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Rogue Computer Art

A

Anonymous

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Hello all, new to this whole message board thingy so forgive any mistakes.
I honestly don't know if the following is truth/fiction/whatever but I recall a mate of mine telling me about a computer that was programmed to generate artwork somehow. Eventually somebody got aound to the idea of "telling" it do replicate humans which it did very well at first however before long it started to add strange distortions and deformaties.

Im still trying to find out more about this, I honestly don't remember whether i was being told about a book or article or actual event, but if anyone could shed some light on it i'd be grateful.
 
BBC News has a story about a computer program called Aaron which draws pictures of people. The story is here. Is this what you were thinking of?
 
It could be, but I'm not quite sure!. I remember being told about this around four years ago, so it's possible that my mate was talking about an early prototype of that news story. As soon as I can i'll ask him.
Thanks for looking that one up for me by the way, much appreciated.
 
By the way, roswell cat, just noticed that you're from Reading. Ever been to the "After Dark"?
 
There is more computer generated art here. It is a bit more abstract but some of it is pretty good. Of course, the question of whether it is art is pretty much a philsophical one, and having done a philosophy course on aesthetics I have to say I have no idea.

What is the After Dark?
 
Enjoyed the artwork at the link Breakfast. As a former Art student,I'd have to say that, yes, it does constitute art in a very particular format. What i'd like to know is, if the experiment were to continue, would the computer eventually end up mapping out "familiar" shapes or patterns.

the After Dark is a notorious, slightly dodgy, Reading Nightclub. Despite the name, there's nothing too sinister about it. Except maybe the giant Rasta who hands out lollipops on the door!
 
Ah, the After Dark, I love it! Especially the way the walls drip after a few hours of grooving :D
 
Too right!. It was like a weird sort of sweaty stigmata, especially on the big mirrors near the dancefloor. Ah, student days. I only work round the corner from it now, and a visit is long overdue.
 
What nights does it do? Is there an indie night? I've been looking for a proper night like that since I moved here - the fez on a monday is ok but a bit too kiddy metal for me.
 
Yeah, I'm sure it does do that kind of thing. I've only ever really gone to "the Hustle" which is a superb 70's night (they used to have a dancing competition-i won a mug!). Know what you mean about The Fez, but haven't been for a while. Have you tried the Purple Turtle?
 
These names! After Dark sounds a little like the (now dead :eek:) Corporation on Bank St in Sheffield. The fluid that used to run down the walls of that place...
 
Not that I want to get the thread back on track or anything.......:D


Surely in all of the above cases the computer has been programed to produce images, it's not just gone "Hmmm this excel poop is getting me down, I'll think I'll have a go on that nice copy of photoshop that turned up last week" so the computer is just following it's code, and working as a tool of the programmer.

which would make it Rogue Programmer Art



By the way I once saw somebody get stabbed in the purple turtle:eek!!!!:
 
Yeah good point, but what I find really interesting is the idea that the code could possible evolve and consequently start coming up with images that by chance, or inadvertant design, replicate genuine mass.

As non computer programmer I admit I know nothing about this really, so i'm totally prepared to accept the fact that I could be talking rubbish. But I find it interesting to think that, maybe, if a computer were told to replicate a human to a particular formula (eyes, ears, legs etc) It would assumedly be "perfect", no faults.

However, the story I heard was that a particular machine/code started to devlop deformaties in the way it represented the human form, much in the way nature does. If this is true, I'd love to get a look at the pictures.
 
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