On-line talk March 29 2023: History of AI in the Arts – the UK in the 1970s

7pm in the UK – 2pm in NYC, via Zoom 

Join me for a special on-line session with 3 pioneers of computer and computational art – precursors of today’s AI & Generative Art, all of whom have a connection to the Slade School of Art and Leicester Polytechnic in the early to late 1970s.

Ernest Edmonds will describe his pioneering work with Stroud Cornock at Leicester Polytechnic, the Invention of Problems events in 1970-71, his friendship with Edward Ihnatowicz, the relationship with the Slade and the formation of the Human Computer Interface Research Unit. Stephen Bell, one of the Slade students who continued his research with Ernest, will also talk about Dominic Boreham another student who went on to the HCIRU. Paul Brown, another student at the Slade and later a Research Fellow there, will talk about his friendship with Harold Cohen and Chris Briscoe and discuss his own work with AI and A-life.

FREE! Please book here: Or watch via YouTube

Review of Harold Cohen exhibition now published by Studio International

Harold Cohen, First Sighting, 2012, oil over pigment ink on canvas

Can one human’s artistic knowledge be encoded? That is what artist Harold Cohen set out to do when he created AARON, his art making computer program. Read my review published in Studio International and go and see the show at Gazelli Art House in London (on till 19 November). Also of interest is my panel discussion held in the Gallery on the 25 October, watch the recording here.

Forthcoming event at the Paul Mellon Centre for British Art, London – 25 May

British Cybernetic Art: The Origins of Digital Art

Thrilled to be participating in the Liquid Crystal Concrete Summer Research Seminar Series at the Paul Mellon Centre for British Art. My session will be focusing on the history of British Cybernetics and how this led to the creation of computer and digital art. Secondly, I will be in conversation with pioneering computer & computational artist Ernest Edmonds, to discuss how cybernetics has influenced the development of his work.

Watch a RECORDING ON YOUTUBE

25 May, 6-7.30pm : Join me on Zoom (or in person – London!) get a free ticket from Eventbrite

Gustav Metzger: Writings

Congratulations to Mathieu Copeland on his eagerly-anticipated book which brings together all published writings of conceptual artist Gustav Metzger. Totalling nearly 700 pages and including some 350 texts this important book gives a great advantage to historians to have everything in one place, as well as a wonderful introduction to a new audience who have yet to discover this artist.  Metzger invented Auto-Destructive Art and was a pioneer of computer art; he was among the first artists in Britain to consider the possible creative use of computing technologies at the same time as warning of its potential dangers.  The Need for Art to Change the World – An International Symposium on Gustav Metzger, convened by Copeland took place at Zurich University of the Arts this month.  I was honoured to attend, see my lecture Shouldering the Tasks of the Century.

See also my article for Studio International published last month.

Event Two at the Royal College of Art

This July the Computer Arts Society is celebrating the 50th anniversary of EVENT ONE, their first exhibition as a fledgling group, held at the Royal College of Art in 1969.

An exhibition of historical and contemporary digital art and a programme of events will be at the RCA from 12-17 July, travelling to Leicester from 22 July. I will be presenting a paper at the symposium on the evening of Tuesday 16 July at the RCA, do come along and hear about the origins of the Computer Arts Society and the continuing legacy of the EVENT ONE show which featured artists such as Gustav Metzger, Alan Sutcliffe and many others.

A Machine that Makes Art – lecture at the American International University, London

If you are in the vicinity of Richmond upon Thames, West London this October, why not come to my lecture with the Richmond Art Society at the American International University on 31 October 2018.  A Machine that Makes Art: from early computer drawing to the art of the iPad – the inspiration for this talk comes from the great conceptual artist Sol LeWitt’s statement, The idea becomes a machine that makes the ar (1967).

Harold Cohen in his studio with his plotter, c. 1980s

Although LeWitt’s machine was metaphorical rather than literal, nevertheless this radical concept raised questions about art process and creative behaviour and challenged the notion of what art was or could be.

Start time 8pm. Open to non-members: £5.00