Generative art

An autonomous system in this context is generally one that is non-human and can independently determine features of an artwork that would otherwise require decisions made directly by the artist.

Margaret Boden and Ernest Edmonds have noted the use of the term "generative art" in the broad context of automated computer graphics in the 1960s, beginning with artwork exhibited by Georg Nees and Frieder Nake in 1965:[1] A. Michael Noll did his initial computer art, combining randomness with order, in 1962,[2] and exhibited it along with works by Bell Julesz in 1965.

[5] "Generative art" and related terms was in common use by several other early computer artists around this time, including Manfred Mohr[1] and Ken Knowlton.

The term has also been used to describe geometric abstract art where simple elements are repeated, transformed, or varied to generate more complex forms.

Thus defined, generative art was practiced by the Argentinian artists Eduardo Mac Entyre and Miguel Ángel Vidal in the late 1960s.

[13] From the end of the 20th century, communities of generative artists, designers, musicians and theoreticians began to meet, forming cross-disciplinary perspectives.

[15] On-line discussion has centered around the eu-gene mailing list,[16] which began late 1999, and has hosted much of the debate which has defined the field.

[19]Discussion on the eu-gene mailing list was framed by the following definition by Adrian Ward from 1999: 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.

[20]A similar definition is provided by Philip Galanter:[17] 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.Around the 2020s, generative AI models learned to imitate the distinct style of particular authors.

Generative image models have received significant backlash from artists who object to their style being imitated without their permission, arguing that this harms their ability to profit from their own work.

[21] Johann Kirnberger's Musikalisches Würfelspiel ("Musical Dice Game") of 1757 is considered an early example of a generative system based on randomness.

[23] Similarly, serialism follows strict procedures which, in some cases, can be set up to generate entire compositions with limited human intervention.

Harold Cohen's AARON system is a longstanding project combining software artificial intelligence with robotic painting devices to create physical artifacts.

Video feedback is now cited as an example of deterministic chaos, and the early explorations by the Vasulkas anticipated contemporary science by many years.

[32] Autopoiesis by Ken Rinaldo includes fifteen musical and robotic sculptures that interact with the public and modify their behaviors based on both the presence of the participants and each other.

[33] The French artist Jean-Max Albert, beside environmental sculptures like Iapetus,[34] and O=C=O,[35] developed a project dedicated to the vegetation itself, in terms of biological activity.

So the basic principle of this monumental sculpture is that to the extent that they could be picked up and transported, these signals could be enlarged, translated into colors and shapes, and show the plant's "decisions" suggesting a level of fundamental biological activity.

[38] Mark Napier is a pioneer in data mapping, creating works based on the streams of zeros and ones in Ethernet traffic, as part of the "Carnivore" project.

Martin Wattenberg pushed this theme further, transforming "data sets" as diverse as musical scores (in "Shape of Song", 2001) and Wikipedia edits (History Flow, 2003, with Fernanda Viegas) into dramatic visual compositions.

Using computer algorithms as "brush strokes", Base creates sophisticated imagery that evolves over time to produce a fluid, never-repeating artwork.

Adrian Ward created Auto-Illustrator as a commentary on software and generative methods applied to art and design.

[citation needed] In 1987 Celestino Soddu created the artificial DNA of Italian Medieval towns able to generate endless 3D models of cities identifiable as belonging to the idea.

[44] Writers such as Tristan Tzara, Brion Gysin, and William Burroughs used the cut-up technique to introduce randomization to literature as a generative system.

Jason Nelson used generative methods with speech-to-text software to create a series of digital poems from movies, television and other audio sources.