My Hydra tutorial series on YouTube began more like sketching in the public online space – experimenting with feedback loops, functions and glitchy layers in real time. Hydra, a live-coding environment for browsers, became my playground for thinking visually, performatively, and sometimes just playfully. This series isn’t a conventional step-by-step coding tutorial. It’s more about showing how I explore ideas, try things and learn through doing. I make mistakes, remix things, and follow unexpected paths. Each video is a small experiment – a snapshot of a moment in the process for you to follow along. Just like how live coding goes; it’s not about polished outcomes. It’s about staying in the flow, being present with the tool and seeing where it leads.
A lot of what I do comes from the Hydra community – people sharing code, tips, translations, and discoveries with care and curiosity – which include Olivia Jack, who created Hydra, but also many others who have been contributing to Hydra. I’ve learned so much from them, and this series is my way of giving back to the community. I hope my tutorials encourage others not only to make things, but to share what they make.
My first tutorial series (“advanced” tutorials) in 2021 was featured on cdm. After a few years, I’m restarting the series, focusing on content for beginners. I have been offering Hydra workshops in performing art, audiovisual and creative code festivals – however, I noticed that I can’t cover everything in a typical 1-2 hour workshop. With the format of a tutorial series, I’m taking time to explain functions and concepts that I can’t normally offer in a workshop.
→ Beginner Tutorial / → Intermediate Tutorial / More to come..
Project Page | Instagram | Naoto Hieda
Naoto Hieda is a researcher and an artist from Japan based in Estonia enrolled in the PhD programme at the School of Digital Technologies Tallinn University. With a background in engineering (B.Eng. at Tokyo Institute of Technology, Japan and M.Eng. at McGill University, Canada), Naoto completed Diplom II (master’s equivalent) with distinction from the Academy of Media Arts in Cologne, Germany and works internationally for theater productions and in the visual arts. In their artistic work, they question the productive qualities of coding and speculate on new forms, post-coding through neuroqueerness, decolonization and live coding.
