[eu-gene] There must be no generative, procedural or computational art

[alex]

On 3 January 2012 00:43, Antoine Schmitt <as at gratin.org> wrote:
> But even though your article is confusing and your arguments are a bit
> misleading, I agree with its conclusion — and with Philip —  that the
> process/system/programmed/acting aspect is the real thing compared to the
> generative output-focused aspect. This is where the real shit is. I've
> advocated this for years on this list and elsewhere and I am quite happy to
> see that you agree now that we should change the name of this list to
> eu-syst !

I think you are agreeing with Arns too, who was really pushing for
programming as an activity, rather than a means to an end.

Before we leave the semantics, lets look again at the definitions on
generative.net:

"Generative art refers to any art practice where the artist creates a
process, such as a set of natural language rules, a computer program,
a machine, or other procedural invention, which is then set into
motion with some degree of autonomy contributing to or resulting in a
completed work of art."  Philip Galanter

To me this suggests separating the artist from the results, where the
artwork is the output.

"Generative art is a term given to work which stems from concentrating
on the processes involved in producing an artwork, usually (although
not strictly) automated by the use of a machine or computer, or by
using mathematic or pragmatic instructions to define the rules by
which such artworks are executed." Adrian Ward

I think this is a very different definition, for its focus on the
process and not the  output as you advocate.  This is not at all the
same as ignoring the output, but does involve focussing on the
activity behind it.  Philip's definition follows Eno in that the
programmer disappears.  Adrian's on the other hand puts the programmer
in the driving seat.  Through satire, his software artwork Auto
Illustrator shows the dangers of treating software as a neutral tool.
I think SAP's press release for de.code teaches the same lesson.

alex