GMU:Algorithmic Art/Fabian/for HGP

for Human Graphical Processors (HGP)

I: Mellow Chaos

In my first algorithm for a human I wanted to keep it simple and unpredictable. Still I did not expect this explosive result. I totally underestimated "closed eyes" and how long five minutes actually can be and especially how long a line gets drawn in this time. I remember my HGP Doreen reporting a "wet but relaxing feeling" on the paper while executing the commands, which was obviously caused by her used fineliner. Luckily the paper in my sketch book was thick enough and her "favourite pen" she used was not covering my algorithm she draw over since her eyes were closed. At the end this couldn't be a better introduction to algorithmic art with all this beautiful unpredictability!

II: Frame

My second HGP algorithm I guess was still inspired by my last one, I kept parameters like "blazon closed areas" and defined those areas with a random value, this time the birthday of my HGP Michael. I guess since defining the actual "canvas" last time with a simple little arrow was not working, this time I decided to work with a scribed canvas (that still was supposed to get exceeded). I think the algorithm was interpreted slightly wrong, or I designed it not precise enough. Michaels favourite geometrical form, looks like it is a triangle, was supposed to be drawn in a certain amount "α" inside the defined black rectangle, but every single one big enough so that sides of it exceed the marked area. Still an interesting perception.

III: 5 Times 5 Lines

After keeping my HGPs rather at home to give them certain commands they just have to follow, I wanted to offer them more free space to decide by their own and, inspired by the feedback of my first HGP, especially was interested in the idea of designing something that is relaxing, fun or just an nice experience. People browsing through old animal books came to my mind. I decided to try the algorithm this time with two people. Although none of them followed my commands exactly by in fact using the digital possibilities of the internet instead of ancient animal books in the deep archives of a library (with all the other random possibilites I thought of e.g. getting in lovely conversation with strangers), I am very happy with the results and would have loved to get an even bigger series of drawings, also as a processing sketch (maybe in the future).

five different colored pens, if possible also with different tips one A5 piece of sandwich paper or comparable paper (it has to be translucent) before you start, make sure that all your selected pens work on the chosen paper

1. Take your favorite animal book, in case you’re not in this lucky situation, go to the library to get an animal book of your choice.
2. Make sure it has lots of pictures! You can also work in the library and you can also use more than one favorite animal book.
3. Open the animal book in a random way and select one of the animals you see now to put the translucent paper on it.
4. Now try to capture the animal in your very personal way with five lines, not more not less, do NOT connect those five lines and make sure it does not look like they are almost connected (I trust you).
5. Repeat step 2 and 3 four more times, and ALWAYS use the same translucent paper with another colored pen. It is totally fine and fun when lines overlap!
6. Congratulations! You draw 5 times 5 lines and saw beautiful animals.

IV: The Poet

With this algorithm I continued the approach of designing a relaxing experience for my HGP but this time returned to more complex command lines by creating a certain system to learn a poem and document the process of learning it (which also meant a higher risk of misunderstanding). I handed my algorithm to three different people from Germany and Brazil and got beautiful poems, results and the good feeling of people having a nice time while searching and learning a pretty poem.

V: Subliminal Messages

After recently watching the movie "Under the Silver Lake" by David Robert Mitchell in cinema I got pretty fascinated by this guy in the movie who tries to find his missing neighbour he has a crush on by just searching nonstop for subliminal messages in his neighbourhood and (spoiler) actually succeeds with that approach in finding her. Eventually I tried to write commands for my HGP to find subliminal messages in Weimar, by introducing a certain system (involving also the post office for the first time, you never know). Considering the results I realised that it is not that easy to find subliminal messages in real life, surely it depends also on the algorithm and the chosen text. Both HGPs chose (independent from each other) weather forecasts, maybe that is the reason.

Newspaper, economics focused or at least one with lots of numbers and text, one black felt pen, one red felt pen, one blue felt pen

1. Open a page in the chosen newspaper, make sure there are a lot of numbers in the text. Best would be a page or double page full of letters and numbers.
2. Cut out a piece of this text in size of 20x15 cm and make sure you have a lot of numbers and letters in this piece as well.
3. Put squares around every number with your black felt pen.
4. The numbers now symbolise the alphabet (A=1, B=2, C=3, ..., Z=26).
5. Now translate the numbers into letters and put the translated letter over the according number. Since starting at “J” the numbers get binary, you can often choose how to translate the numbers.
6. Try to find via this method something like a message within the text. Maybe it won’t be complete, but this does not matter since:
7. You will get some extra letters by observing your environment: When you are outside of your home, look for numbers. Collect as much cyphers as your first name consists of letters.
8. Use the same technique as before to translate those cyphers and put them at places of the already existing message to complete it more, use your red felt pen.
9. Put this subliminal message of the newspaper back in the envelope you received this algorithm in and send it to your own address!
10. When you receive your letter, check for all numbers of the postmark and use them as well to complete your message with the now familiar technique of translating cyphers into letters. This time use the blue felt pen.
11. Bring the result in the envelope back to class.
12. If you would like to get more into subliminal messages in an entertaining way (with great music), go watch “Under the Silver Lake” at Lichthaus Weimar!

VI: Familiengeschichten

My last HGP algorithm was written on 25th of December. I was supposed to have dinner on that day with my family, my granduncle and my brother's girlfriend and therefor wanted to design an algorithmic experience that involves and brings together all of them and me in a fun way while providing an insight into what I experienced during my semester. None of them is very much into art, culture or literature, but still everybody was curious (and surprised) about what this is, what will happen and afterwards what all this was about. Since all of them have very different backgrounds and ages and my algorithm was rather complex, I was busy helping them nonstop while all of them executed the algorithm at the same time. It was stressful but very heart-warming and the reason why I was not able to finish my algorithm ("Immersion"). Seeing how all of them worked and especially reacted in their very own way on that unusual and personal task was great!

Besides the topic of "free writing" and bringing together a family, the algorithm also deals with the topic of data privacy and the the subliminal way people are invited to provide their data nowadays.

Sorry for having the algorithm in German this time, not all of my HGPs were able to read English.

Papierbögen entsprechend der Personenanzahl im Format 15x20 cm, Textmarker, Kugelschreiber, verschiedene farbige Stifte, Papierkleber

1. Verwende das Papier im Querformat und falte es indem du die jeweils gegenüber liegenden weiter entfernten Ecken übereinander legst.
2. Überlege dir ein Substantiv, das dein Leben oder deinen Beruf beschreibt und schreibe es mit einem schwarzen Stift in etwa mittig auf die untere außen gelegene Kante des quer vor dir liegenden Papiers, welche nicht offen ist und durch das Falten entstanden ist; verwende ca. 1 cm große Großbuchstaben in Druckschrift. Ä, Ö, und Ü werden ausgeschrieben, also AE, OE, UE.
3. Schreibe nun mit einem Kugelschreiber und mit starkem Druck auf das Papier etwas zu deinem gewählten Begriff in das INNERE deines Papierbogens, auf die Seite des gefalteten Papiers, auf der sich außen gelegen auch dein Begriff befindet (erkennbar daran, dass er durch das Papier schimmert), du musst ihn dafür aufklappen. Verwende die Technik des „Free Writings“: Schreibe also einfach drauf los, ohne Nachzudenken, was dir zu deinem Begriff oder einfach in diesem Moment einfällt oder du denkst. Wichtig ist nur, dass du nicht aufhörst zu schreiben, bis die Seite des gefalteten Papiers voll ist. Es gibt kein richtig und kein falsch. Verwende deine Alltagsschrift, es muss nicht lesbar sein. Klebe deinen Papierbogen danach mit einem Papierkleber zu!
4. Sortiere nun die Buchstaben deines Begriffs auf der Außenseite nach Vokalen und Konsonanten. Platziere erstere auf der oberhalb deines Begriffs links gelegenen Hälfte des gleichen Papiers, letztere auf der oberhalb rechten Hälfte, gut verteilt in selber Schrift und Größe.
5. Umrahme die Buchstaben quadratisch mit dem selben Stift und nummeriere mit diesem die Buchstaben an der unteren rechten Ecke eines jeden Quadrats nach folgendem Schema:
6. Vokale und Konsonanten werde jeweils und unabhängig voneinander durchnummeriert gedacht (A=1, E=2, I=3, O=4… B=1, C=2, D=3, F=4 usw.).
7. Verbinde nun alle gleichen Zahlen mit geraden Linien mit einem Stift deiner Wahl, ausgenommen Textmarker (Achtung: A=1, B=1, usw.).
8. Alle Buchstaben, die nun übrig bleiben, werden erneut in rot nummeriert, dieses mal nach „normalem“ Schema: A=1, B=2, C=3,…, Z=26.
9. Verbinde nun erneut gleiche Zahlen, egal ob rot oder schwarz, mit Linien, dieses mal jedoch mit einem anderen Stift deiner Wahl.
10. Sollten nun immer noch Buchstaben übrig bleiben, male deren Quadrate schwarz aus!
11. Diese schwarzen Quadrate werden ebenfalls mit einer schwarzen Linie verbunden. Falls sich eine geschlossene Fläche daraus ergibt, wird diese nun mit einem Textmarker deiner Wahl deckend ausgemalt, ansonsten darfst du auf dem Papier ein oder mehrere in etwa gleich große schwarze Dreiecke platzieren, die diese Fläche markieren und damit auch, welche Teile deiner Geschichte und Gedanken auf spiegelverkehrte Weise vom Textmarker betont werden.