Algorithmic art
Encyclopedia
Algorithmic art, also known as algorithm art, is art, mostly visual art, of which the design is generated by an algorithm
. Algorithmic artists are sometimes called algorists.
, and is practically always executed by a computer
. If executed by a computer
, it is also classified as computer-generated art, but in much computer-generated art the role of the computer is confined to the execution. In contrast, in algorithmic art the creative design is the result of an algorithmic process, usually using a random or pseudo-random process to produce variability. Algorithmic art is also related to systems art
.
It is usually digital art
, although a number of artists work with plotters. Fractal art
is an example of algorithmic art.
and Frieder Nake
in the early 1960s. These artworks were executed by a plotter
controlled by a computer
, and were therefore computer-generated art but not digital art
. The act of creation lay in writing the program
, which specified the sequence of actions to be performed by the plotter
.
Aside from the ongoing work of Verostko and his fellow algorists, the next known examples are fractal art
works created in the mid to late 1980s. These are important here because they use a different means of execution. Whereas the earliest algorithmic art was "drawn" by a plotter
, fractal art
simply creates an image in computer memory
; it is therefore digital art
. The native form of a fractal art
work is an image stored on a computer
–this is also true of very nearly all equation art and of most recent algorithmic art in general. However, in a stricter sense "fractal art" is not considered algorithmic art, because the algorithm is not devised by the artist.
devised by the artist. Here, an algorithm is simply a detailed recipe for the design and possibly execution of an artwork, which may include computer code, functions
, expressions
, or other input which ultimately determines the form the art will take. This input may be mathematical, computational
, or generative in nature. Inasmuch as algorithms tend to be deterministic, meaning that their repeated execution would always result in the production of identical artworks, some external factor is usually introduced. This can either be a random number generator of some sort, or an external body of data (which can range from recorded heartbeats to frames of a movie.) Some artists also work with organically based gestural input which is then modified by an algorithm.
By this definition, algorithmic art is not to be confused with graphical methods such as generating a fractal
out of a fractal program; it is necessarily concerned with the human factor (one's own algorithm, and not one that is pre-set in a package). The artist must be concerned with the most appropriate expression for their idea, just as a painter
would be most concerned with the best application of colors. By this definition, defaulting to something like a fractal generator (and using it for all or most of your creations) would in essence be letting the computer dictate the form of the final work, and not truly be a creative art. The artist's self-made algorithms are an integral part of the authorship, as well as being a medium through which their ideas are conveyed.
Algorists formally began correspondence and establishing their identity as artists following a panel titled "Art and Algorithms" at SIGGRAPH
in 1995. The co-founders were Roman Verostko
and Jean-Pierre Hébert
. Hébert is credited with coining the term and its definition, which is quite unsurprisingly, in the form of his own algorithm:
if (creation && object of art && algorithm && one's own algorithm) {
include * an algorist *
} elseif (!creation || !object of art || !algorithm || !one's own algorithm) {
exclude * not an algorist *
}
Algorithm
In mathematics and computer science, an algorithm is an effective method expressed as a finite list of well-defined instructions for calculating a function. Algorithms are used for calculation, data processing, and automated reasoning...
. Algorithmic artists are sometimes called algorists.
Overview
Algorithmic art is a subset of generative artGenerative art
Generative art refers to art that has been generated, composed, or constructed in an algorithmic manner through the use of systems defined by computer software algorithms, or similar mathematical or mechanical or randomised autonomous processes....
, and is practically always executed by a computer
Computer
A computer is a programmable machine designed to sequentially and automatically carry out a sequence of arithmetic or logical operations. The particular sequence of operations can be changed readily, allowing the computer to solve more than one kind of problem...
. If executed by a computer
Computer
A computer is a programmable machine designed to sequentially and automatically carry out a sequence of arithmetic or logical operations. The particular sequence of operations can be changed readily, allowing the computer to solve more than one kind of problem...
, it is also classified as computer-generated art, but in much computer-generated art the role of the computer is confined to the execution. In contrast, in algorithmic art the creative design is the result of an algorithmic process, usually using a random or pseudo-random process to produce variability. Algorithmic art is also related to systems art
Systems art
Systems art is art influenced by cybernetics, and systems theory, which reflects on natural systems, social systems and social signs of the art world itself....
.
It is usually digital art
Digital art
Digital art is a general term for a range of artistic works and practices that use digital technology as an essential part of the creative and/or presentation process...
, although a number of artists work with plotters. Fractal art
Fractal art
Fractal art is a form of algorithmic art created by calculating fractal objects and representing the calculation results as still images, animations, and media. Fractal art developed from the mid 1980s onwards. It is a genre of computer art and digital art which are part of new media art...
is an example of algorithmic art.
History
Some of the earliest known examples of computer-generated algorithmic art were created by Georg NeesGeorg Nees
Georg Nees is a pioneer of computer art, an honorary professor of computer science at the University of Erlangen, Germany. Nees and his fellow pioneers Frieder Nake and A. Michael Noll have been called the "3N" of computer art....
and Frieder Nake
Frieder Nake
Frieder Nake is a professor for computer graphics at the department for computer science at the University of Bremen and visiting professor for hypermedia design at the University of the Arts Bremen. He lives and works in Bremen, Germany.He has taught in Stuttgart, Toronto and Vancouver, and has...
in the early 1960s. These artworks were executed by a plotter
Plotter
A plotter is a computer printing device for printing vector graphics. In the past, plotters were widely used in applications such as computer-aided design, though they have generally been replaced with wide-format conventional printers...
controlled by a computer
Computer
A computer is a programmable machine designed to sequentially and automatically carry out a sequence of arithmetic or logical operations. The particular sequence of operations can be changed readily, allowing the computer to solve more than one kind of problem...
, and were therefore computer-generated art but not digital art
Digital art
Digital art is a general term for a range of artistic works and practices that use digital technology as an essential part of the creative and/or presentation process...
. The act of creation lay in writing the program
Computer program
A computer program is a sequence of instructions written to perform a specified task with a computer. A computer requires programs to function, typically executing the program's instructions in a central processor. The program has an executable form that the computer can use directly to execute...
, which specified the sequence of actions to be performed by the plotter
Plotter
A plotter is a computer printing device for printing vector graphics. In the past, plotters were widely used in applications such as computer-aided design, though they have generally been replaced with wide-format conventional printers...
.
Aside from the ongoing work of Verostko and his fellow algorists, the next known examples are fractal art
Fractal art
Fractal art is a form of algorithmic art created by calculating fractal objects and representing the calculation results as still images, animations, and media. Fractal art developed from the mid 1980s onwards. It is a genre of computer art and digital art which are part of new media art...
works created in the mid to late 1980s. These are important here because they use a different means of execution. Whereas the earliest algorithmic art was "drawn" by a plotter
Plotter
A plotter is a computer printing device for printing vector graphics. In the past, plotters were widely used in applications such as computer-aided design, though they have generally been replaced with wide-format conventional printers...
, fractal art
Fractal art
Fractal art is a form of algorithmic art created by calculating fractal objects and representing the calculation results as still images, animations, and media. Fractal art developed from the mid 1980s onwards. It is a genre of computer art and digital art which are part of new media art...
simply creates an image in computer memory
Computer memory
In computing, memory refers to the physical devices used to store programs or data on a temporary or permanent basis for use in a computer or other digital electronic device. The term primary memory is used for the information in physical systems which are fast In computing, memory refers to the...
; it is therefore digital art
Digital art
Digital art is a general term for a range of artistic works and practices that use digital technology as an essential part of the creative and/or presentation process...
. The native form of a fractal art
Fractal art
Fractal art is a form of algorithmic art created by calculating fractal objects and representing the calculation results as still images, animations, and media. Fractal art developed from the mid 1980s onwards. It is a genre of computer art and digital art which are part of new media art...
work is an image stored on a computer
Computer
A computer is a programmable machine designed to sequentially and automatically carry out a sequence of arithmetic or logical operations. The particular sequence of operations can be changed readily, allowing the computer to solve more than one kind of problem...
–this is also true of very nearly all equation art and of most recent algorithmic art in general. However, in a stricter sense "fractal art" is not considered algorithmic art, because the algorithm is not devised by the artist.
The role of the algorithm
For a work of art to be considered algorithmic art, its creation must include a process based on an algorithmAlgorithm
In mathematics and computer science, an algorithm is an effective method expressed as a finite list of well-defined instructions for calculating a function. Algorithms are used for calculation, data processing, and automated reasoning...
devised by the artist. Here, an algorithm is simply a detailed recipe for the design and possibly execution of an artwork, which may include computer code, functions
Function (mathematics)
In mathematics, a function associates one quantity, the argument of the function, also known as the input, with another quantity, the value of the function, also known as the output. A function assigns exactly one output to each input. The argument and the value may be real numbers, but they can...
, expressions
Expression (mathematics)
In mathematics, an expression is a finite combination of symbols that is well-formed according to rules that depend on the context. Symbols can designate numbers , variables, operations, functions, and other mathematical symbols, as well as punctuation, symbols of grouping, and other syntactic...
, or other input which ultimately determines the form the art will take. This input may be mathematical, computational
Computational
Computational may refer to:* Computer* Computational algebra* Computational Aeroacoustics* Computational and Information Systems Laboratory* Computational and Systems Neuroscience* Computational archaeology* Computational auditory scene analysis...
, or generative in nature. Inasmuch as algorithms tend to be deterministic, meaning that their repeated execution would always result in the production of identical artworks, some external factor is usually introduced. This can either be a random number generator of some sort, or an external body of data (which can range from recorded heartbeats to frames of a movie.) Some artists also work with organically based gestural input which is then modified by an algorithm.
By this definition, algorithmic art is not to be confused with graphical methods such as generating a fractal
Fractal
A fractal has been defined as "a rough or fragmented geometric shape that can be split into parts, each of which is a reduced-size copy of the whole," a property called self-similarity...
out of a fractal program; it is necessarily concerned with the human factor (one's own algorithm, and not one that is pre-set in a package). The artist must be concerned with the most appropriate expression for their idea, just as a painter
Painting
Painting is the practice of applying paint, pigment, color or other medium to a surface . The application of the medium is commonly applied to the base with a brush but other objects can be used. In art, the term painting describes both the act and the result of the action. However, painting is...
would be most concerned with the best application of colors. By this definition, defaulting to something like a fractal generator (and using it for all or most of your creations) would in essence be letting the computer dictate the form of the final work, and not truly be a creative art. The artist's self-made algorithms are an integral part of the authorship, as well as being a medium through which their ideas are conveyed.
Algorists
"Algorist" is a term used for digital artists who create algorithmic art. One group of algorists is known as Les Algoristes.Algorists formally began correspondence and establishing their identity as artists following a panel titled "Art and Algorithms" at SIGGRAPH
SIGGRAPH
SIGGRAPH is the name of the annual conference on computer graphics convened by the ACM SIGGRAPH organization. The first SIGGRAPH conference was in 1974. The conference is attended by tens of thousands of computer professionals...
in 1995. The co-founders were Roman Verostko
Roman Verostko
Roman Verostko is an artist who produces algorithmic art. Verostko developed his own software to control a line plotter that produces unique pen and ink drawings. He also modified the plotter to hold an oriental paintbrush...
and Jean-Pierre Hébert
Jean-Pierre Hébert
Jean-Pierre Hébert is an independent artist of algorithmic art, drawings, and mixed media. He co-founded the Algorists in 1995 with Roman Verostko.Hébert lives and works in Santa Barbara, California...
. Hébert is credited with coining the term and its definition, which is quite unsurprisingly, in the form of his own algorithm:
if (creation && object of art && algorithm && one's own algorithm) {
include * an algorist *
} elseif (!creation || !object of art || !algorithm || !one's own algorithm) {
exclude * not an algorist *
}
Algorithmic artists
- ArambiletArambiletAngel Luis Arambilet Alvarez [ARAMBILET] is a writer, screenplayer, painter, graphic artist, filmmaker and systems engineer....
(Spain – Dominican Republic) - San BaseSan BaseSan Base is a contemporary Canadian artist, born December 1, 1956 in Russia.He graduated from school of Fine Arts in 1974, and received his PhD in Cybernetics from the Technical University in 1979.-Life and work:...
(Canada) - Harold CohenHarold Cohen (artist)Harold Cohen is a British-born artist who is noted as the creator of AARON-External links:*...
(UK – USA) - Charles CsuriCharles CsuriCharles Csuri , aka Chuck Csuri, is a pioneer in the field of computer art and a former All American college football player.-Digital art:...
(USA) - Helaman FergusonHelaman FergusonHelaman Rolfe Pratt Ferguson is an American sculptor and a digital artist, specifically an algorist.Ferguson's mother died when he was about three and his father went off to serve in the Second World War. He was adopted and raised in New York. He was a graduate of Hamilton College and received a...
(USA) - Herbert W. FrankeHerbert W. FrankeHerbert W. Franke is an Austrian scientist and writer. He is considered one of the most important science fiction authors in the German language....
(Austria – Germany) - John GreeneJohn GreeneJohn Greene may refer to:* John Greene , early settler and co-founder of Warwick, Rhode Island* John Greene, Jr. Deputy Governor of Rhode Island...
(USA) - Jean-Pierre HébertJean-Pierre HébertJean-Pierre Hébert is an independent artist of algorithmic art, drawings, and mixed media. He co-founded the Algorists in 1995 with Roman Verostko.Hébert lives and works in Santa Barbara, California...
(USA) - Yoichiro KawaguchiYoichiro Kawaguchiis a Japanese computer graphics artist, professor at the University of Tokyo. Kawaguchi rose to international prominence in 1982 when he presented "Growth Model" in the international conference SIGGRAPH.- References :...
(Japan) - Golan LevinGolan LevinGolan Levin is an American new media artist, composer, performer and engineer interested in developing artifacts and events which explore supple new modes of reactive expression.-Biography:...
(USA) - Sergio MaltagliatiSergio MaltagliatiSergio Maltagliati is an Italian Internet-based artist, composer, and visual-digital artist.His first musical experiences with the Gialdino Gialdini Musical Band in in early 70s.-Biography:...
(Italy) - Manfred MohrManfred MohrManfred Mohr is a digital art pioneer. He has lived and worked in New York since 1981.-Life & career:...
(Germany) - Ken MusgraveKen MusgraveDr. Forest Kenton "Ken" Musgrave , formerly a professor at The George Washington University and currently CEO/CTO of Pandromeda, Inc, is a computer artist, working with fractal images.- Education :...
(USA) - Frieder NakeFrieder NakeFrieder Nake is a professor for computer graphics at the department for computer science at the University of Bremen and visiting professor for hypermedia design at the University of the Arts Bremen. He lives and works in Bremen, Germany.He has taught in Stuttgart, Toronto and Vancouver, and has...
(Germany) - Georg NeesGeorg NeesGeorg Nees is a pioneer of computer art, an honorary professor of computer science at the University of Erlangen, Germany. Nees and his fellow pioneers Frieder Nake and A. Michael Noll have been called the "3N" of computer art....
(Germany) - A. Michael NollA. Michael NollA. Michael Noll is an American engineer, and professor emeritus at the Annenberg School for Communication at the University of Southern California. He was a very early pioneer in digital computer art and 3D animation and tactile communication.- Biography :Noll has a B.S.E.E...
(USA) - Jason SalavonJason SalavonJason Salavon is an American contemporary artist. He is noted for his use of computer software of his own design to manipulate and reconfigure preexisting media and data to create new visual works of fine art.-Life and art:...
(USA) - Charles SandisonCharles SandisonCharles Sandison is a Scottish visual artist who lives and works in Tampere, Finland.-Biography:Sandison was born in Haltwhistle and grew up in Wick, Caithness. He studied art from 1987–1993 and briefly taught there after graduating...
(UK/Finland) - Remko SchaRemko SchaRemko J. H. Scha is a professor of computational linguistics at the faculty of humanities and Institute for Logic, Language and Computation at the University of Amsterdam. He is also an internationally renowned composer and performer of algorithmic art....
(Netherlands) - Timothy SchreiberTimothy SchreiberTimothy Schreiber is a London-based, German-born architect and design artist. Schreiber is mainly known for his furniture designs which have won multiple awards including the Red dot design award in the years 2006, 2007, 2008 making him the only designer having won this award in the category...
(UK) - Celestino SodduCelestino SodduCelestino Soddu is an architect and professor of Generative Design at Politecnico di Milano university in Italy. He is one of the pioneers of Generative Art and Design...
(Italy) - Roman VerostkoRoman VerostkoRoman Verostko is an artist who produces algorithmic art. Verostko developed his own software to control a line plotter that produces unique pen and ink drawings. He also modified the plotter to hold an oriental paintbrush...
(USA) - Martin WattenbergMartin M. WattenbergMartin M. Wattenberg is an American scientist and artist known for his work with data visualization. Along with Fernanda Viégas, he worked at the Cambridge location of IBM's Thomas J. Watson Research Center as part of the Visual Communication Lab, and created Many Eyes...
(USA) - Mark WilsonMark Wilson (artist)Mark Wilson is an American digital artist, a painter, and printmaker.He received a National Endowment for the Arts fellowship in 1982, Prix Ars Electronica in 1992, and 3 Connecticut Commission on the Arts grants...
(USA)
Further reading
- Oliver GrauOliver GrauOliver Grau is a German art historian and media theoretician with a focus on image science, modernity and media art as well as culture of the 19th century and Italian art of the Renaissance.-Works:...
(2003). Virtual Art: From Illusion to Immersion (MIT Press/Leonardo Book Series). Cambridge, Massachusetts: The MIT Press. ISBN 0-262-07241-6. - Wands, Bruce (2006). Art of the Digital Age, London: Thames & Hudson. ISBN 0-500-23817-0.
External links
- Notes on the origin and usage of the term 'algorist' in art
- Algorithmic Art: Composing the Score for Visual Art - Roman Verostko
- geneticart.org - Algorithmic art based on the 1994 work of John Mount, Scott Neal Reilly and Michael WitbrockMichael WitbrockMichael Witbrock is a computer scientist in the field of artificial intelligence. A native of New Zealand, he currently lives in Austin, Texas, and is the current Vice President of Research at Cycorp, which is carrying out the Cyc project in an effort to produce a genuine Artificial Intelligence.-...
(now hosted at MZLabs). - Compart - Database of Digital and Algorithmic Art