Computational Arts

Grid Recursion

Mon, 28 Jul 2008 01:28:13 +1000

This series of works builds on concepts developed in the World exhibition, shown about a year previously. Patterns are drawn in recursive structures scattered across an invisible grid that slowly becomes apparent as the complexity builds. The works are real-time infinite computational animations. The process can create a wide range of textures from simple graphic primitives, and the scaling of the patterns provides depth and adds a hint of fractal structure to the works.

Quanta

Tue, 29 Apr 2008 11:08:05 +1000

"Quanta" was an interactive audio visual installation. It explores the atomization of space into sonic and visual quanta. Created in collaboration with Andrew Sorensen "Quanta" takes its inspiration from the work of Dennis Gabor, a Hungarian physicist who first conceived of sound as a system of particles. Iannis Xenakis is credited with the first use of Gabor's theories for the production of synthetic sound where sound particles are artificially rearranged in the production of new soundscapes. We explored and expanded upon these ideas in "Quanta" by investigating the correlation between audio and visual particles through various manipulations of the sound and visual quanta.

"Quanta" was a live installation with audio and video data transformation occurring in real-time from within the installation space. Participants were encouraged to engage with a reflection of their own visual and auditory input in the hope of providing a more intimate understanding of the particles of light and sound. Quanta involved projection across three screens with live video camera and microphone input from which the visual and audio projections were derived. was developed using the Impromptu development environment. In keeping with our approach to expose the computational nature of our real-time software art, the complete source code for "Quanta" is displayed as an integral part of the works installation.

Quanta was selected for inclusion in Virtual Terrain 2, and exhibition of the International Digital Art Project in 2008, and exhibited at The Block in Brisbane Australia.

AV Jam @ Sydney Powerhouse Museum

Mon, 4 Feb 2008 02:42:15 +1000

The AV Jam system is exhibiting at the beta_space facility within the Sydney Powerhouse Museum, Australia. AV Jam is a generative audio-visual system that is controlled by multiple MIDI sliders. It is designed to encourage collaboration by having 5 controllers, one each for Drums, Bass, Harmony, Lead and Video. It is a real-time system that allows visitors to the Beta_Space to create their own audio-visual performances. The installation will be open to the public for 6 weeks from February to mid March 2008.
The AV Jam system was developed in Impromptu by Andrew Sorensen and Andrew Brown based on collaborative research into interactive content creation systems with Steve Dillon.
The AV Jam system enables the performance of music videos such as this short example.

Slice-Flower

Tue, 14 Aug 2007 17:51:23 +1000

A computational animation by Andrew Brown and Andrew Sorensen (aa-cell) produced in Impromptu and shown at the iDAP Exhibition (International Digital Art Projects) at the Songzhugang Art Museum, Bejing, China. September 2007.
Through the work slice-flower aa-cell explore the aesthetic potential of computational expression. The work is part of a series that explore the potential of algorithms that occupy 10 lines of computer code: a kind of digital haiku. Slice-flower features multiple dichotomies, between slices of a single image, between two semi-transparent images of foliage, between the natural photographic material and the synthetic computer code, and between restfulness and restlessness. The images are segmented into quantised portions and animated, constantly searching, and only occasionally realigning.
Below is a short video excerpt from the work.

World Exhibition

Sat, 4 Aug 2007 02:36:20 +1000

World by Daniel Mafe and Andrew Brown
The works in World are real-time digital generative screen works. These works are the latest results of a collaboration of almost 4 years between Daniel Mafe and Andrew Brown. Together Daniel and Andrew have been creating and exploring digital graphic and sound applications that can algorithmically generate evolutionary material that can transform and construct a visual space. From this exploratory process emerge digital animated works that can play indefinitely without repeating and create kaleidoscopic and mesmerizing interactions of image, pattern and texture. These works utilize assemblages of abstract shapes and sounds as well as scannings or reconstitutions of imagery.
From Saturday 4 August 2007
UNPLACE Project gallery space is at 232 Arthur Street, New Farm, Brisbane, Australia

Fur Ball

Wed, 7 Mar 2007 19:51:45 +1000

The Fur Ball works are generative images comprising thousands of individual lines. Fur Balls can be made more or less untidy by varying the parameters of the algorithm for line variation, distribution around the circle, radius variation, colour deviation and so on. The images are generated in Impromptu but are similar to works by Golan Levin, Casey Reas and others working in Processing.

Unscrambler

Sat, 16 Sep 2006 10:07:34 +1000

The Unscrambler is an interactive generative art work that was used displayed in the Ian Potter Gallery, NGV, as an activity within the Scoot location-based game in Melbourne, Australia, from Sept 16-19 2006.
Interaction with the Unscambler requires the users to make order out of chaos to reveal a clue. A distorted image and chaotic music play as the user(s) arrive. They are presented by a rotary dial which directly effects the clarity of the image and music. The objective is to get the dial in the correct position to reveal a clue in the image. When completed the installation returns to its obscured state. The system is constantly working to scramble the image which make the task somewhat more complicated. When not in use the image reverts to a “scrambled” pre-set state chosen by the artistic directors.
At the Scoot event two version of the Unscrambler were used, one located in the Victorian Arts Centre and the other in the Ian Potter gallery of the National Gallery of Victoria (NGV). The Unscrambler functioned as a generative art work when not being “played” and as an interactive activity to reveal a clue when played by one of the Scoot participants.
The Unscrambler was based on the ActiveImage generative art system developed by Andrew Brown, Daniel Mafe and Craig Gibbons as part of ACID’s Dynamic Content project, who acted as artistic directors for this project. Technical realisation of the interactive component was done by Craig Gibbons and Andrew Brown.
The Unscrambler project demonstrates the ability for generative works to function as both ambient and interactive art works and for systems to automatically manage the flow between these modes of interaction. It also demonstrates ACID’s technical and design capacity in generative and interactive installations.
The Unscambler project was supported by the Australasian CRC for Interaction Design (ACID)

ScreenPlay exhibition

Tue, 20 Sep 2005 03:33:22 +1000

This ScreenPlay exhibition of computational arts work by Daniel Mafe and Andrew Brown was exhibited at The Block, in Brisbane, Australia in 2005.
ScreenPlay consists of real-time digital animation/sound screen works. These works are collaborations between Daniel Mafe and Andrew Brown. Together they have been constructing a new graphic and sound program that can algorithmically generate evolutionary material that shifts across a paradigmatically determined structural landscape. From this process emerge digital animated works that last indefinitely and create surprising, unpredictable and mesmerizing interactions of pattern, colour and sound. These hauntingly beautiful works utilise assemblages of shapes and sounds, and scannings or reconstitutions based on imagery and text. ScreenPlay is an exhibition of an intensely lyrical nature, which further explores the substance and dynamic architecture of the computer screen itself, strongly questioning what it is to see and understand that seeing.

Journey One exhibition

Sun, 27 Feb 2005 19:35:31 +1000

Journey One is a generative audio visual work by Andrew Brown and Daniel Mafe. It was part of an exhibition held in The Block, Brisbane, Australia, in February of 2005. This work was developed using the ActivePixels software written by the artists and employed multiple cellular automata matrices to produce data mapped to both visual animations and the accompany the music. The generative nature of the algorithm means that the outcome is indeterminate; it will be different each time it runs. Indeterminacy is used to deliberately add an element of surprise and risk to performances of the work, and keeps experiences of the works fresh for the artist, not only the first time viewer.

Phasing exhibition

Sat, 27 Nov 2004 02:50:57 +1000

The Phasing exhibition was held in the QUT Art Musem, Brisbane, Australia. It was the first public exhibition of the collaboration of Daniel Mafe and Andrew Brown in the development of their ActivePixels software. The exhibition combined two real-time computational art works displayed on computer screen with some paintings by Daniel Mafe.
Phasing Small

Phasing Large

The artists at the exhibition