Signal, Structure & Systems

Most artists use systems every day without thinking much about them: DAWs, social platforms, archives, workflows, recommendation engines, collaborative tools, modular synths, spreadsheets, timelines, communities. These systems quietly shape how we make, share, and experience creative work. In this workshop, Ezra Tenenbaum explores the invisible architecture behind creative practice. Through demonstrations, conversations, and collaborative experiments, participants will examine how tools influence behavior, how constraints shape outcomes, and how small technical decisions create entirely different creative cultures. Rather than focusing only on coding or engineering, the class approaches systems as artistic and social structures. Participants will prototype lightweight experiments, examine existing creative ecosystems, and think critically about how artists can design tools, communities, and workflows that reflect their values. This class is designed for musicians, artists, organizers, creative technologists, and anyone interested in the intersection of creativity, infrastructure, and experimentation. No advanced technical background required.