20120610 a movement in 3 parts. (1.shock & awe, 2.algorithm critique, 3.the new aesthetic and its...

7/31/2019 20120610 A Movement in 3 Parts. (1.Shock & Awe, 2.Algorithm Critique, 3.The New Aesthetic And Its Discontents) - Marius Watz - Eyeo 2012

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20012.0608 Eyeo Festival, Minneapolis

A MOVEMENT IN 3 PARTS

1.Shock And Awe

2.Algorithm Critique3.New Aesthetics And its

Discontents

http://mariuswatz.com

http://twitter.com/mariuswatz
http://mariuswatz.com/http://twitter.com/mariuswatzhttp://twitter.com/mariuswatzhttp://mariuswatz.com/


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20012.0608 Eyeo Festival, Minneapolis

Note: Parts of this presentation has been edited since it was presented

at Eyeo. In particularly, the New Aesthetic section was largely ad-libbed

live, so I have added some slides to represent my oral rantings on thesubject.

This post-editing carries with it the temptation to make the presentation

look better than it actually was, which I will admit to succumbing to on

certain pages. I hope this breach of academic conduct will be forgiven

given that the intention is to clarify my thoughts on the topics discussed.

Besides, Im not an academic.

Consider it a lesson in the infinitely rewritable and endlessly undoable

nature of digital writing (which in itself could be considered a New

Aesthetic phenomenom.)

Marius Watz,

New York, June 11, 2012


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ALSO KNOWN AS:

The Loved And Lost Mix

ALSO KNOWN AS:

Evig eies kun det tapte Mix

(Thats Ibsen to you.)


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Shock & Awe - 853 slides, 4:23


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2012.0213 mwatz.tumblr.com


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SOUNDTRACK CREDITS

1.Organ Donors: Throw A Diva (DJ IsaacMix)

2.Skrillex: Scary Monsters And Nice

Sprites

3.Blutonium Boy: Make It Loud

Mix by: DJ Kutski

Defender Against The Evil Forces Of Anything Less

Than 140 Beats Per Minute


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2.ALGORITHM CRITIQUE

ALSO KNOWN AS:

How to not make friends on the creative

code circuit.

(Thankfully, like reality TV stars, Im

not here to make friends.)


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SOME DISCLAIMERS

1.I am not the Algorithm Thought Police.

2.Im not telling anybody what to do or

how to do it.

3.Im not even talking about you.

(Really, Im not. Dont be so vain.)


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Christopher Wool, And If...


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OUR PROBLEMATIC FRIENDS

- Circle packing- Reaction diffusion

- Fractals (yes, all of them)

- Strange attractors

- Voronoi / Delaunay diagrams- Flocking / boids

- Game of Life (+ other CA)

- Polygon subdivision

- Iso-surfaces aka blobs


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OUR PROBLEMATIC FRIENDS

All of these are awesome (and beautiful)tools. But they are not neutral vessels.

Algorithms provide the means to produce

specific outcomes, typically throughgenerative logic or data processing. But

in the process they leave their distinct

footprints on the result.


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THE IDEA OF STANDARDS

Jazz standards are musical compositionswhich are an important part of the

musical repertoire of jazz musicians, in

that they are widely known, performed,

and recorded by jazz musicians, andwidely known by listeners.


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THE IDEA OF STANDARDS

There is nothing wrong with standards,in fact they verify the richness of a

cultural field.

However...

A preset is not the end point of creative

thought.


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ALGORITHMS AND DATA AS FOUND

OBJECTS

Untreated and unmodulated, a standard

algorithm is just a found form - a preset

structure producing preset results.

THE TEMPTATION

Upon discovering an elegant algorithmthat yields compelling visual results

(say, circle packing or reaction-

diffusion) there is a strong temptation

to exploit it as-is, crank out a seriesof images and call it a day.

Problem is, the kid down the block often has the same idea.


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OBJECTS

Untreated and unmodulated, a standard

algorithm is just a found form - a preset

structure producing preset results.


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OBJECTS

Similarly, many data sources have

striking intrinsic forms:

- Audio waveforms- FFT time series (aka landscapes)

- Networks


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CRITICAL USE OF ALGORITHMS

Considering the use of such presetforms must be a part of any critical

computational creativity.

Most importantly:- Craftmanship (trite, I know)

- Originality

- Credible claim to authorship


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UNLESS YOU CAN MAKE IT *ROCK*,

STAY AWAY. (AND IF YOU DONT

THINK ALGORITHMS CAN ROCK, WEHAVE NOTHING TO TALK ABOUT.)

What I meant: Well, make it rock.

(It seems obvious, doesnt it?)


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YES, HEAVY USE OF STANDARD

ALGORITHMS IS BAD FOR YOU.

What I meant was: If you use standard

algorithms w/o modification, its the

algorithm talking.

If any CS student can walk into a lab and

reproduce your results in an hour, any

notion of claiming credible authorship is

questionable.


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INSTANTLY KNOWABLE AND

INFINITELY MASTERABLE (GOLAN LEVIN)

Unlike a pencil or a piano, an algorithm

is rarely (if ever) instantly knowable or

infinitely masterable.

More commonly it is a terra incognita,

the features of which must be discovered

through experimentation.


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ALGORITHMS ARE SYNTAX & LANGUAGE

Speaking through algorithms, yourthought patterns and modes of expression

are shaped by their syntax.

I dare you: Try speaking German without being influenced by the

structure of the language.


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FALLACY: USE OF PSEUDO-RANDOM

CODE STRUCTURES IMPLIES A LOSS OF

AUTHORSHIP

Despite the tenacious claims of certain

artists, use of aleatory algorithms does

not result in an authorless work.

Randomness is just another material

property.


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ON THE OTHER HAND: CO-DISCOVERING

WITH MACHINES DOES HAPPEN. A LOT.

A typical scenario:

1. Articulate generative gesture

2. Explore the obvious and non-obvious

potential of said gesture

3. Modulate parameters to find optimal

parameters, introducing principles of

chance to produce interesting accidents


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MULTIPLICITY ISNT COMPLEXITY.

Multiplicity is the uber-motif of currentdigital generative art - especially the

scene around Processing. Look through the

Flickr Processing pool and try to find

an image that isnt some kind of swarm,

cloud, cluster, bunch, array or aggregate

[..]

Mitchell Whitelaw, More is More: Multiplicity and Generative Art


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THE EXPERIENCE OF MAKING A

SERIES OF AWESOME YET ULTIMATELY

PROBLEMATIC IMAGES.

In which I walk through the creation of

a series that I ultimately dont trust.

Also, examples of co-discovery withmachines.


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Deformed Modelbuilder mesh

sketches, June 2012

Color effects produced by

manual Photoshop trickery


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sketches, June 2012




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sketches, June 2012




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sketches, June 2012




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Color effects produced in

code by OpenGL shaders


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Color effects produced in

code by OpenGL shaders


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sketches, June 2012

Hatch shader applied


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sketches, June 2012



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sketches, June 2012



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sketches, June 2012

Mission achieved: Geometry

and color all code-based.


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sketches, June 2012




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sketches, June 2012




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sketches, June 2012




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PROBLEM:

I dont trust these images or my ownimpulse in creating them. I will likely

never publish them as artworks.

I ask myself:

1.Are these images just sexy pixels?

2.Will I still like them in a year?

3.Do 3D rendered stills have a place in mypractice?

4.Is it just the algorithm talking?

5.Are shaders just Photoshop filters?


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CO-DISCOVERING WITH

MACHINES

I now have a Makerbot Replicator 3D

printer on my desk, pushing me that much

further into the future.

Problem: Big prints were showing splits.

Resulting serendipity: Lattice structuresoptimized to avoid solid mass.

P b bilit L tti (2012)


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Probability Lattice (2012)

Parametric objects intended for

lo- 3D printing (Makerbot)



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3.THE NEW AESTHETIC AND

ITS DISCONTENTS

ALSO KNOWN AS:

Making friends with eruptions of the

digital into the physical.


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CONTEXT

Tumblr maintained May 2011- May 2012 byJames Bridle et.al.

At its core, NA is an ethnographic

experiment documenting (often accidental)byproducts and consequences of digital

technology, specifically effects of

technology on physical / social / economic

/ political / personal space.

Bridle: [..] Ive been collecting images and things that seem to approach

a new aesthetic of the future [..] Consider this a mood-board for unknown

products.

[ADDED POST-EYEO]


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CONTEXT #2

March 2012: NA panel at SXSW, Austin(feat. Bridle, Aaron Cope, Joanne McNeil, Kevin Slavin & Ben Terrett.)

Bruce Sterling posts a provocative

response on his Wired blog, The Creators

Project publishes a series of responsesto Sterling, other writers and bloggers

chime in with an astonishing range of

interpretations of just what NA might

mean.

Consequence: NA becomes a meme/fad, loved and hated equally. It also becomes

a handy soapbox for public grandstanding, giving rise to a multitude of

highly subjective and often contradictory interpretations. Much hilarity

ensues.[ADDED POST-EYEO]


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CONTEXT #3

My own view: Bridle etc. are correct inidentifying symptoms of a shift in how we

experience a reality that increasingly

presents itself as a messy layer cake

of physical and virtual space, where .The claim that these constitute a New

Aesthetic is more credible

Btw: Many of these phenomena were predicted by 1990s cybertheory but

sounded ridiculous at the time due to a discourse tainted by intensehyperbole. NA requires no such exaggerated fiction or hard sell, as

the objects and processes it deals with are frighteningly real, having

surreptitiously come into existence without most of us even noticing.

[ADDED POST-EYEO]

2012.0506 new-aesthetic.tumblr.com


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James Bridle

new-aesthetic.tumblr.com


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James Bridle



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James Bridle



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James Bridle

2012.0406 Creators Project response


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Edited by Julia Kaganskiy

In response to Bruce Sterling, texts by

Greg Borenstein, Kyle Chayka, James George,

Kyle McDonald, Jonathan Minard, Marius Watz

Immaterials: The Ghost In The Field (2009)


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Spatial visualization of RFID radio eld

Timo Arnall, Jack Schulze, Einar Sneve - Touch (AHO)

Immaterials: The Ghost In The Field (2009)


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Spatial visualization of RFID radio eld

Timo Arnall, Jack Schulze, Einar Sneve - Touch (AHO)

Immaterials: Light painting WiFi


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Timo Arnall, jrn Knutsen, Einar Sneve - Touch (AHO)

Light painting WiFi eld

Aram Bartholl: Map (2006)


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Aram Bartholl: Map (2006)


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Aram Bartholl: Dust (2011)


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Aram Bartholl: 1H (2008)


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Clouds, documentary by Jonathan Minard,

James George (shot w/ Kinect+SLR, 2012)


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Clouds, documentary by Jonathan Minard,



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FIRST LETS ADDRESS THE HATRED


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FIRST, LETS ADDRESS THE HATRED

FOR THE TERM THE NEW AESTHETIC

For 15 minutes or so NA was a flashpoint

for technoculture debate, with important

cameos from art/tech theorists as well as

art world luminaries (who on the wholehated the whole thing...)

The love/hatred expressed for the NA meme

complex would suggest that it somehow

challenges the status quo, making people

uncomfortable in the process. How can that

be a bad thing?

[EDITED POST-EYEO]

THE HATRED FOR THE TERM THE NEW


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THE HATRED FOR THE TERM THE NEW

AESTHETIC

Most of the hatred seems to stem from a

widespread misperception slash kneejerk

reaction that new implies better,

more significant or a replacement forall other forms of aesthetics.

Which makes no sense.

BUT


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BUT...

There is no doubt that the artifacts

identified as New Aesthetic (by Bridle &

others) exist.

Computer glitches, AR markers, invisible

wireless+radio fields, social media

artifacts and interactions (tweets, pokes,

checkins, adds) impact our lives every day

in a myriad of oh-so-real ways.

Some of which are less than awesome, by the way. Noone knows what the

fallout of drone warfare and state-sponsored cyberwar will be, but its

unlikely to be a pretty picture.

[EDITED POST-EYEO]

MORE IMPORTANTLY


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MORE IMPORTANTLY...

Pretty much everybody at this conference

live, breathe and make their living from

creating New Aesthetic artifacts every

day.

And typically we dont give it even a

moments thought.

SO WHY GO ON ABOUT THE NEW


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SO WHY GO ON ABOUT THE NEW

AESTHETIC?

Because we are the (often enthusiastic)

creators of New Aesthetic artifacts, and

as such we need to take responsibility for

them.

We might not be designing killer drones or

missile guidance systems, but we are all

part of the technocrat elite.

[ADDED POST-EYEO]

NEW AESTHETIC AND POLITICS


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NEW AESTHETIC AND POLITICS

A more valid complaint: NA is a

continuation of the technocrat hegemony of

middle-class white guys. This is hard to

refute.

There is every reason to apply gender/

race/class critique to NA. Despite the

cute images of glitch and retro game art,

the implications of NA artifacts must be

recognized as deeply political.

Sadly: Im a technocrat white guy and likely to stay that way.

[ADDED POST-EYEO]

NA AND THE (WHITE) MALE GAZE


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[EDITED POST-EYEO]

NA AND THE (WHITE) MALE GAZE...

A curious claim related to a feminist

reading of NA: Surveillance and computer

vision allows men to experience feminine

objectification through a technological

version of the male gaze.

I rather tend to doubt this, as most men dont feel violated by CCTV.

There is undoubtedly a need for a feminist critique of NA, but this is too

simplistic.

IMPERFECT CHILDREN NEED LOVE TOO


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IMPERFECT CHILDREN NEED LOVE TOO

Clearly the NA meme as it stands is far

from perfect. Bastard child of a thousand

authors, it is full of contradictions and

theoretical cul-de-sacs.

But it does provide a useful flashpoint

for much-needed discussion of the strange

ways in which technology infects our lives

and cultural/social/political space.

Ignorance may be bliss, but its also

irresponsible.

[ADDED POST-EYEO]

THANK YOU FOR YOUR TIME.


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Marius Watz is:

http://mariuswatz.com

http://twitter.com/mariuswatz

http://mwatz.tumblr.com

http://generatorx.nohttp://workshop.evolutionzone.com

http://flickr.com/photos/watz

New York, June 2012
http://mariuswatz.com/http://twitter.com/mariuswatzhttp://mwatz.tumblr.com/http://generatorx.no/http://workshop.evolutionzone.com/http://flickr.com/photos/watzhttp://flickr.com/photos/watzhttp://workshop.evolutionzone.com/http://generatorx.no/http://mwatz.tumblr.com/http://twitter.com/mariuswatzhttp://mariuswatz.com/

20120610 a movement in 3 parts. (1.shock & awe, 2.algorithm critique, 3.the new aesthetic and its...

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