MATTEO BITTANTI
PROGRAM COORDINATOR, INSTRUCTOR
BIO
Matteo Bittanti è artista, scrittore, curatore, curatore, editore, traduttore e studioso. La sua ricerca accademica si concentra sugli aspetti culturali, sociali e teorici delle tecnologie emergenti, con particolare attenzione ai loro effetti sulla comunicazione, la cultura visiva e le arti. Si interessa, in particolare della new media art, e, in particolare alla Game Art. Il suo approccio è interdisciplinare ed è situato all’intersezione tra media studies, game studies, visual studies e storia dell'arte. Ha svolto attività di insegnamento e ricerca presso la Stanford University, l'Università della California, Berkeley, il California College of the Arts e la IULM University.
Matteo Bittanti is an artist, writer, curator, publisher, translator, and scholar. His academic research focuses on the cultural, social, and theoretical aspects of emerging technologies, with an emphasis on their effects on communication, visual culture, and the arts. Bittanti is particularly interested in new media art, especially Game Art. His approach is interdisciplinary, connecting media studies, game studies, visual studies, and art history. Bittanti has worked as an instructor and researcher at Stanford University, University of California, Berkeley, California College of the Arts, and IULM University, among others.
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COURSE: GAME CONTEXTS (2019-2020)
GAME CONTEXTS examines the historical and cultural relevance of play, discusses key characteristics of games, surveys the emergent and interdisciplinary approaches to game design. Particular attention is paid to integrating knowledge and design approaches from other creative fields, such as architecture, fashion design, service design, and contemporary art. Pivotal to the module is the process of helping students develop strategies to explore these approaches for the development and production of their own work. Special attention will be devoted to the evolution of game design as a discipline, and how it interacts with constant changes in design and culture altogether. Each week during the semester, the instructor will introduce and discuss a specific game. Students will be required to play the game and contribute to the discussion. The themes explored in class will subsequently be used for development goals.
Course: GAME SCENES (2017-2018)
GAME SCENES investigates the relationship between art and games, especially digital games. It examines a variety of artistic interventions inspired by video games or explicitly employing game-based digital technology, including the use of patched or modified video games or the re-purposing of existing games and/or game mechanics. GameScenes also examines the influence of gaming - both digital and traditional on painting, sculpture, street and graffiti art, performance, visual culture, and sampling/remix culture. During the course of the semester students will experience and discuss art games, machinima, in-game interventions, and performances, site-specific installations, site-relative mods, but also board games, simulations, and toys. Course topics include sexual and political representation, ideology and politics in game-based artworks, Game Art criticism and the interplay between games and Contemporary Art.
Course: GAME PLAN (2020-2021; 2018-2019; 2017-2018)
GAME PLAN is a sandbox-like environment for working, discussing, and iterating the final project. Students will work on their prototype in the classroom at Cascina Moncucco under the supervision of their instructor and interacting with their peers until the end of the Program. Rather than a conventional course with a fixed syllabus, GAME PLAN is more open, allowing for a flexible, stress-free work environment. This extended workshop is connected to the GAME TALKS and GAME WORKSHOPS, engaging students in all aspects of organizing, managing, and planning their final presentation.
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