VIS 159 Final

Bell Labs: What they focused on, who worked there, and how they worked together?

Bell Labs was an industrial research and development company. They employed both artists and engineers, who worked together on projects. For example, Stan VanDerBeek, an artist, and Ken Knowlton, an engineer, worked together on Incredible Machine, a promo film. In addition, Knowlton developed BEFLIX (an early programming language for computer animation). VanderBeek used BEFLIX to create Poemfields.

E.A.T: What did they do, their most famous event series, and what group they overlapped with?

E.A.T: Experiments in Art and Tech. This was a collab started by Bell Lab engineers, and visual artists Robert Rauschenberg and Robert Whitman. They focused on collabs between artists and engineers. The most famous work was 9 Evenings: Theatre and Engineering, a series of performance art events.

Define Expanded cinema; what does it refer to and who invented the concept?

Stan VanDerBeek came up with the concept of expanded cinema, meaning that video/film art should move away from the single-screen, passive viewer model. Video/film art should now incorporate multi-screen viewing, interactive work, and new modes of production. Video/film and computer art should be one artistic inquiry. This was in response to nuclear warfare and passive media consumption.

1st gen CGI artists: Stan VanDerBeek

Worked at Bell Labs and was affected by nuclear warfare and WW2, which led to his concept of Expanded Cinema and the invention of Movie-Drome.

Poemfields: Combined poetry and wordplay with computer-generated animation using BEFLIX

Movie-Drome: A real-time, global programmable communication network/archive that takes place in a viewing center (theater/exhibition space) with multiple images at once. Wanted to bring all of mankind into the age of tech. and modernity. Most likely would’ve used satellites (not invented yet).

1st gen CGI artists: John Whitney

Whitney worked with computer graphics and visual music. He was interested in the relationship between sound and image, but also image and image (pixel as an element of art). He was also interested in digital harmony (random visual patterns that keep resolving). To do this, he used math to generate designs and images for his visual music. He invented the “cam machine,” or motion control camera for analog computer motion graphics, from a repurposed anti-aircraft gun that calculated movement for his animations. EX: Permutation. He also worked on the Hitchcock film Vertigo.

1st gen CGI artists: Lillian Schwartz

She was part of the E.A.T group and worked with film and kinetic sculpture. She liked to use tech against its intended purpose. EX: Pixillation: Which was hand colored animation (CGI) with optical printer effects. She used the EXPLOR language by Knowlton and herself.

Explain the difference between analog vs digital computer animation?

The invention of the Sketchpad by Sutherland allowed artists like Whitney to transition to digital drawing for graphics. The Sketchpad had a light pen which was used to draw on a screen; graphical user interface. Before Whitney would use pen, but then analog computer controls the motion.

2nd gen CGI artists: Larry Cuba

Cuba also worked with generative animation (creative coding) and visual music. Made abstract animation films with algorithms. EX: Two Space: Mathematically generated geometry based on Islamic title patterns. Had 12 patterns using 9 different animating figures; black and white. Patterns produce optical illusion. He also worked on Star Wars.

2nd gen CGI artists: Copper Giloth

Giloth created the film Skippy Peanut Butter Jars, which explores sexualized representations of women in computer graphics. The film was made with ZGRASS.

Define Magic lanterns, phantasmagoria, color organs, and light shows:

Magic lanterns: Early slide projectors that used candles/lamps as light sources and glass slides; included stage performances with narration.

Phantasmagoria: A form of horror theatre that used magic lanterns to project scary images

Color Organs: A mechanical device built to represent sound and accompany music; piano keys played colors instead of pitches. EX: Father Castel built a candle-powered color organ that used stained glass.

Visual performance: Thomas Wilfred

Wilfred invented the Clavilux (color organ) and art form Lumia. He was able to manipulate light directly by making light bounce off reflectors creating light compositions

Visual performance: Scriabin’s Promethesus

Used an electric color organ and wrote Prometheus: The Poem of Fire, the ionic audiovisual orchestral work. Wrote an orchestral composition for the piano, orchestra, choir, and color organ.

Visual performance: Define light shows and give an example?

Light Shows: Example of expanded cinema; a group of performers would respond to music and improvise the show together. They used visual media equipment (film loops, lithographs, strobe wheels), even liquid (colored dye and oil, swirled under an overhead projector. Took place at rock concerts; hippie counterculture.

EX: Single Wing Turquoise Bird light show: LA-based psychedelic light show which accompanies rock concerts; example of ensemble-oriented visual performance.

Define tape music/musique concrète and audio synthesizers (what’s their relationship)? How did they influence the development of analog audio synths?

Musique concrète: Compositional approach that uses sounds from everyday objects to make music; sounds are separated from their sources

Tape music: Recorded on reel-to-reel audio tape; cut and spliced, slowed down, and reversed to weird sounds; predecessor to modern-day sampling

Audio synthesizers: Electronic musical instrument that generates and alters sound signals; EX: Oscillator

Analog audio: Define analog audio synths and their relationship to patch-based programming? Explain the Buchla and Moog.

Analog audio synths: Instruments that controlled voltage using oscillators and filter modules could be patched together. Early electronic computers and telephone switchboards were programmed by patching (routing audio signals and voltages between modules using cables to create sound).

Analog video: Explain Dan Sandin’s IP and Sandin/Morton open source ethos?

What was the limitations of pre-digital visual performance in general?

Digital: Explain contemporary patch-based audiovisual programming languages?

Define telepresence and telematic art according to Grau. What are some pre-electronic examples (also including Movie-Drome)?

Satellite art: Explain Galloway and Rabinowitz’s A Hole in Space and Paik’s Good Morning, Mr. Orwell?

Telerobotic: Explain Eduardo Kac contribution and Ken Goldberg’s Telegarden?

Define Cybernetics?

Explain the social perceptions of robots of the years (Creation, servant, and threat); how far back do they go? Use these examples in your answer: Metropolis, RUR, Westinghouse Robots, Tinguely’s Metamatics, Kanayama, and Schoffer: CYSP-1.

Explain the tension between robots and authorship.

Robots: Explain Harold Cohen’s AARON? How is it different from “drawing machine” art and what’s the connection to authorship?

Robots: Explain ELIZA?

Robots: Explain Stelarc and his connection to Cybernetics?

Virtual/ artificial realities: Explain the predigital history (e.g. Frescoes, panoramas, and immersive large scale dioramas).

Virtual/ artificial realities: Explain Myron Krueger’s Videoplace, Stereoscopic viewers, flight sims, the Sword of Damocles, Sensorama, and Teleyeglasses.

What is the paradox of computational art?