Computer Science | Grinnell College

At this Friday's CS Table/Algorithmic Arts session (at noon in Rosenfield 224A) we will consider some writings by a variety of early practitioners of computer art, published as the art was actually being produced. These articles are taken from

Rosen, Margit, Ed. (2011). A little-known story about a movement, a magazine, and the computer's arrival in art: new tendencies and Bit international, 1961-1973.

The particular readings are

• Franke, Herbert W. (orig. 1971, translation 2011). Social aspects of computer art (pp. 435-437).
• Morellet, Francois (orig. 1962, translation 2011). The case for programmed experimental painting (pp. 92-93).
• Munari, Bruno (orig. 1964, reprinted 2011). Arte programmata (p. 176).
• Nake, Frieder (orig. 1968). There should be no computer art (pp. 466-467).
• Nees, Georg (orig. 1968, translation 2011). Computer graphics and visual translations (pp. 320-325).

Copies of the readings are available outside Professor Rebelsky's office (Noyce 3824). Please complete the reading in advance so that our discussion is productive. Colin and Sinan will lead our discussion.

At this Friday's CS Table/Algorithmic Arts session (at noon in Rosenfield 224A) we will discuss the relationship of computer art to some pre-computer approaches, particularly constructivism.

Our reading discusses the ways in which artists have attempted to forefront process and instructions in their work:

Wright, Richard. From System to Software: Computer Programming and the Death of Constructivist Art. In Brown, et al., eds. White Heat Cold Logic: British Computer Art 1960-1980.

Copies of the reading are available outside Professor Rebelsky's office (Noyce 3824). Please make sure to do the whole reading so that our discussion is productive. Jennelle will lead our discussion.

Since it's nearing fall break time, this Friday's CS Table/Algorithmic Arts session (at noon in Rosenfield 224A) will be comparatively laid back. We will explore a variety of historic pieces of digital arts from the collection of the Victoria and Albert museum and we will consider the second half of the semester (revisiting readings, getting volunteers to lead, etc.)

In preparation for the discussion, please review the images at http://www.cs.grinnell.edu/~rebelsky/Courses/CSC295/2012F/DigitalPioneers/. In addition, please review the class schedule at http://www.cs.grinnell.edu/~rebelsky/Courses/CSC295/2012F/Handouts/schedule.html.

Erik Opavsky will lead the discussion of images. Sam Rebelsky will lead the discussion of the schedule.

This Friday at CS Table, we will discuss “live coding,” a form of performance art that typically involves sound, image, and visible code. (It's a bit more complex than that, as the readings suggest.) Jennelle and Colin will lead the the discussion.

The readings:

• Temporary Organisation for the Permanence of Live AudioVisual Programming, A Manifesto.
• Wang, G. and Cook, P. R. (2004). On-the-fly programming: using code as an expressive musical instrument. In Proceedings of the 2004 Conference on New Interfaces for Musical Expression, pages 138-143.
• Collins, Nick (2011). Live coding of Consequence. Leonardo 44 (3), pp. 207-211.

This Friday at CS Table, we will discuss “Aesthetic Computing.” As the Aesthetic Computing Manifesto suggests, rather than applying computers to the arts, Aesthetic Computing attempts to apply aesthetics to computing. Chike and Radhika will lead our discussion.

We will read the introduction to an anthology on Aesthetic Computing:

Paul A Fishwick. 2006. Aesthetic Computing. Chapter 1 of Paul A. Fishwick (ed.) Aesthetic Computing, pp. 3-28. Cambridge, MA: MIT Press.

This week in Algorithmic Arts / CS Table, we will read part of a report from the National Academy of Sciences on the role of computers in creative practice:

Mitchell, William J., Inouye, Alan S., and Blumental, Marjory S., Eds. (2003). Creative Practices. Chapter 2 of Beyond Productivity: Information Technology, Innovation, and Creativity.

Algorithmic arts reading list

This week in Algorithmic Arts/CS Table (Friday, September 14, at noon, in Rosenfield 224A), we will read Matt Pearson's introduction to his book on generative art:

Pearson, Matt (2011). Introduction to Generative Art. Manning.

You can find the introduction online at http://www.manning.com/pearson/GenArt-Sample-Intro.pdf, and find out more about the book at http://www.manning.com/pearson/.

Adriana and Max will lead our discussion.

Remember that you can always find the readings list online at http://www.cs.grinnell.edu/~rebelsky/Courses/CSC295/2012F/Handouts/schedule.html.

This week in Algorithmic Arts / CS Table, we will read a piece by James Clayson on “radical bricolage.” The preferred version is

Clayson, James (2008). Radical Bricolage: Building Coherence in the Liberal Arts Using Art, Modelling, and Language. International Journal of Education Through Art, 4 (2). doi=10.1386/eta.4.2.141/1.

This article is an expanded version of a conference paper that is available online (with color images):

Clayson, James (2007). Radical Bricolage: Making the Liberal Arts Coherent. From Proceedings of Eurologo 2007. http://www.di.unito.it/~barbara/MicRobot/AttiEuroLogo2007/proceedings/PP-Clayson.pdf.

Participants are encouraged to read the 2008 version and skim the 2007 version.

Here's the abstract of the 2008 version:

Because of the very broad and fragmented nature of undergraduate general education requirements there is a need to help students find unity in diversity. The search for coherence has led my institution, the American University in Paris, to introduce a series of freshmen courses called First Bridge that deliberately pair professors from different disciplines to develop and teach a common course that explores the linkages between their areas of special interest. This article describes my own experience of teaching a First Bridge course called ‘Visual Thinking and Artful Seeing’, in which I represented the mathematics and computer science department while my co-teacher, a painter, came from the art department. It was our intention to explore how different ways of seeing, the very act of seeing and the art of talking about seeing could help each of us begin to discover the commonalities that lie behind seemingly different disciplines and their methodologies. My part of the bargain requires using Imagine Logo to gain access to different levels of seeing by building computer models to examine a range of visual artifacts and their inherent structures.

This Friday at CS Table, Kim and Josh will be leading a discussion about Mapping Trends in Health Care. The readings are available at the following link: http://foswiki.cs.grinnell.edu/foswiki/bin/view/Courses/HealthCareAndCom... We'll meet at noon in JRC 224A. Please feel free to e-mail [raymondw] if you have any questions!

This Friday at CS Table, Josh and I will lead a discussion of health information technology in the global context. For readings, see http://foswiki.cs.grinnell.edu/foswiki/bin/view/Courses/HealthCareAndCom...