[eu-gene] Software / generative / whatever

[Philip Galanter]

Actually I think the identification of generative art as a wide and old method of making art is a big step forward. The discovery that there is a bond between, say, pattern-based Islamic art over 1000 years old and John Cage compositions and Karl Sims animations is really something. When you start looking for systems-based art suddenly works in this obscure corner and that obscure corner start to talk to each other. 

For art history and criticism folks I think looking for commonalities and differences in generative art is very fertile ground. E.g. *Why* do people use randomization?  Cage and Burroughs both did it, but for very different reasons leading to very different meanings. And can randomization still be effective today or is it just too played out?

And even if it is mostly practitioners it could still be a discussion mostly about why rather than how. (Why? being shorthand for discussions of meaning, aesthetics, social impact, historical connections, critical theory, etc.)

In fact here on eu-gene, even though it's  pretty sleepy at times, most of the discussion is not about the how. 

And a lot of questions one asks about "regular" art could also be asked about generative art. I wonder how many folks in, say, the Processing generative graphics crowd ask themselves why they do what they do, and whether the work has significance beyond eye-candy? If not should it? If it should how do you get there?

There are so many questions worth asking and discussions worth having.

Anyway Siggraph is mostly a technical (it is ACM after all, so very competitive papers are given), and industrial (e.g. animation for film) gathering. But there is an art show that has gotten better over the years and some artist talks as well. There is a strong university presence throughout. But art theory (etc) discussions are not terribly frequent or deep.

On Jan 5, 2012, at 5:39 PM, alex wrote:
> 
> 
>> p.s. I share your concerns about the conference. Very much so. I'd be interested
>> in seeking/helping/building alternatives, but in a way that runs parallel to (and
>> doesn't overtly attack) what already exists.
> 
> Yes, that would be a positive step, perhaps a workshop or something
> like that.  But if generative art is a how, rather than a why, then
> would it be a completely technical workshop/conference?  I'm thinking
> of a similar event for painting, a group of painters presenting how
> they paint to each other.  (I've not been to siggraph, is that what
> it's like?)
> 
> alex
> 
> -- 
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