GMU:Algorithmic Art

Lecturer: Tobias Zimmer
Credits: 6 ECTS, 4 SWS
Date: Friday, 13:30 – 16:45
Venue: Marienstraße 7b, Raum 102

Description

Waiting at traffic lights, shopping online, finding a new partner, baking a cake - noticed or unnoticed, everyone is in contact with algorithms each day.

In the class Algorithmic Art we will focus on graphical algorithms and generative art, to learn how to think like a machine. The programming language Processing offers artists and designers the chance to go beyond predefined and often limiting software and allows them to create their very own tools for 2D or 3D graphics production, interactive installations, data manipulation and more. With a simplified syntax, Processing takes down high entry barriers that are usually associated with programming languages. Simple visual results are possible with just a few lines of code, with an open end to more complex output and rule systems.

We will orient ourselves to the pioneering work of early computer artists (”Algorists”) like Vera Molnar, Manfred Mohr or Frieder Nake and use a pen-plotter (self built in class or a ready-made one) to materialize the algorithms we develop in homeworks or in class. Treated topics and programming basics include: 2D shapes and geometry, variables, arrays, loops, randomness, noise, interaction, animation, functions, object orientation, working with data (image, sound, text),...

Further topics depending on interest:webcam interaction, openCV, working with libraries and API’s, 3D graphics, communication (OSC), projection mapping,…

Introductory Algorithm

Working with the Plotter

HP 7475A

Student Works

Consultations

Thursday 31.01.19

13:00 - 13:30 (put your name here)
13:30 - 14:00 (put your name here)
14:00 - 14:30 (put your name here)
14:30 - 15:00 (put your name here)
15:00 - 15:30 (put your name here)
15:30 - 16:00 (put your name here)
16:00 - 16:30 (put your name here)

Friday 01.02.19

13:00 - 13:30 (put your name here)
13:30 - 14:00 (put your name here)

14:00 - 14:30 (put your name here)
14:30 - 15:00 (put your name here)
15:00 - 15:30 (put your name here)
15:30 - 16:00 (put your name here)
16:00 - 16:30 (put your name here)

Resources

Processing

Processing Reference
Processing Examples you can also conveniently find these in the Processing IDE)
Processing Cheatsheet [1] [2]
25 Life Saving Tips for Processing [3] [4]

Relevant Texts

The Algorists, Roman Versotko
Ten theses about software art, Florian Cramer english, german
Do it, Hans Ulrich Obrist (you can find the book in the library)
Art by instruction and the pre-history of do it, Bruce Altshuler

Early Computer Artists

Other artists working with code

Inspirations

Treated Topics

12.10.18

Sol LeWitt | Wall Drawings
Casey Reas | Notation

19.10.18

Concrete Art Manifesto
2D Geometry

26.10.18

Variables
Iteration / Animation
For Loops
Nested For Loops

02.11.18
Art without author!? / Artists working with randomness

Jackson Pollock
Gerhard Richter | Colour Charts | 4096 Colors
Henri Michaux | Mescaline Drawings
John Cage | Music of Changes | I Ching (1) | I Ching (2)

RAND Corporation | 1.000.000 Million Random Digits
Global Consciousness Project - Meaningful Correlations in Random Data | Website
Studio Nand | The Known Unknowns

translate()
scale()
rotate()
random()
Arrays

09.11.18

Anastasis Germanidis | Randomly Generated Social Interactions

noise() – 1D, 2D
sin(), cos() – adressing points in a circular coordinate system
map()

16.11.18
Drawing Machines by...

Getting started with the Plotter (HP7475A)
HPGL library

23.11.18

Classes (balloons and particles reacting to two dimensional noise)
ArrayList

30.11.18

Working with images
PImage
get(x,y), get(x,y,w,h), brightness(), saturation(), red(), green(), blue()

07.12.18

14.12.18

21.12.18

OSC
FaceOSC

11.01.18

Motion Detection
OpenCV & Face Detection

18.01.18

loading data from files and visualizing texts

25.01.18

01.02.18

Future Topics

PVector
Export svg files
noise() – 3D
Working with images
Working with sound
Working with text
Recursion
L-Systems