Whether it’s through photo realistic scans found in current generation video games or the cartoonish and low-fi aesthetic of Bitmoji there is no limit to ways in which the body and the self are represented in digital spaces. As digital spaces proliferate our lives it is important to think critically and expansively not only about how we represent ourselves in them, but how others are represented as well. This 2 credit class will look at how avatars are being used in art, entertainment, and social spaces and utilize existing avatar creation tools to develop projects that examine the many aspects of identity, embodiment, and self.
We will dive into using Unreal Engine, a game engine used in a variety of industries, with a focus on skeletal meshes, rigging, animation, cameras, and more. This will culminate in a short film made using Unreal Engine that will act as the final project for the class. To supplement the technical side of the class we will be reading and discussing articles, news stories, and research papers that address the ethical complexities in creating and controlling digital bodies and the ways in which the inequities and injustices of the physical world are repeated and reinforced in the digital world.