Teh/YCMani Nilchiani MFA Design & Technology Parsons The New School for Design

ArtScience PSAM.5570.B . Fall 2011Prof. Victoria Vesna . TA: Hilal Koyuncu

//ABSTRACTA.I., Emergence and Generative Art.

In the Artificial Intelligence section of out ArtSci course, I was introduced tothe Principals of Artificial Intelligence, which led me to some more research On the theme and auditing an online introductory A.I. course from StanfordUniversity, and also studying the history of A.I., and scientific, philosophical and ethical arguments surrounding it. While learning more about the basics of A.I., I was introduced to the “Emergence”. As an artist, I found this realm extremely intriguing andinspiring. Tracing the applications of Emergence in the realm of art, I was introduced to Generative Art. My Project will instate a custom-written interactive generative piece of software as the immediate acting agent that creates the final audio/visual output of the installation.

//CONCEPT/TOPICMy “Home”: Tehran / NYC : Emergence

Being born and raised in the city of Tehran, Iran, I moved to New York City in August 2010 to pursue my graduate studies.

This sudden move affected me in many different levels. Tehran being my home for 24 years had secured its place in my memory, and as a consequence, my visual memory. Now my new home kept me busier than ever, not allowing any time for nostalgic feelings and home-sickness during daytime.

After settling in NYC, I began having recurring complex dreams that borrowed visual and audio elements from both Tehran and NYC, combining them in an odd manner that presented me with instantly-generated compositions of sound and image, displaced people and situations from Tehran and NYC: People and places from NYC would be placed in an urban setting of Tehran, or friends from Tehran passing by in a subway station in NYC.

//CONCEPT/TOPIC contd.My “Home”: Tehran / NYC : Emergence

All those dreams were generative works of my brain, emerged in my subconscious. I found out that I had no agency in the process or quality of the generated audiovisual experience.

After being introduced to the concepts of Emergence and Generative art, I decided to initiate the project Teh/YC

Project Teh/YC is an interactive audio/visual installation that combines instances of sound and image through programmed algorithms and also based on user interaction to create a generative emergent narrative experience.

My agency as the artist will be to provide the audio and visual material as the building blocks of the artwork, and the rest of the process will be handled by programmed algorithms.

//CONTEXT & PRECEDANTSEMERGENCE

In philosophy, systems theory, science, and art, emergence is the way complex systems and patterns arise out of a multiplicity of relatively simple interactions. Emergence is central to the theories of integrative levels and of complex systems.

The concept has been in use at least since the time of Aristotle(1). In his “Metaphysics” he discusses some fundamental concepts of Emergence.

The term “Emergence” was coined by pioneer psychologist G.H. Lewes(2)

//CONTEXT & PRECEDANTSEMERGENCE: Examples

tt,mjhkjh

Conway’s Game of Life: The particles emerge to build a complex system. The algorithm is simple: any particle with four neighbors, or no neighbor will perish. Only those with 2 or 3 neighbors will survive.Image: http://plife.sourceforge.net/

Snowflakes: Excellent examples of emergent entities in nature.Image: http://wikipedia.org

//CONTEXT & PRECEDANTSEMERGENCE: Examples Contd.

Programmed emergent patterns: The applets clearly demonstrate emergent systems in which the particles emerge based on a mathematical equation. These interactive applets serve as first-hand experience of emergent complex systems. The user can modify the values in the equation and watch the shift in the emergence process.Images from applets on: http://www.cmp.caltech.edu/~mcc/Patterns/

//CONTEXT & PRECEDANTSGenerative Art

Generative art is a system oriented art practice where the common denominator is the use of systems as a production method.

Generative Art has been around since the time of Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart. The "Musikalisches Würfelspiel" (Musical Dice Game) (3) is an excellent example of Generative Art in which musical bits and pieces are combined in a random manner to construct the artwork as a whole.

Generative Art is practiced across different artistic media such as visual arts and music.

//CONTEXT & PRECEDANTSGenerative Art: Examples

Manfred Mohr: His generative artworks from the late 60’s showcase excellent examples of imagery created by programmed algorithms.Images: http://www.emohr.com/

//CONTEXT & PRECEDANTSGenerative Art: Examples contd.

C.E.B. Reas: Process 11 (Software 2) 2006custom software, computers, projectors dimension variable

//PROJECT PROPOSALTeh/YC will explore the notion of transition through combined imagery

and generative compositions. The final piece will be an interactive

audiovisual installation which will consist of a small software which

takes drawings of visual elements from Tehran and NYC

as input and also bits of sounds recorded in the urban space of

both cities. The shapes and forms of drawings will morph, blend and

Merge along with bits audio pieces to construct a synthetic audiovisual

experience, bringing Tehran and NYC together in an emergent

manner.

This installation is intended to be viewed by one user at a time. The

position of user towards the piece will influence the quality of generated

Composition. The more the user is inclined towards east, the ratio of

Tehran audiovisual elements increases and the more the user is

inclined to west, the ratio of NYC audiovisual elements will increase.

//Project Proposal contd.

Installation Diagram: The ratio of Tehran-related elements and NYC-related elements will change on the basis of position of the audience in relation with the interactive piece. The dashed line, and words “Tehran” and “NYC” will be printed and installed on the ground. A built-in camera input will detect the position of the audience and change the generative algorithm accordingly.

//CONCLUSIONEmergence looks at the process. It shifts focus from particles to the

process, and the complex system that emerges.

In any form of art across all the media, one can clearly trace the

immediate agency of the artist as the sole authoritative agent, planning

the artwork.

Generative art is an exception. It leaves the emergence of the work up

to patterns and algorithms, and of course, the element of randomness.

Just as my recurring dreams in which I did not have the slightest

authority in placement and composition of the elements, I will leave the

emergence of the result up to the artwork itself.

//NOTES1. Aristotle, Metaphysics, Book H 1045a 8-10: "... the totality is not, as it were, a mere heap,

but the whole is something besides the parts ...", i.e., the whole is greater than the sum of the parts.

2. "Every resultant is either a sum or a difference of the co-operant forces; their sum, when their directions are the same -- their difference, when their directions are contrary. Further, every resultant is clearly traceable in its components, because these are homogeneous and commensurable. It is otherwise with emergents, when, instead of adding measurable motion to measurable motion, or things of one kind to other individuals of their kind, there is a co-operation of things of unlike kinds. The emergent is unlike its components insofar as these are incommensurable, and it cannot be reduced to their sum or their difference." (Lewes 1875, p. 412)

3. A Musikalisches Würfelspiel (Musical dice game) was a system for using dice to randomly 'generate' music (long before computer systems).

//REFERENCES1. Emohr.com

2. Form + Code. Casey Reas, Chandler McWilliams, LUST – Princeton Architectural Press – ISBN 978-1-56898-937

3. Emergence: Contemporary Readings in Philosophy and Science – Edited by Mark A. Bedau and Paul Humphreys – The MIT Press – ISBN-10: 0-262-02621-X ISBN-13: 978-0-262-02621-5

4. Reas.com

5. Generative-artworks.blogspot.com

//BIBLIOGRAPHY1. Emergence: The Connected Lives of Ants, Brains, Cities, and Software – Publisher:

Scribner - ISBN-10: 0684868768 | ISBN-13: 978-06848687692. Generative Art – Author: Matt Pearson – Manning Publications – ISBN-10: 1935182625 -

ISBN-13: 978-1935182627

3. Algorithms for Image Processing and Computer Vision – Author: J.R. Parker - Wiley Publications

4. The fundamentals of Digital Art – Author: Richard Colson – Publisher: ava Publications - ISBN-10: 2-940373-58-2 ISBN-13: 978-2-940373-58-1

5. Digital Art – Author: Wolf Leiser – Publisher: Ullman Publishing – ISBN: 978-3-8331-5338-9