Generative Art and Computational Creativity

Generative art will evolve after the computer with nanotechnology, genetic engineering, robotics, and other technologies to come.

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Generative art is as old as art itself. This paper adresses its definition – http://www.philipgalanter.com/downloads/ga2003_paper.pdf

 

The definition of art may be controversial and social and historical contexts may question the aesthetics that prevail. The generative notion is a subset of art where multiple outcomes may derive from a kind of generative system.

 

Contemporary generative art is associated to different fields of activity, such as electronic music and algorythmic composition, computer graphics and animation, industrial design and architecture.

 

Some artists and writers have embraced randomization as a technique to produce art, John Cage with his sound experimentations (or with silence), John Cage also experimented generative poetry with the Mesostic and an aplication that generates it – http://mesostics.sas.upenn.edu/;  William S. Burroughs used a cut-up technique in his poetry and novel Naked Lunch, and Marcel Duchamps gave art meaning to everyday life objects.

 

For John Cage the motivation for randomnization was a Zen inspired acceptance of all sounds as being equally worthy.

 

The definition given in this paper for «generative art» is as follows:

                        «Generative art refers to any art practice where the artista uses a system, such as a set of natural language rules, a                                     computer program, a machine, or other procedural invention, which is set into motion with some degree of autonomy,                           contributing to or resulting in a completed work of art».

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Generative art is about «how» art is made and not why.

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Generative Art and the Internet, by the Media Lab Helsinki

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Generative art prior to computers can be seen in Jacquard’s loom invention (1804) using punch cards to weave the patterns. Later on, Charles Babbage and Charles Hollerith would take punch card programming to the invention of computer.

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Generative art may be interactive or not. The Continuator is interactive.

The cutting edge of generative art is working with systems that combine order and disorder.

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Conceptual artists use simple geometric shapes like Carl Andre, Donald Judd, Sol LeWitt.

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Many artists and architects used symmetry and repetitive elements and patterns. M.C. Escher expresses that math, perspective and pattern dimensions, though many o his works are known for the «impossible constructions» that defy that order or the «optical illusions».

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Symmetry is present in many works of art across times, patterns in textiles and tapestry have been used in ancient cultures and primitive tribes have used patterns in body paintings. The artistic use of tiling is remote as well, ceramic master works of Islamic  culture  from which «algorythm» derives. The west inherited the great mathmatic knowledge of the Arabs, and their art reveals that side of  mathematical order.

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In principle, any system can be mapped into the smallest program running in a computer generating a growing string as output over time, like fractals. Fractals are complex systems though simple in their self similar structure at every scale, but taking infinite time to develop infinite detail.

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Notions of order and disorder applied to music may result in an analysis of identifying order with «banal» and disorder with «novel», so a folk music might be banal because it uses a certain pattern of ordered notes while free jazz being a novelty because it uses unpredictable notes in a disorderd way (Information Theory and Aesthetic Perception, by Abraham Moles, 1958).

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Complexity science and theory deals with the understanding of various kinds of systems, generative art is rooted in complex systems. Complex systems tipically have a large number of small parts and components that interact with similar nearby parts and componentes. These  interactions often lead to the self organization of the system without any master control or external agent in charge. These self-organizing systems are dynamic systems under constant change, like a swarm of starlings or a shoal of fish, self organizing and moving around for defense techniques, without crashing on each other. Complexity theory deals with notions of chaos and randomness. However chaotic systems are not random systems, since they present some general structure non existent in random systems. Dynamic systems are nonlinear and may be chaotic and unpredictable, like the weather or a person’s life itself.

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Definition of «creativity»:

                          Creativity is the ability to come up with ideas or artifacts that are original and valuable» (Margareth Boden, 2004)

                          «Creativity is the capability or act of conceiving something original or unusual Innovation is the implementation of                                     something new. Invention is the creation of something that has never been made before and is recognized as the                                     product of some unique insight.» – http://www.destination-innovation.com/what-is-the-difference-between-creativity-                               and-innovation/

 

Hans Haacke statement could be a generative art  manifesto – http://www.etantdonnes.com/SystemsArt/Haacke_Statement1967.html

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