THE LOCAL TRANSMISSION · ONLINE SEASON 1 · UES-201
Marine Layer: Weather, Light & Daily Seeing
WEATHER + LIGHT
Study weather as visual material and public experience: observe one place closely enough to see air, light, sound, and daily change become a local language.
- Module time
- About 2.5–3 hours per module
- Pace
- Start anytime · no deadlines · pause and return.
- Completion
- Any four modules plus the final course outcome.
- Materials
- Phone camera, camera, or sketchbook · Notebook or notes app · Basic image, audio, or layout tool of the learner’s choice · Access to public weather observations; no paid weather service required
WHY THIS CLASS EXISTS
Make observation useful to somebody else.
Study weather as visual material and public experience: observe one place closely enough to see air, light, sound, and daily change become a local language.
Builds from Season 0: UES-103, UES-105, UES-106.
HOW THE ROOM RUNS
Prompt. Fieldwork. Studio. Receipt.
- 01Module prompt
One central question opens each module. The source shelf is optional; the page itself contains the full path.
- 02Field task
One 60–90 minute act of looking, making, recording, or hosting.
- 03Self-guided studio
A 75-minute making, editing, or reflection session you can complete alone.
- 04Module receipt
A 20-minute useful trace kept privately or shared only when you choose.
YOUR PRIVATE COURSE DESK
Start here. No account required.
Check off modules as you work. Progress stays in this browser; the university never receives your name, work, location, email, or wallet.
0 of 5 completion steps · finish any four modules plus the final outcome.
Local progress is ready. You can also use the class without saving anything.
THE SIX-MODULE ROOM
A complete first syllabus.
Everything required is printed here. References named inside modules are optional; use this on-page toolkit whenever a module asks for a check, scenario, ledger, or handoff.
- MODULE01
What becomes visible when we stay with one patch of air before deciding what it means?
Notice Before Naming
On-page prompts + optional references
- On-page field note: record place, date, local time, direction faced, visible conditions, sound, temperature if known, and one uncertainty
- National Weather Service observation vocabulary
- Artist weather diaries and serial landscape studies
Self-guided studio
Build a personal working vocabulary of haze, cloud edge, glare, wind, temperature, distance, and uncertainty, defining each word from direct observation.
Field task
Choose one repeatable viewpoint and make three observations at different times of day.
Module receipt · private by default
A first-view card naming the place, time, conditions, and one unresolved question.
- MODULE02
How can lived observation and public data correct, deepen, or complicate each other?
Weather Has Sources
On-page prompts + optional references
- NOAA and National Weather Service observation products
- Tide, wind, visibility, and air-quality public-data conventions
- On-page source note: title or agency, observation time, access date, what it supports, and what it cannot establish
Self-guided studio
Read a forecast discussion, compare it with the sky log, and distinguish observation from inference.
Field task
Complete the seven-day sky log and pair two entries with time-matched public observations.
Module receipt · private by default
One sourced comparison between what the learner saw and what a public instrument recorded.
- MODULE03
What visual or sonic system can hold a condition without flattening it?
Light, Color, Sound
On-page prompts + optional references
- Color notation and environmental sound-score examples
- Accessible color-contrast and audio-description practices
- Any freely viewable weather diary or serial landscape; the exercise does not depend on a particular archive
Self-guided studio
Test three translations of one condition through palette, mark, typography, sequence, or sound.
Field task
Record one changing condition in two different media and compare what each medium loses.
Module receipt · private by default
A two-medium study with a plain-language description of the editorial choice.
- MODULE04
Who experiences the same weather differently, and how does the built environment change it?
Weather in Public
On-page prompts + optional references
- On-page place check: note shade, glare, wind, shelter, seating or waiting, surface, noise, and an alternate access path
- Public-space accessibility field-audit examples
- Local accounts of marine layer, airport edge, beach, and street conditions
Self-guided studio
Self-check the weather card with four questions: can it be read at arm’s length, can every data claim be traced, does the text equivalent carry the meaning, and does it describe this place rather than generic weather? Revise one failure; optional outside critique may supplement the same check.
Field task
Compare two nearby public places for shade, glare, wind, shelter, and ease of waiting.
Module receipt · private by default
The finished weather card plus an access note and alt text.
- MODULE05
How can many distinct observations belong together without becoming identical?
A System for Daily Change
On-page prompts + optional references
- Grid, sequence, legend, and small-multiple design references
- On-page six-panel check: one consistent order, readable labels, a legend for every code, individual dates, and credits for anything not made by the learner
- Open image, text, and audio licensing choices
Self-guided studio
Edit the studies into a consistent personal atlas grammar; optionally compare it with a shared atlas grammar without changing the completion standard.
Field task
Produce a six-panel draft and run the structured accessibility and editorial self-check. An optional peer edit may be added, but the self-check counts equally.
Module receipt · private by default
A before-and-after edit note showing what changed and why.
- MODULE06
What should the next observer be able to notice, reuse, or question?
Open the Atlas
On-page prompts + optional references
- On-page final check: title, six ordered panels, context sentence, source note, credits, text equivalents, limitations, and a correction contact or note
- On-page archive fields: filename, creator, date, place at a privacy-safe precision, format, rights choice, source list, and revision date
- Publication, licensing, wallet use, and minting are separate optional decisions; keeping one local file completes the class
Self-guided studio
Sequence the personal atlas and conduct a final source-and-access self-review. A collective sequence or public showing is optional, and a private review counts equally.
Field task
Finish the micro-atlas plate and prepare one sentence of context for a future observer.
Module receipt · private by default
A private-by-default atlas plate with credits, source note, alt text, and optional process audio; publishing or exhibiting it is optional.
WHAT COMPLETION MEANS
No grades. Real work.
- 01
Seven-day sky log · suggested after module 2
Observe one place at a consistent time for seven days using image, color, sound, text, or a combination. - 02
Weather card · suggested after module 4
Translate one observed condition into a concise visual card with a source note and meaningful alt text. - 03
Micro-atlas plate · suggested after module 6
Edit six observations into one coherent, accessible micro-atlas plate. Keep it private by default; adding it to a collective atlas is optional and the private plate counts equally.
Complete any four of the six module receipts and finish the course outcome or a private equivalent. There are no grades, deadlines, peer requirements, or public-posting requirements.
ACCESS IS PART OF THE SYLLABUS
More than one way through the room.
- Every instruction is readable on the public course page; audio or video references require a transcript or equivalent text path.
- Every required prompt, scenario, rubric, and checklist is written on this course page; named sources are optional references, not missing course materials.
- Low-bandwidth, print-friendly syllabus with no paid platform or subscription required.
- No live attendance, camera, account, wallet, or public posting is required.
- Progress stays in this browser unless the learner chooses to download a private completion receipt.
- Webcam, public-weather-data, and memory-based observation paths when outdoor fieldwork is unavailable.
- Independent route
- Active now. The complete sequence, studio prompts, access paths, and private checklist are on this page.
- Optional faculty profile
- A photographer, visual artist, or field naturalist with atmospheric or coastal literacy, source discipline, and an accessible critique practice.
- Supported cohort
- Optional and funding-dependent. Human review or scheduled sessions never gate access or completion.
- Planning cost
- $3,350 for maintenance, access, materials, and an optional supported cohort—not tuition or admission.
Learners retain copyright. Public licensing and Tezos minting are optional and separate. A wallet, public identity, public artifact, or blockchain transaction is never required for this class.
THE ROOM IS OPEN
Bring one place. Leave one useful trace.
Start now, move at your own pace, and keep the work private if that is the right path. Human help and supported cohorts can be added without changing anyone’s right to learn independently.
Support does not buy admission, curriculum control, governance rights, or faculty appointments.