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

Wed Mar 17 01:23:06 GMT 2010

Hi Matt,
I would be interested in submitting something for consideration.
I worked initially in audio - using cybernetic principles for electro- 
acoustic a-v improv systems, but during a spell working with Jon  
McCormack and Alan Dorin (who you should probably also include ?) did  
a few bits of graphic work that work as stills.

Both were evolutionary systems, one looking at specialisation and  
energy recycling, the other more of an exercise in 'expanding the  
generative space' - using a simple flocking algorithm and adding size  
variation and preferences. In particular I am interested in moving  
beyond simple 'visualisation' and 'sonification' of abstract systems,  
and embedding the generative process more meaningfully in the media -  
be that pixels/ audio/ machines etc.

Enough words.

You Pretty Little Flocker
Some blurb on the flocking one - You Pretty Little Flocker - here -  
with processing app running:
http://www.ecila.org/flocker/PrettyLittleFlocker.html
(click on thumbnails for enlargements)

and here:
http://www.infotech.monash.edu.au//research/groups/cema/?page_id=22

and lots of images here:
http://www.infotech.monash.edu.au//research/groups/cema/flocker/flocker.html
(I've not looked at this page for a year or so and just realised the  
links to hi res images have broken - but if you 'view source' you can  
see the links to src image, and they are all there !)

And a different render here:
http://www.ecila.org/flocker/boyslinesFlock.html

I have quite a few different renders of this basic idea, which  
illustrate quite nicely the interaction between concept and  
realisation ...

TinyBricycle
You can see a version of the energy recycling one - TinyBricycle here:
http://www.infotech.monash.edu.au//research/groups/cema/?page_id=78

There is a v. small version running here:
http://www.infotech.monash.edu.au//research/groups/cema/wp-content/uploads/2008/pages/tinybricycle/tinybricycle.html

Off line I can render these quite large, and they get quite beautiful

I may well tweak things a bit to make some new images if you are  
interested. These were used for the artwork for a couple of Generative  
Art conferences last year, so may like something fresh.

Let me know if you like the look of any of it, and I would be happy to  
supply images and words as required.
Quite understand the no money bit. I was an academic for a while, and  
a musician for longer ;-)

The only slight thing would be that the code is *ugly* !!! but maybe  
it would be good for me to clean it up.

Cheers,
Alice

On 16 Mar 2010, at 10:17, matt zb wrote:

>
> Addendum: in case I didn't make it obvious - it's a book, so I can  
> only use
> STILL images.
>
> And it is the process behind the work that is the interesting bit  
> (in this
> context anyway) - not just the finished image.
>
> Cheers :)
>
>
> On 15/3/10 12:17, "matt zb" <bnm at zenbullets.com> wrote:
>
>>
>> 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
>>
>>
>>
>
>
> -- 
> '"generative" is where you lose control of a machine which does  
> exactly
> what you tell it.'
> To unsubscribe from eu-gene visit
> http://www.generative.net/mailman/listinfo/eu-gene

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