ACM SIGGRAPH Digital Art Community SPARKS

Saturday 4th September, 2021 - Bruce Sterling

September SPARKS Theme:

Creative Coding: Generative / Algorithmic Art and the Exploration of Authorship and Authenticity

Moderated by Casey Reas and Bonnie Mitchell

The ACM SIGGRAPH Digital Arts Community (DAC) sponsors monthly conversations around topics of interest to our community. 8-10 lightning talks selected by the moderators are followed by question and answer and open discussion with all the participants. All are welcome to join. Sessions are usually also recorded for future access and archived on the DAC website.

**SUBMIT YOUR PRESENTATION PROPOSAL BY SEPTEMBER 13, 2021 **

ACM SIGGRAPH SPARKS Session – September 24, 2021, 8PM GMT

Time:

Los Angeles, USA Fri, Sept 24, 2021 at 1:00 pm PDT

Denver, USA Fri, Sept 24, 2021 at 2:00 pm MDT

Chicago, USA Fri, Sept 24, 2021 at 3:00 pm CDT

New York, USA Fri, Sept 24, 2021 at 4:00 pm EDT

Greenwich Mean Fri, Sept 24, 2021 at 8:00 pm GMT

London, UK Fri, Sept 24, 2021 at 9:00 pm BST

Vienna, Austria Fri, Sept 24, 2021 at 10:00 pm CEST

Tokyo, Japan Sat, Sept 25, 2021 at 5:00 am JST

Sydney, Australia Sat, Sept 25, 2021 at 6:00 am AEST

** SIGN UP FOR THE ONLINE ZOOM DISCUSSION FOR SEPTEMBER 25, 2021 **

Sponsored by ACM SIGGRAPH Digital Arts Community

All are welcome; space limited to 100 signups

Session Details:

Within the Frame: Continuum of the Still Image

Moderated by Casey Reas and Bonnie Mitchell

The September SPARKS is looking for artists that work with computer code to express critical and creative ideas in unique and innovative ways that relate to generative, algorithmic and creative code practices. We are also interested in issues of authenticity as exemplified by NFTs, and authorship which has been challenged by AI. We are hoping to showcase thought-provoking presentations coupled with a lively discussion centered around these contemporary issues.

The information age was ushered in with a radical disruption to the definition of art and authenticity. In the 1960s, pioneering artists began writing computer code to create their art. By collaborating with, and controlling the computer to produce the work of art, these artists challenged society’s notion of authorship and authenticity. Most code could be easily replicated to produce similar results without the original hand of the artist. Code that went beyond basic commands and involved randomness, artificial intelligence, and machine learning produced works that superseded artistic intent and shared agency with the machine.

Today, computer code plays an important role in the production of a wide variety of types of artworks including interactive art, design, algorithmic art, animation, generative art, architecture, internet art, and so much more. Computer code does more than define the output of a work of art, it enables the artist to explore complex systems such as chaos, order, complexity, simplicity, regenerative processes and other dynamic systems that sometimes defy human comprehension. Through coding, the artist is free to break free of the limitations and constraints of software and traditional media and invent novel solutions to creative problems.

The controversy and excitement surrounding NFTs has also sparked a resurgence of interest in the issue of authenticity of a digital entity. As an artform that has traditionally had little to no economic value on the market, digital art produced using code or otherwise, is now sometimes sold for millions. How did this happen? Authorship is also being challenged as Generative Adversarial Networks (GANS) create works of art replicating existing styles. Artists using these systems often relinquish some artistic control to a system that was created using machine learning algorithms and now no longer needs them to direct the whole process.

If you have worked with the previous topics in your work, please apply.

To submit a proposal to do a short presentation: http://bit.ly/3iWoDvG

To sign up for the Zoom discussion, see the ACM SIGGRAPH Digital Arts Community webpage at: https://dac.siggraph.org/creative-coding/

Future Sessions:

Data: Visual Perception, Interpretation, and Truth, moderated by Everardo Reyes and Jan Searleman (October 15, 2021 deadline for October 29, 2021 discussion)
Within the Frame:
Within the Frame: Continuum of the Still Image, moderated by Dena Eber and Sue Gollifer (November 12, 2021 deadline for December 3, 2021 discussion)
For more information, see http://dac.siggraph.org/sparks

Join us on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/groups/acm.siggraph.digital.arts.community

Visit ACM SIGGRAPH Digital Arts Community at: http://siggrapharts.ning.com/?xg_source=msg_mes_network