A sample of student work from Fall 2011, Interactive Objects, Prof Jacob Tonski.
The Author: Jacob Tonski
Jacob Tonski is a pragmatic optimist whose work explores dynamic balance.
A self-adjusting platform makes everyone the same height, probing ideas of equality and the origins of power. A larger-than-life top spins about the room, wobbling through themes of pleasure, danger, youth and decay.
These and other human-scale objects, both amusing and threatening, find an uncanny identity between toys and tools. The forces of time and gravity serve in these works as foils for those things we are powerless to direct in our lives, and with which we must instead dance and negotiate.
Tonski holds an MFA from the Design | Media Arts department at UCLA. He studied computer science at Brown University and worked as a Technical Director at Pixar Animation Studios. He has lived in Berkeley, Barcelona, Los Angeles, Paris and Providence, grew up in West Virginia, and is currently an Assistant Professor of Art and Interactive Media Studies at Miami University of Ohio.
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Popular
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Latest
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Pondering the “flipped classroom” in the age of online education
3 responses - Posted 05.06.12
"Flipping the classroom" means using class time differently than you would in the traditional mode of instruction -- which is to say this: Why waste class time lecturing/presenting during class meeting times when you can ask students to listen to lectures via video outside of class, and then use class time for interaction with students, hands-on group activities, group problem ... continue -
Client work in IMS261, IMS422 and IMS440
no responses - Posted 05.01.12
I believe that the classes I teach should have as strong of a “real-world” component as possible. We often cover abstract academic principles, but I always strive to make sure the are rooted in the context of how I have seen them put into practice. This semester was no different. In three of my courses, students worked directly with clients ... continue -
Inaugural Year for IxDA
no responses - Posted 05.01.12
By Rikki Teeters, President, IxDA Miami Interaction Design (IxD), according to the Interaction Design Association (IxDA), defines the structure and behaviors of interactive products, experiences, and services, and user interaction with those products, experiences, or services. I would define Interaction Design as the art of designing for human interaction. Whether the interaction is between two humans or a human and an ... continue -
Oxford Kinetics Festival, 2012
no responses - Posted 04.30.12
The 2012 Oxford Kinetics Festival: April Fools' Day filled with Rube Goldberg machines, monster bicycles, kinetic art, water bottle rockets, lots of chicken dance, a nine foot teeter totter on wheels, Happen Inc's ToyLab, weather balloon rides for toys, prizes and more! With your help we'll be even bigger and better in April 2013! http://www.OxfordKineticsFestival.org continue -
Reflections on AIMS Silicon Valley: Year One
no responses - Posted 04.27.12
It seems like such a long time ago, but it wasn’t much more than a year ago when Rich Moran, a Miami alum and advisor for AIMS, planted the seed with Peg and I. He said “you know - you can bring us folks from the Bay Area to Oxford all you want, but students aren’t going to get it ... continue -
John Foster’s Visit on April 12
no responses - Posted 04.20.12
John Foster, Head of Talent and Organization for Hulu, spoke at Miami on Thursday, April 12 at 6:30pm in Room 1 Alumni Hall. He gave an inspiring lecture on the connection between wellness and innovation. Below is a recent blog post from John’s blog: jfconnex.com: Be well. Work better. When I think of wellness, I get images of Richard Simmons and Japanese workers in ... continue -
Is the pen mightier than the keyboard? Maybe. (Part 1 of 2)
no responses - Posted 04.19.12
Introduction For years, teachers in the United States have looked to technology as a means to better engage students in mathematics classrooms. In recent years, as high-stakes testing has played an increasingly important role in educational decision-making at all levels, educators have looked to technology to enhance student performance. Virtually any tech-minded teacher can list a bevy of tools that have ... continue
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