/instructions.

Consider how the material represents the show as a whole, not only your own project. Confirm the show title, dates, times, and location before producing final files.

Relevant Dates

(please note this is subject to change but should end up relatively close to this)

Week 06 (09/28/2026)

• Introduction && initial experiments!
• HW →
  • Present 3 potential ideas

Week 07 (10/05/2026)

• Review initial ideas individually

Week 09 (10/19/2026)

• HW →
  • submit all previous TouchDesigner homework (reminder)

Week 10 (10/26/2026)

• Assess and review ideas and progress
• HW →
  • begin work on a proposal noting technical deficiencies or lack of knowledge
  • prototype some portion of your progress

Week 11 (11/02/2026)

• Review proposals && prototypes
• HW →
  • Implementation of project in TouchDesigner

Week 12 (11/09/2026)

• Review TouchDesginer implementations
• HW →
  • Revise Touch Designer implementation based on feedback/technical issues

Week 13 (11/16/2026)

• Production time one-on-ones
• HW →
  • Projects are ready for group assessmment

Week 14 (11/23/2026)

• Group assessment of current project status
• HW →
  • Revise work based on feedback and technical issues

Week 15 (11/30/2026)

• Technical triage and preliminary assessment
• HW →
  • Complete work for final presentation and critique

Week 16 (12/07/2026)

• Final recital & critique