[eu-gene] Generative materials

[Philip Galanter]

Thanks Paul. The Javascript toy is fun!  

I'll have to check out your paper to fully get where this is coming from conceptually. My impulsive response is that the physical world is multidimensional, and thus a higher order of complexity, relative to computable patterns.  "Parts" have to do more than fit, there have to be mechanisms to encourage docking, forces holding the parts together, mechanisms to resist destructive forces from without, etc. Entropy never sleeps so energy exchange has to be a factor. Also there are multiple levels of emergence...one level's emergent property is the next level's participating component. 

But I really should read the paper before commenting!

Phil

p.s. Still looking for more artists using physical real-world materials that generate significant form on their own...


On Sep 14, 2011, at 9:10 PM, Paul Harrison wrote:

> On Tue, Sep 13, 2011 at 11:12 AM, Philip Galanter
> <list at philipgalanter.com> wrote:
>> 
>> You may recall that some time ago I enquired on the eugene list regarding
>> generative art without computers.  At this time I've narrowed down my
>> curatorial theme to generative materials. This could include emergent form
>> from chemical reactions, compounds, liquids of varying density, corrosives,
>> stains, reactions with electric charge or magnetic fields, fire, bubbles,
>> freezing, etc.
>> If you've done artwork using self-organizing materials or know of others you
>> can bring to my attention, please let me know.  It would probably be OK to
>> just post it to the list.  Perhaps it will stimulate additional discussion.
> 
> Tile pieces are interesting. I've played around a little with these,
> though not in the context of art. I feel they help clarify why there
> are materials that display emergent patterns -- on the small scale
> generative materials are like 3D tile pieces, with sites on their
> surface that lock together with specific other kinds of sites. The
> space of simple tile pieces is quite densely populated with tiles that
> will form pleasing patterns, so generative matierals can arise by
> chance quite easily. Tile pieces can even represent arbitrary
> computations.
> 
> Javascript toy: http://www.logarithmic.net/ghost.xhtml
> There's a chapter in my phd thesis on the topic:
> http://www.logarithmic.net/pfh/thesis
> 
> As jigsaw pieces, they make an interesting toy. You can apply your
> creativity to make patterns, but the pieces constrain the patterns you
> can make.
> 
> -- 
> Paul Harrison
> 
> Victorian Bioinformatics Consortium / Monash University
> pfh at logarithmic.net
> jabber pfh at jabber.org.au
> http://www.logarithmic.net/pfh/
> --
> 'In this forum this kind of thrown egg is likely to land on your own face.'
> To unsubscribe from eu-gene visit
> http://www.generative.net/mailman/listinfo/eu-gene