[eu-gene] Generative Art Book (& opportunity)

[matt zb]

This is something I should perhaps have announced on this list a while ago,
but it's difficult to be 100% sure when dealing with publishers - I have a
book on Generative Art in the works, due to be published this summer.

I am using Processing as the tool, and the main thrust of the book, my
intention anyway, is to make Generative Art something that is both
accessible and fun. I believe that the artistic potential of creative coding
is barely off the ground yet. It is still stifled by being too exclusive a
skill, the main work being done by a rare subset of talented individuals who
have an aesthetic sensibility intersecting with hardcore coding skills.

Generative Art is only really going to get interesting once it is more
widely practised, once the programming can become more intuitive and
naturalistic, and less of a barrier. If my book makes even a small step in
this direction I will consider it a success.

There is more info on my blog if you want it:
http://zenbullets.com/blog/?cat=40

Anyway, the reason for posting at this time is that it has struck me that
after 300 pages or so readers might be getting sick of the sound of my
voice/arrangement of my pixels. The publishers have allowed me a 16 page
full colour "gallery" section, which was going to be filled with my work.
But I was toying with the idea of instead using it to feature the work of
other Generative Artists (of which I know there are many on this list).

There are the obvious big names I would love to have involved, but I also
thought it might be interesting to put it out to the new talent too. The
work is intended to inspire, not make the reader despair that they could
never do anything worthwhile, so the main requirement is interestingness
rather than prowess. And open-sourced code of course.

If anyone is interested in sharing their work in this way (at 300dpi),
please get in touch (offlist). I'll state up front that there is no money in
it - the amount I'll be earning per copy is a pittance, and that's for
writing a whole book. But the rewards are what you can make of them.

Would be cool to hear from some of you.

Cheers.


Matt Pearson
http://zenbullets.com