Code & Canvas: Art and Design with TouchDesigner

Saturdays, June 14, 21, 28 and July 5, 2025, 1-2:30 pm

Video Pool Media Arts Centre, The Pivot, Room 203, 100 Arthur Street (Artspace building)

Unlock the fusion of art and technology with Code & Canvas: Art and Design with TouchDesigner—a comprehensive four-session workshop hosted by Video Pool Media Arts Centre and led by instructor JJ (Jia Jia). Designed for artists, designers, and creative technologists, this course offers hands-on experience in creating real-time generative visuals and interactive media using TouchDesigner.

By the end of this workshop, participants will have a solid foundation in TouchDesigner, enabling them to create captivating generative visuals, develop audio-reactive animations, and design interactive media.

Join us for Code & Canvas and embark on a journey where coding meets creativity, and technology becomes your artistic tool.

Course Details

Participants will begin by learning the fundamentals of TouchDesigner’s interface and its core Operator types—TOPs, SOPs, and CHOPs—while exploring techniques like feedback, noise, and instancing to create evolving generative visuals. The workshop also covers how to link audio inputs to visual elements, enabling students to build responsive animations and custom music visualizers that react dynamically to sound.

As the course progresses, students will explore interactivity through input devices like the mouse and keyboard, using cursor movement and key presses to control visual parameters, trigger effects, and create dynamic user-driven experiences. Additional tools such as sliders and buttons can be introduced to build custom user interfaces for interactive control.

The course concludes with an introduction to spatial media, incorporating video input from webcams to enable motion or brightness-based interaction. Participants will learn how to extract usable data from video feeds and apply it to influence visual or audio elements in their projects. The final class will feature a demonstration of how such systems can be experienced immersively through virtual reality, led by the instructor. Students will also have the opportunity to share and discuss their own projects in a short participant showcase.

By the end of the course, students will have developed their own interactive and generative media pieces while gaining a strong foundation in TouchDesigner’s creative workflow.

Requirements:

A laptop with TouchDesigner installed (the free version is available at derivative.ca)

While not mandatory, basic familiarity with digital art or creative software (such as Photoshop, Ableton, or similar tools) will be helpful

A webcam is recommended for the final class to explore video input and motion-based interaction

*To receive the members discount promotion code and/or information on how to become a member, please email: education@videopool.org with your full name and whether interested in registering online or in-person.

Members: $200

Non-Members: $250

*In preparation for the first session, please give us a sense of your familiarity with node-based programs—particularly TouchDesigner and its interface. Understanding your experience level will help us tailor the workshop to better support your learning. Please feel free to share your background with me at education@videopool.org.

Note: We found that using a mouse can significantly improve the learning experience, so we recommend bringing one with you if you’re able.

JJ (Jia Jia)

JJ (Jia Jia) is an interdisciplinary creative practitioner working at the intersection of code, art, and interactive media. His work explores real-time data interaction, immersive storytelling in virtual reality (VR), and playful uses of visual programming. With experience in digital art projects shown both locally and internationally, he enjoys blending traditional art forms with emerging technologies like AI and live data. Often collaborating with artists from diverse backgrounds, he transforms physical artworks into dynamic, interactive experiences.