Faculty of New Media Arts Graphic Design
Visualisation
Marta Zofia Myszewska Number of student s11634 Bachelor diploma work
"Interactive website for children in primary school age." Ewa Satalecka Chief supervisor Ewa Bobrowska Auxiliary supervisor Marcin Wichrowski Technical supervisor
"The influence of programming languages on creation of modern art. Generative design as a modern tool in graphic world." Ewa Bobrowska thesis supervisor Klaudiusz Ĺšlusarczyk language supervisor
Warsaw, July 2016
Abstract
Creating algorithms, typing down thousands of lines of not really clear for a regular person code is bringing negative emotions, especially among artists. Nobody sees programming as an easy way to express ideas and thoughts. From the very beginning, we rather have an impression that programming is a very complicated, monotonous and unattractive activity. It is very common to think, that only programmers and it guys are able to type the code and simultaneously imagine the results. Fortunately it does not have to stay that way. Since many years, programming is becoming increasingly respected tool of creation among artists. Thanks to the people willing to create easier and more intuitive software in which artists can program their projects, computer language becomes more approachable for “humanists�. Two years ago I became interested in the process of creating code, and the results of it. What should you focus on when there's no standard, real life pencil or a rubber available. With time I started to be interested in and to learn html 5, a computer language used for creating websites. With time,after getting to know many commands and completing many tasks I have created my first website. Even though, the website was far from perfection it has been a milestone for me. A great achievement. It is a pity that in order to learn programming you need to sacrifice a lot of time for self development and practical exercises with the code. I did find something that allowed me to merge the will to code and design. Fortunately nowadays, technology is unstoppable and every single day new programs and computer languages are being
created to make programming easier for everybody. Among these programs there are specific ones designed as tools for artists to create. Generating the graphic solely by the use of code is quite unknown but not so new solution in the world of art. In my thesis I will try to present some very first artists from 70s and 80s as well as those who are quite new in that field but are very successful and whose works are greatly influencing societies and critics. The ability to program enables us to create something unthinkable and surprising. Software like Processing and Nodebox, which are mentioned in my thesis, are allowing us to leave traditional forms of creating art, but at the same time they are very demanding, and we need to spend countless hours and we need to be very dedicated in order to assimilate basic knowledge from many programming languages. I do believe that soon, generative design is going to become easier accessible and willingly used tool for artists. Programming and coding are going to stop being stereotypised and associated only with the it and will be seen as a new form of creating any kind of art in any dimension. Generative design gives countless possibilities, which should be discovered and shown to the world in different forms. Possibilities enabled by programming languages are countless and they do allow us to manouver in every aspect of life, especially in 21 st century where we do have an access to internet and new medias everywhere.
A
FEW
WO R D S
I have always been fascinated by graphic design and for a few years I have also been interested in generative design. At the beginning, I was sure that it was a very complicated mathematical programming system, but over time, I noticed that it was not that hard. Programming and designing are more complex than I thought. While I was working on digital art, I realized that I do not need to be a programmer. Coding is now being used by a new generation of designers, artists, and architects eager to explore how software can enable innovative ways of generating form and translating ideas. ArtiďŹ cial life (a-life) and graphic design, including data mapping and visualizations, and all forms of new media and expression.
Title:
The influence of programming languages on creation of modern art. Generative design as a modern tool in graphic world.
Introduction
Living the 21st century's life is definitely not easy, we are constantly busy, trying to meet agendas, waking up and chasing deadlines since the very morning to the sunset or even way past that. In the meantime looking for a quiet, peaceful place to rest for a second and check the Facebook feed. Opening Instagram app is the next inevitable step in that routine, at the end, it is slightly more cultural place than Facebook, maybe he will look up some art there. Shortly afterwards we will check gmail account, then switch our
tv
on. Staring at the larger
screen, we receive a message, we reply. We are not alone anymore. While chatting with somebody online we will post birthday wishes to our sister's facebook wall, social media are connecting us to with the outside world from the comfort zones of our own houses. That's “the� 21st century, and so much has changed. Kids are still playing football, just not outside anymore, they do it from home, sitting on sofas and holding a console's controller. They are reading books, although these books are not made of paper anymore, and the ink is not as we used to know it, it has been replaced with e-ink on theirs ebook reader's display. Finding your second half now depends on such a basic and easy move as the swipe of the finger. Have you maybe lost the chance of meeting the love of your life by swiping your finger left in Tinder? It seems like nowadays everything has changed. And what has happened to art? Are we able to feel, to still be sensitive to beauty, while being surrounded with pictures of paintings and sculptures ? What is art and how can one define it? What is beauty? Fortunately, there's no simple answer to that. This definition is a subject to the specific times in which the artist creates and to very himself, art simply cannot be defined in
10
few basic sentences. Since centuries, we all know that art is beauty, and beauty is the sense of aesthetics, and that this is very subjective. That's why we shouldn't close and restrict ourselves to the very basic forms of art. An artist by painting, is creates cultural heritage, the same as the one sculpting or creating installations in public spaces. Photographer, writer, dancer, architect, fashion designer, they are all artists. In the 21 st century, following the development of art and culture in the world, I am tempted to say that a programmer, creating by means of programming languages, beautiful interactive installations, which are introducing us to the totally different reality is an artist, too. I do believe that it is not the medium or the tool, by which we create that makes us an artist. Ideas and the way they are expressed to the world are defining artists. Programming is becoming increasingly popular among artists, architects, screenwriters and performers. It is such a common tool, it is surrounding us on daily basis and we do not even notice that. As well in the world of art and culture, programming language and programming skills are becoming more and more important and influential. In this paper, I would like to present some arguments and examples how thousands of lines of code, can generate unconventional graphics, contemporary building, or create different, interactive view on reality. And in the colsing remarks, a summarizing part of this thesis, I hope to convince you and strenghten myself in the belief that computer language (ex. html 5,
css ,
Processing) is a tool as good
as a camera, clay or pencil in creating art.
11
Chapter 1
History of code
Technological evolution in the 20th century was primarily manifested in complex operating systems, more and more sufficient memories of devices of smaller and smaller sizes, and also in new programs facilitating work and daily life. All of the above have their beginning in code, and, to be more precise, in thousands strings of a programming language. The influence of technological evolution is noticeable for everyone. Recently, also in the world of art design. In order to consider the great potential that is hidden in a programming language, the history of code formation should be analyzed. People created code already in antiquity in order to encode information or share one’s thoughts, without the knowledge of the alphabet. Already in the 17th century, the great potential of recording information with a coded language was discovered. The first numeric code was invented in 1679 by Gottfried Leibniz. The binary code. The elements of the character set in the binary system consist of two numerals: 0 and 1. On the basis of this system, digital computing machines and computers were created. A processor, by converting the systems of particular 0 and 1 code strings, creates readable images, sounds, texts. Another example of the usage of code in our history is the used record of the machines of craftsmen working on weaving materials. At the beginning of 19th century, Joseph Jacquard invented an automatic weaving machine, designed for sewing fabrics of various patterns. It was the very first mathematical record in the world of design. Almost half a century later, the first idea of creating software occurred. In 1842, a British mathematician Charles Babbage, inspired by Jacquard’s record,
13
designed the Analytical Engine, the prototype of the modern calculator. That very same year, Ada Lovelac, British mathematician and poet, with strong beliefs that imagination is the key to proper and effective use of scientifical and mathematical discoveries and concepts, started studying a modern programming language, and it is her who is considered the first programmer. The plan, or algorithm, that Lovelace wrote for Babbage's Analytical Engine, by which she was inspired, is now regarded as the first computer program — 100 years before the invention of the computer! (in 1930s engineer Konrad Zuse, from Germany, developed the first computer.) Shortly after, Morse code was created, invented and designed by Samuel Morse and Alfred Vail, this code transmitted alphabetical and numerical information through sounds, flashes of light, electrical impulses, and sequences of punctuation marks "-" and "∙".
Shortly afterwards, for the needs of
visually impaired and blind people, Louis Braille designed a code based on bumps, coded symbols in the form of raised dots in a 2Ă—3 cell; it made the education of visually impaired people easier and enabled them ty read books. Among various people that helped and
influenced
developing
computers and programming as we know them now, Alan Mathison Turing is a person definitely worth mentioning. British
mathematician
and
cryptanalyst a man who helped cracking code Nazi messages and shortened the World
14
Reas Casey, McWilliams Chandler. Form+Code in design, art, and architecture. New York, Princeton Architectural Press, 2010. Print.
War II by at least two years is considered the father of theoretical computer science and he designed one of the first stored-program computers. He was a pioneering English computer scientist. Human beings are another great example of coding. We, just as every other known living organism on Earth are built from code. Defined by e dna . Genetic information of any living organism is encoded in dna sequ-
ences. This code consists of 4 letters, that create a string of agtc information - these are, consecutively: adenine, guanine, thymine, and cytosine. There are many types of code and they have many uses, and all of them have their own rules. However, they are united by a common system construction, because each code consists of algorithms, and each algorithm consists of modules (functions and commands). Obviously, there are many ways of writing particular modules, which give the same effect in the final version. People realized that in each form code opens many new possibilities in every area of life, not necessarily only in the technical one.
Sketches by code Throught analyzing the history of coding, it can be observed how many uses a code can have, and how diversified it can be. Programming itself has many types of code, and new ones are invented each year. Coded English phrases read by a computer and converted into
15
zero and ones system, the native language the computer speaks. The binary system, which enables performing commands, such as, opening an image, playing a motion or sound, and also more complicated operations, namely, programming a website, application, or software. Nowadays, all that surrounds us and is digital, has a built-in operating system, programmed to perform respective tasks. When we talk about programming, we think of a person who is more scientifically-minded than artistic. Well, this belief is more and more invalid. Each year there are more artists who, with basic graphic programs adapted to create generative graphics, create unique images. Software is a tool of the mind - when people realized great possibilities that programming skills give, for example, writing their own programs that facilitate everyday life, the development of the computer technology field escalated. Over time, the programming skill itself stopped giving satisfaction, because the effects were raw and unattractive for users’ eyes. So far, designing a layout of a program has not been a priority. The need for making the layout attractive contributed to the development of first programs for graphic designers and programmers. The influence of code on the image design is almost unlimited. In 1964, one of the first programs using " basic " and " logo " programming language was created. It was a tool that enabled giving commands to make basic geometrical shapes. Thanks to programs based on simple programming rules, graphic designers could create shapes and transform them in any way, and duplicate them, creating illustrations, images, and sounds modern for that time. Even today, it is still possible to find "Logomocja", a basic software in 2001 to help the youngest hobbyists in the field
16
Reas Casey, McWilliams Chandler. Form+Code in design, art, and architecture. New York, Princeton Architectural Press, 2010. Print.
of information technology learn programming rules in an easy and affordable way. Unfortunately, in 1970s and 1980s, the capacity of basic programs was not sufficient for many graphic designers and artists. Print quality and design left much to be desired. Over time, programs such as
cad
and Sketchpad have significantly accelerated digital works,
enabled getting familiar with new designing forms, even without coding skills, and the skill of manipulating an image with a touch of a screen did not meet artists’ expectations. Most of all, because of a raw and cold design.
Images in numbers The popularization of personal computers and printers gave the opportunity of development to young computer graphic designers. Technology had to evolve to meet occuring needs with occurring needs. New programs were programmed; new standards were established. Adobe programs became one of the most popular tool for graphic designers. In 80s Adobe developed programming language that describes the appearance of a printed page PostScript. PostScript, in which, first, Illustrator, and then, Photoshop and InDesign were programmed, all these three applications translate an image and text into a respective code. Each pixel has its coordinates, each color has its
17
1.
Op Art can be defined as a type of abstract or concrete art consisting of non-representational geometric shapes which create various types of optical illusion. For instance, when viewed, Op Art pictures may cause the eye to detect a sense of movement (eg. swelling, warping, flashing, vibration) on the surface of the painting. And the patterns, shapes and colours used in these pictures are typically selected for their illusional qualities, rather than for their substantive or emotional content. In addition, Op artists use both positive and negative spaces to create the desired illusions.
number, and each movement triggers another operation on code. We often do not realize how much information is stored in a
jpg
file, or
in a vector image. In order for programs to control our operations, everything we create is planned on a document grid. Thanks to the grid, the computer can read our designs in a form of numeral information. Each image in the computer is marked with a resolution scribed as "height Ă— width" pixels. Our eyes can see a system of colors, and the computer recognizes, at the same time, millions of single pixels and points to create an illusion of an image. Nowadays, the computer is a powerful tool for transferring data, and it has no problems with reading hard graphic files, 2d animations, or 3 d animations, therefore, it is more and more often used for processing various projects, as well as for creating hard games causing the load of the system. At present, the computer has become the basic designing tool for an artist and a graphic designer, just as a pen and a sheet of paper were a few years ago. Over time, the world has opened to a new type of art, which is digital art. A good example, one of the first digital art works, is "Polarity1" by Bridget Riley from 1964, By using repeated wavy lines, it places them one above another, creating an effective image of oscillation affecting human body and mind, so called Op Art1 (optical art). Over time, the developed patterns have become more and more popular, and their success and saved time enabled artists to play with shapes and forms, giving them more and more freedom.
Schwartz, Alexandra. Modern Women: Women Artists at The Museum of Modern Art. Ed. Cornelia Butler. New York, Museum of Modern Art, 2010. Print. (Field Jennifer, 254-255.)
19
Chapter 2
Generative design
1.
html
is short for "HyperText Markup Language".
It simply means it is a language for describing web-pages using ordinary text. Usually with code we used to
css
html
to make the website more in-
teresting and design. 2.
Flash, is an old but still popular software, used to
create vector graphics-based animation programs
with navigation interfaces, graphic illustrations, and simple interactivity. 3.
Shockwave Player is the web standard for pow-
erful multimedia playback. The Shockwave Play-
What is generative design? Generative design is building an image through algorithms - it is one of many definitions, and probably the simplest one. Many written books and articles, in various ways, have tried to include in the definition of generative design as many details as possible, to show great and diversified potential of this field of design. In my opinion it is superfluous. Everyone who tried to play with an image using code will appreciate the uniqueness of each saved decision. Reading carefully an article by Sivam Krish, in
er allows you to view interactive web content like
which he gives many definitions of generative design, I have been
Player displays web content created with Adobe
more ensured that there is no one correct answer to what it is.
Java, is the most important, and the most common
Image manipulation through code is still considered an area of al-
games from your web browser. The Shockwave Director. 4.
software in the world. Java is a programming language and computing platform since 1995. There
ternative and niche design. Although this is a very efficient way of
are lots of applications and websites that will not
creating unique graphics, a very accurate one that allows keeping
created every day.
the distance and aspect ratio perfectly, which is useful especially for
work unless you have Java installed, and more are
architects, it is little popular among artists. Generative design has a much shorter history than painting or sculpture but it is dynamically developing. The origins of generative art are estimated to the year 1960, but only at the end of the 20th century there were first expe iments with
html
code1, Flash2, Shockwave3 and Java4 that resulted
in art programming. Programs created for artists by artists to easily manipulate visualization through changes in code lines. Although generative art deals with two distant spheres, mathematics and art, it is software and art that become the driving force of new media and represent approaches and strategies similar to those used in the art world.
Generative art is easy Programming does not have to be designed stricte for scientific or computer minds as programming is diverse. You can create huge databases, write complicated code lines to create computer games, and it requires many hours of work and focus, resolving errors and fiding problems that the software cannot handle. We usually associate programming with such issues. Matt Pearson in his book entitled "Generative art a practical guide using processing" wrote that "programming art is a different discipline than programming system", it is a different way of thinking, a more creative, artistic one. According to the author of this book, generative art involves making mistakes and exploring further possibilities provided by computer language. Pearson tries to tame the artist with programming - "Generative art is about having fun with code". Just as in sculpture, painting, so in the field of generative art, you need to learn the basics, and when you learn how to properly use them, you can change and break the rules trying to create your own ones. Computer language gives you the possibility to invent new shapes or base upon already existing objects, freely manipulating and changing their position by as much as you type in the code. Only the capacity of our equipment is the limit.
Matt, Pearson. Generative art a practical guide using processing. New York, Manning Publications Co., 2011. Print. Pp. 13-16.
21
Processing The Processing Program based on the fundamentals of Java software combines creative thinking with systemic thinking. This is a powerful application, which just like Photoshop can become a tool for visualization, graphics, animations or interactive applications. Processing has been created as a teaching tool for students and professional artists to create sketches using computer language. The program is specifically programmed so that the system could process what has been written in a code column to image in a very simple way. It is so intuitive that after a few minutes of training a novice user can create his or her own brush, which can be used to paint in an appropriate program. It is amazing that Processing does not limit us in any way. We can add movement, music, and colour to static objects. To further multiply its possibilities, Processing can work with other software programs and electronic equipment, creating unusual designs. Such an additional tool may be "Arduino" - a programming platform, a board containing controllers and numerous digital and analogue inputs, based mostly on the c++ language (this is not the only language supported by Arduino). Arduino combined with Processing can be a great tool for hobbyists, artists, programmers, and those interested in this type of equipment, amateurs, and can be used to independently create interactive objects. This is a simple way to play interactions and create more ambitious projects without having to obtain a degree in computer science. With controllers and mini-controllers in the board, and using the written code we can manipulate and change the system created between the board and the objects attached to a piece of metal board. It all depends on the applied commands, objects used, and our imagination. The computer language in combination with a suitable medium gives us
22
Myszewska, Marta. Rapidity. 2015. Processing, Workshop's project in PJATK, Bohnacker Hartmut. Polish-Japanese Academy of Information Technologies, Warsaw, 2015.
23
the opportunity to check our own reactions, and also reactions of people from the outside. The program is versatile, and each person will create something different - from shining lights, through a smart home to artistic installations. In a book entitled "Processing a programming handbook of visual designers and artist", Casey Reas and Ben Fry use one sentence to describe the potential of the computer language - "A programming language gives you the power to express some ideas with limiting your abilities to express others".
Visualize Your Data – NodeBox When you ask random people what they associate with computer graphics, after a moment's thought they will tell you Photoshop, and sometimes you can hear something different from the Adobe "family", but unfortunately no one came up with the idea of generative art, which is a pity. A little popular way of creating graphics, sometimes even unnoticed or unrecognized. Not surprisingly, images that have been saved, animations that were created encoded in Processing or a different program, are no different in quality from graphics created in well-known graphic programs. Therefore,
24
Reas Casey, Fry Ben. Processing a programming handbook of visual designers and artist. England, The MIT Press, 2007. Print. (1-85)
another notable program is "NodeBox". A very intuitive and simple program for creating animation, visualization, graphics and movie clips. The program being developed by Tom De Smedt and Frederik De Bleser, and Lucas Nijs as a co-promotes and research coordinator. NodeBox bases on such software as Java, Python or Clojure. It requires no knowledge of coding or basic programming issues. It is like arranging commands and values of blocks. When I first had the opportunity to work with this program, I was delighted with the surprising final results that can be seen after several hours of breaking down "blocks" in the program. The most amazing thing in coding is that we are never quite able to predict the result. I am always fascinated and curious about the outcome of all the fun with the values and numbers. NodeBox is a program that is primarily used to create animations and a very interesting visualization of data and statistics.
Myszewska Marta. Motyf'14. 2014. NodeBox, Workshop's project on MOTYF Festival, Lucas Nijs. Polish-Japanese Academy of Information Technologies, Warsaw, 2015.
25
The program requires imagination and creative thinking to set the order of values of individual "building blocks". In the twenty-first century, art programming becomes more interesting for artists and graphic designers. Technologies allow combining classic and modern tools to create extremely accurate projects, as well as those random ones. Unfortunately, the interest in generative art grows while sources from which you could learn are inadequate and hard to get. The generative design is present in almost any aspect of life. Although one can not simply define it, the number of ways in which you can describe it, is constantly growing. It has it's roots in biology and now can be linked to many differents fields. Nodebox, processing and numerous other programming lanuguages and computer programs are the means of bringing ideas born within generative design into our world.
26
27
Chapter 3
The beginnings of software and digital art
Art and computer technology are strongly related, even though it is not so obvious. In both these areas, artists and programmers around the world form a community. The work of artists and scientists in the field of computer science is a reflection on the past and contemporary years. We live in a world that is closely connected with new technologies, they accompany us every day, a computer, a cell phone, or a smartwatch, we attach importance to their design but we do not think that programs and applications are designed as well. Art, design and programming become a more inseparable field. In addition to this utilitarian art form which is programming for Android or ios, computer art has been developing more artistically, and computer language contributes more to create images and installations that can later be used as a creation in architectural space or a cultural supplement in our apartment. Computer art confronts our stereotypical thinking - who is an artist, what is art or how is it made? Is the way of doing a work of art important if it arouses emotions and thoughts? Why when thinking about art most of us see a painted canvas? What is the role of art and an artist in our society? It seems that the world is changing, technology goes forward, many things have been discovered, and the same amount is probably ahead of us, and man continues to feel and think about art, and needs to be surrounded by beauty. Therefore an artist looks for new solutions to reach and adjust to the changing world, to be able to interpret problems and puzzles around us just like centuries ago. A computer language is a tool for an artistic mind, like a brush and paint. You are an artist in your mind, no matter what medium you use, whether it is a computer program to create graphics, saving it as a string of characters, or abstract geometric painting.
28
Creative coding and computational art The growing interest in Processing and other programs which can also be used to create art is an excellent proof of the contemporary development and opening up to new possibilities of the world. Realizing that the computer can more quickly and more accurately cope with problems through code than the human brain, people began to create graphics using algorithms and numerical values. The computer calculates and simulates the art of man, retaining basic parameters, but changing their coordinates. There is no doubt that computer graphics is an art that new media and new technologies are developing and changing at a very rapid pace. Since 1960, we have been able to see many artists who experimented with geometric, biological or abstract shapes, simulating the world that surrounds them, creating artistic compositions using the computer language instead of a brush and paint. An example of such an artist is Hiroshi Kawano, a Japanese artist and philosopher. He created simple, strict forms referring to the situation in post-war Japan. The colours were frozen in pixel space. Kawano is one of the first and most important artists who have conquered unknown possibilities of computer technology. "The man-machine" is his own interpretation of a painting of a twentieth-century European artists, creator of Neo-Plasticism, Piet Mondrian (Mondrian in pixel). A metaphor of
Rivera Claudio, The Man-Machine: Hiroshi Kawano’s Algorithmic Mondrian, Overhead Compartment. Web. 29.05.2016.
29
geometric abstraction of the "Composition with red, yellow and blue", a transition from the world of art to the world of technology, a clash of two different planes which grow into strength to create a culture and society of the entire world. Straight, black, vertical and horizontal lines pixelate, whereas the colours are more "digested", as though slightly burnt. Another artist who used an early interest in computer language as a medium to create art was Ben, F. Laposky, born in America, a mathematician and an artist, typographer. He made mainly electric oscilloscopes. He generated the first graphics in electronic analogue technology. In his book "Oscillons electronic abstractions", which was also written as "A new approach to design", he describes different combinations that may occur between art and computer technology. He uses geometric shapes only and yet in the final effect we see shapes and movement that are reminiscent of waves. Ben F. Laposky visualized music. He wrote electronic signals in the form of waves on the screen. Both, Ben F. Laposky and Hiroshi Kawano are artists who
Laposky, Ben F. Oscillons 40, Oscillons 4. Oscillons Electronic Abstractions, A New Approach for Design, 1974. Sioux City,
30
Paid, Iowa. 20.05.2016. Laposky, Ben F. Oscillons Electronic Abstractions, A New Approach for Design, 1974. Sioux City, Paid, Iowa. Print. 20.05.2016.
experimented with algorithms, even at the very beginning of significant technological changes that occurred in the 21st century. Let us take a closer look at how the works of artists of our time look like. Established in 2001 by Toshiyuki Inuoko, Japanese TeambLab studio is a creation of extremely talented and sensitive “Ultra Technologists�, as they like to refer to themselves. Their common goal is to bring together different worlds of art, design, nature and new technology. Teamlab designers and scientists research the movements and behavior of a person in the world of information, creating breathtaking multimedia installations, which at the same time are shedding light at innovative forms of social development. Art created by this studio ceased to exist solely on paper or the computer display. Every single thing they create is brought to our reality from virtual space. Programmed graphics react to the viewers interaction, often adapting to the actions and behaviors of each spectator, allowing the personalization of the very graphic. Altogether, the composition of colors, sounds and the exhibition reacting to the viewer makes the installation a very unusual marvel. Teamlab successfully absorbs the viewer's attention, thanks to the possibility of the very unusual connection between them and the project. Every single bystander can become a part of the exhibition through his movement or cell connection. Japanese studio, through the programming language teaches the displayed object how to react in response to the specific movements or actions registered by cameras and various sensors registering the surroundings.
31
During festive period in 2015, TeamLab studio designed and programmed an installation in the public area of a shopping mall in Japanese city of Fukuoka, which quickly became its own kind of performance. Every customer or visitor of that mall had the possibility of decorating the glowing "Crystal Tree" with his own wishes and an ornament selected from a smartphone application from the specially created for that event. These wishes then were absorbed by colorful light impulses. Artists from Teamlab studio are creating a marvelous and surprising installations, programmed to completely change the perceived reality, introducing the recipients to the unique world of art and
Azzarello, Nina. Inside expo's japan pavilion with teamlab founder Toshiyuki Inoko. Designboom (2015): 430,395. Web. 29.05.2016.
32
<www.designboom.com> Davis, Ben. How teamLab's Post-Art Installations Cracked the Silicon Valley Code. Artnet, Art world. (2016). Web. 30.05.2016. <news.artnet.com>
science, inviting us to interact with the project through the applications in our smartphones and various devices. With time, the very definition of art remains the same, it is just human view on aesthetics and his or her sensitivity to beauty that change. Another lab worth mentioning is the German studio art+com, using programming language as a tool in creating art. Designers, it specialists and scientists from this studio are creating media sculptures and installations carefully chosen and designed to the specific interiors and locations. This kind of art uses new media, computer language and complicated calculations in order to create unconventional shapes, as well as surprising interactions and movements. Although designing the spatial constructions is a serious challenge for the architects, engineers and designers, it is yet opening great opportunities of creating unthinkable things to the regular person. art+ com
uses new technologies, computer language and art form in
order to maintain art aesthetics and by this means establish interaction and flow of information. They are proving how big the impact of technology on contemporary art is, intensifying it's aesthetic value with movement and interaction with the viewer. Creating projects like "Kinetic Rain" for the Singapore airport
art+com manifested it's knowledge, unrestricted imagination and it
is ability to come up with unique ideas and out of the box thinking. Digital and computer technologies are endowing us to express ourselves in almost unlimited ways, without computers and specifically designed software it wouldn't be possible. The freedom of editing,
33
creating something invisible to the bare eye and designing the details crucial to the funtionality of the project is bigger than ever. Computer, digital art allows us to present transformation and interaction between the viewer and artistic installation. Spectator becomes an elemental part of the exposition, and sometimes even it's co-creator, influencing the graphic or the current state of the sculpture. Bystanders world is melting with the artist's, the barrier, between the reality and art starts to be gradually unclear. It has become possible thanks to new media, programming and computers ability to recognize different kinds and ways of data input. I would even dare to state that the world has evolved into a medium, which the artist can use in his works, manipulating it so the spectator can feel like a part of artists imaginary universe. Skillful use of computer language can precisely reflect our reality and introduce its laws, changing everything. Before the digital age, we would observe paintings, admire their beauty, surprising complexity, expression, or metaphor, it is hidden message, but they were solely created by an artist, sovereign to the viewer. Obviously interpretation of the metaphor lays in the hands of the viewer. Where as in 21st century, not only metaphor and the sense are dependent on the viewer, third parties can now influence it now. Unfortunately, interfering with art by improper people can bring many unwanted consequences, like information theft or software hacking, leading to loss of important information about random viewers participating in the project.
34
An active archive of computer art. The Recode Project. Web. 29.05.2016. <recodeproject.com>
In our digitalized times code is everywhere, we can code everything and as a result of that everything can be hacked and get leaked into the wrong hands. Programming is present in our lives at every single step, even among artists. Using generative design shouldn't be surprising, it should be cosiderwd as a normal tool to create graphics, and furthermore animations and installations. Lately (during last 20 years, but especially recently, became something visible in a regular day to day life) coding has taken a huge leap forward, it specialists and engineers are not teaching the computer how to perform anymore, they are training it step by step how to behave and react. Uploading milliards bytes of data; sounds, pictures, impulses are starting chains of reactions and responses. The most common example might just be the Google Translator, which in real-time is translating words and whole sentences, from hundreds of languages, both in writing and verbally. Nowadays cars are another great technological example, they are simultanously in a fraction of a second mapping the environment, calculating distances, choosing the best angle and action, just to autonomously park itself, making sure you don'b brake a sweat trying to park it for the hundreth time. Unbelieveable, right? Various sculpting forms using different constructions or surfaces, carrying an artistic message and vision and at the same time using
new technologies are the most impressive and engaging for spectators. Even those, least interested in art. An artist transforming his ideas into lines of code is giving us an insight into the unique bond between a man and the machine. Artist-programmer crafting his work using the computer language allows for an interaction with a man, and a man then becomes a living part of that work. He is expressing himself through that gesture/action. Both of these worlds, artistic and computer one, are able to support each other and cooperate together. A perfect example of an installation in a public space, which is programmed and both very attractive visually and has a metaphorical message is a sculpture by Czech artist David Cerny, who in Czech Republic is known as a very controversial artist. Very young and talented man, who was first spotted in 1991, and his works can be admired not only in his mother country, but as well in United Stated. One of the most famous of his works is a made of steel, monumental sculpture in the vicinity of a shopping mall in Prague. Franz Kafka's monumental head, and installation placed on a mirrored platform. It weights almost 45 tonnes and is almost 10 meters high. Installation that is a head of a man, artist and a writer, Franz Kafka, who through most of his was tore between his conscience and moral spine. Installation divided is into forty-two separate layers of metal, which programmed by the artist are turning into different directions. In this work, a computer as well as an engineering side of that project are an integral part of it. David Cerny has created a very similar installation for a Czech Republic ambassador in United Stated. It was specifically designed for
Czech immigrants living in North Carolina. Installation that weighs 14 tonnes and sits in a huge pool. Sculpture spits water through its mouth while 7 segments are rotating in 360 degrees. The movement was controlled by the author itself through the Internet and was live-streamed. Being an artist in 21st century means being able to comprehend fast technological development in every field, especially in art and music. Thankfully, there are many creative ways of developing new computer and manual skills, which skillfully merged are creating beautiful concepts. Generative design, code generating software, are being more often presented at conferences and workshops, which are encouraging young artists to deepen their knowledge. As the result of that, new exhibitions, projections and performances programmed and controlled by machines are being created. At the end of 2009 in Victoria & Albert Museum ( v& a) in London, a “Decode: Digital Design Sensations” exhibition of programmed projects has been held. Exhibition
Christopher, Jobson. A Rotating 42-Layer Sculpture of Franz Kafka’s Head by David Cerny. 18.05.2016. Web 10.06.2016. <www.thisiscolossal.com>
37
that has shown an excellent works that used the possibilities given by programming to create graphics and installations. Computer language used by programmer to create software for banks and other institutions is a tool completely different to one used by an artist, who is creating software in order to generate graphics. Computer language then becomes an extension of artist's hand, thanks to that we can reach to human expression and even a step further. Exhibition that has been divided into three parts. First part was dedicated to pieces of code, which processed by the computer were creating new works. They as well looked into how code can be programmed to create something fluently changing and something very unique. An interactive performance was the next part of "Digital Design Sensations", in that performance, spectators were encouraged to initiate a reaction from the works exhibited there. Through that the viewer could influence further development of displayed projects. The last part of that exhibition works used digital world and commented on daily life, how newest technologies and Internet are enabling new sorts of connections and social, artistic and media interactions. Many works were created by young and talented artists, that has not been afraid of trying innovative technique like generative design. Surprising and versatile projects, programmed with help of different software, made with uncommon materials, they were simply unique. I do believe that exhibition is just the beginning of unlimited possibilities given by new technologies and computer language.
38
Art In the Computer Age digital world Even though, 21st century is a digital age, artists are creating new forms, crossing the borders untouched before. Borders that has been artificially created by man and those one that were self-created throughout the years. Widely developed technology, Internet and new medias are becoming and integral parts of our lives, digitalizing our every day emotions, feelings and behaviors. In real world we are becoming more and more introvert, closed, in the Internet from the other side most of us are sharing their secrets and problems from a private life. Are we slowly acknowledging the digital world as a real one? Is the reality becoming a privilege of people living without Internet? Generative design is able to imitate nature, and as a result of that, the thin border between a man, nature, art and technology is vanishing.
39
Closure
We can generate new graphics and create unbelievable things solely with the use of programming language and code, and our ideas or the information we want to share can in no time reach any place in the world. Computer technologies are quickly soaking into our lives, and so far in art they are raising emotions and inclining us to contemplate. They may help us create something unique and beautiful. Without a moment of hesitation, I will say that programming and computer language are new, still controversial tools to design functional art as well as art itself, to craft beauty. We live in the age ruled by electronics and computers. We do not imagine ourselves leaving home without our smartphone or credit card, our passwords are stored in the memory of our electronic notepads. We cannot escape the software and cyber reality. Our sensitivity is crafted by contemporary ideas and standards, manipulating our emotions at every single moment. Art is widely available everyday, from any given place in the world. We can admire it and then customize our contemporary world, by programming it ourselves.
40
41
42
Podsumowanie
Spoglądając wstecz i przyglądając się jak nowe techniki I rozwiązania w sztuce, były przyjmowane, można łatwo wywnioskować, ze nie zawsze to co było nowe, od razu było akceptowane i uważane za skuteczne, było tak w każdej dziedzinie życia. Myśle o XIX wieku i początkach aparatu fotograficznego, który odzwierciedlał rzeczywistość dokładniej i zdecydowanie szybciej jak obrazy i szkice artystów. W XX wieku mieliśmy niesamowicie dynamiczny czas rozwoju techniki i technologii wiek później, w XXI, nikt juz temu się nie dziwi. Każdy juz jest przyzwyczajony do nowinek technologicznych, które w krótce z łatwością staną się codziennością i beda towarzyszyć nam na każdym kroku. W moje pracy staram się przekonać czytelnika do tego, ze nowe technologie równie dobrze sprawdzają się w świecie sztuki jak i każdej innej dziedzinie. Starannie dobrałam przykłady, którymi chciałabym udowodnić, ze język komputerowy jest w stanie stać się codziennym narzędziem w rekach artysty i Generative design nie powinien być pomijany. Wiele programów umożliwia artystom szybką naukę projektowania grafiki po przez kod. Dzięki, między innymi Processing i NodeBox, programom, które wymieniam w swojej pracy, w dzisiejszym świecie nie trzeba być informatykiem aby móc stworzyć coś za pomocą języka komputerowego. Świadomość artysty oraz jego pomysł, staje się nieograniczony a sztuka przechodzi do nowego wymiaru, dając nowe możliwości. Myślę, że podane przeze mnie przykłady idealnie obrazują i popierają moją tezę i sprawiają , ze będziemy odważniej sięgać po nowe techniki i tworzyć inne możliwości, szczególnie w dobie internetu i smartphonów. W mojej pracy staram się udowodnić, że pojecie sztuki oraz piękna jest dalej niezmienne, natomiast od zawsze było to pojęcie względne. Piękno i sztuka zmieniały się z wieku na wiek, wpływało
43
na to wiele czynników społecznych, religijnych oraz politycznych, w XXI wieku rownież czynniki zewnętrzne mają wpływ na to co nazywamy sztuka, co nam się podoba a co nie. Nowoczesne obrazy, instalacje i grafiki a także rzeźby tworzone przez artystę za pomocą kodu mogą równie dobrze odzwierciedlać atmosferę i klimat jaki był w zamyśle autora i być równie niespotykane i oryginalne. Tworzone programy do projektowania grafiki komputerowej, nie ograniczają artysty wręcz przeciwnie, umożliwiają one łączenie różnych technik i powierzchni. Mogą być interaktywne, pozwalać na kontakt z odbiorca, co sprawia, że mogą być bardziej indywidualne a za razem uniwersalne. Ta nowoczesna forma projektowania idealnie wpisuje się w nowoczesny świat, w którym my żyjemy. Projekty japońskiego studio TeamLab oraz niemieckiego studio Art+Com, mimo bardzo różniących się form, imponują swoim wyglądem i pomysłowością. Oba projekty są forma instalacji w przestrzeni publicznej, reagujące na ruch przechodnia i sygnał wifi czy 3G z naszych smartphonów. Zakodowane informacje tworzą obrazy i interakcje które wywołują emocje i nie raz skłaniają do zastanowienia się nad tym co jest rzeczywiste a co nie. Generative design, staje się potężnym narzędziem do kreowania „Sztuki” – grafiki, projektowania przestrzeni oraz architektury, tworzenia organicznych projektów i instalacji. Wszystko co raz staje się bardziej zachwycające i zaskakujące wychodzące poza ludzką wyobraźnię.
44
Bibliography Books:
Laposky, Ben F. Oscillons 40, Oscillons 4. Oscillons Electronic
Abstractions, A New Approach for Design, 1974. Sioux City, Paid, Iowa
Reas Casey, Fry Ben. Processing a programming handbook of visual
designers and artist. New York, Manning Publications Co. 2011. Print.
Reas Casey, McWilliams Chandler. Form+Code in design, art, and
architecture. New York, Princeton Architectural Press, 2010. Print.
Pearson, Matt. Generative art a practical guide using processing.
New York, Manning Publications Co., 2011. Print. Pp. 7-30.
Ira Greenberg, Processing, Creative Coding and Computational Art,
New York, Friendsofed 2007. Print. Pp. 3-90, 107-120.
Articles:
(n.d.). What is Arduino? Arduino. 10.05.2016. <www.arduino.cc>.
(n.d.). PostScript Adobe. Web. 27.04.2016. <www.adobe.com>.
Kedmey, Dan. Computer Pioneer Alan Turing Pardoned of ‘Gross
Indecency’. Time. 24.10.2013. Web. 10.05.2016. <www.content.time.com>.
Drain, Alison. Ben Laposky: Visual music. Symmetry Magazine. 04.01.07.
Web. 10.05.2016. < www.symmetrymagazine.org>. Images courtesy of Sanford Museum, Cherokee, Iowa
TeamLab. Living Digital Space and Future Parks.
Web. 20.05.2016. <www.pacegallery.com>.
(n.d.). Web. 19.04.2016. <www.team-lab.net>
Davis, Ben. How teamLab's Post-Art Installations Cracked the Silicon
Valley Code. Artnet, Art world. (2016). Web. 30.05.2016
(n.d.). Compart. Web. 19.04.2016. <dada.compart-bremen.de>
(n.d.). Web. 19.04.2016. <www.nodebox.net>
Christopher, Jobson. A Rotating 42-Layer Sculpture of Franz Kafka’s
Head by David Cerny. 18.05.2016. Web 10.06.2016. <www.thisiscolossal.com>
Cerny David. David Cerny. Web. 10.06.2016. <davidcerny.cz>