Generative, Robotic and Participative Art

Generative art refers to art that has been generated, composed, or constructed in an algorithmic manner through the use of systems defined by computer software algorithms, or similar mathematical or mechanical or randomised autonomous processes.

According to Dr. Stewart's notes (found at Blackboard Academic Suite):
"One of the most influential mathematicians working with numbers was Fibonacci, who described number series that have fascinated artists ever since. These so-called Fibonacci Numbers - (a series such as 1, 2, 3, 5, 8, 13, 21, 34, 55, 89, 144, 233, 377, 610, 987) have influenced a whole range of artworks from sculpture to animation.

More recently artist and animators have found the mathematics of fractals and mandelbrot sets to be useful in describing organic structures such as the curve of a sea-shell.

A number of artists have explored the opportunities made available by computers running generative programs. They have used fractal and Fibonacci programs to generate artwork. These techniques are now available and are used by animators and website designers."


Generative Music

"As Michael Nyman notes:

"Experimental composers are by and large not concerned with prescribing a defined time-object whose materials, structuring and relationships are calculated and arranged in advance, but are more excited by the prospect of outlining a situation in which sounds may occur, a process of generating action (sounding or otherwise) , a field delineated by certain compositional rules." (Nyman 1999:4)".

Performance Art

"As I mentioned in an earlier lecture on cyborgs the artist Stelarc has explored the relationship between the body and machine in his work. In the Bio-Robotic Choreography work (2001) he developed an ‘insect-like robot” and explored human/machine interaction. As the project notes on the Arts and Humanities Data Service website notes:-

“The robot served as an extension to the human body, enabling the participant to experiment with alternative kinds of choreography. The robot's mode of locomotion, its direction and speed were controlled by the shifting of the human participant's weight or torso movement” (AHDS 2001)."

Stelarc

Stelarc (born Stelios Arcadiou on June 19, 1946 in Limassol, Cyprus to Greek Cypriot parents) is an Australian performance artist whose works focus heavily on futurism and extending the capabilities of the human body. As such, most of his pieces are centered around his concept that the human body is obsolete. Until 2007 he held the position of Principal Research Fellow in the Performance Arts Digital Research Unit at Nottingham Trent University in Nottingham, England. He has two daughters, one of whom (Astra Stelarc), has continued in his footsteps as an artist.(source: wikipedia.com)


Queen - Heaven For Everyone video clip feat. Stelarc



You can also visit Dr. Stewart's webpage "Betwixt and Between"and in the section "cybertext", you can find very good examples of generative art, using flash graphics. Furthermore, I searched for examples of generative art and I found some interesting video installations. So, I created a playlist on YouTube and if I find something else, I'll add it to the playlist.
The playlist: http://www.youtube.com/view_play_list?p=BBC01E0E25ECCFF0