The computer
is a multi-dimensional canvas, manifested as projected light or
a printed surface, over which we can exercise complete expressive
control in one of two ways. First, through some direct physical
means, such as hand-to-mouse, where there is a one-to-one correspondence
between our gestures and change on the canvas. This approach is
closest to the traditional process of visual expression -- applying
pigment to paper through physical interaction with the medium --
and is thus the most natural of means. On the other hand, there
is the decidedly non-physical means of expression called computation,
where a computer program, defined by a programmer-artist, explicitly
instructs the canvas on where and how to apply virtual pigments
to itself. The artist makes no physical contact with the medium,
aside from the process of inscribing the program instructions onto
the computer.
In
order to address these issues, the MIT Media Laboratory's Aesthetics
and Computation Group (ACG) was founded in 1996 by John Maeda with
Chloe Chao, Peter Cho, Matthew Grenby, Reed Kram, Douglas Soo, Jared
Schiffman, and Tom White. The goal of ACG has always been to provide
a place where we no longer make a distinction between art / design
and engineering / technology. These students can create in both
modes simultaneously.
The
work on display represents a sample of work created by current ACG
members and alumni, together with a display of three years of course
development in a hybrid visual arts / computer science curriculum
that is an ongoing development, and finally the recently released,
web-based Design by Numbers project which introduces the
ideas of computer programming in a language designed to engage one's
visual senses. Also, on display in the basement gallery are a set
of printworks created before I joined MIT which represent the basic
ideas expressed in Design by Numbers as well as work in general
by the Aesthetics and Computation program.
I would
like to especially thank Intel for providing the computers used
in this exhibit and the sponsors of the MIT Media Lab for continually
supporting our work.
John
Maeda / 6 May 1999
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