![[OLD SEMESTER] 15-104 • Introduction to Computing for Creative Practice](https://courses.ideate.cmu.edu/15-104/f2022/wp-content/uploads/2023/09/stop-banner.png)
Author: Camille
LO 4
By MycoLyco
The cellular activity of the fungi used in this person’s videos produces a bioelectrical current which is translated into noise. The
hardware used is called Eurorack Module SCION from Instruō. The noises produced have an interesting sound to them as far as generated
music goes. They sound intentional, almost as though the artist tried creating the most stereotypically alien noises by himself. It was
to the point where I was suspicious of their claims that these were sounds generated by the mushrooms. The presentation of the mushrooms
in the videos, with their fluorescent lighting makes me think that the them being excessively alien is the point.
LO 3: Mouse intestine. FluoCells® prepared slide #4
Off of the description given in the website, it is interesting that the function of this piece does not seem to be purely artistic.
It goes to purpose of digital art as a visual aid, something which we may tend to take for granted in this era. In order for the image to
be produced, nuclei were colored using a combination of lighting and stain. Three digitized sets were then compiled into this image. I
spoke in my last blog post about digitized art that is either hard or impossible to replicate traditionally, which is a concept that can
go beyond being a novelty and rather add something to the artistry of the piece. Here, digital art is also being used in a way that
cannot be replicated perfectly traditionally though the emphasis on its purpose in doing so is more in the realm of practicality, though
notably not necessarily outside of aesthetics when presented with the color choices and presentation and how that can influence our
understanding and focus on the piece.
LO 2: Casey Reas
I found this piece of generative art by Casey Reas, Untitled 5 to be rather inspirational. On a lesser point, the
presentation of this work is fantastic. It goes to show that the art itself is everything: the context in which you
view it (the appearance of the website is rather bare and calls back to older internet aesthetics), the title
(or in this case, the lack of one is unsettling), and the music that is shown with the work of art (the music is similarly
unpredictable).
I suppose that this work was generated by finding an average of domestic images and messing with the generation
of the average in order to distort the images.
Given that the piece’s emphasis is meant to be unsettling, the randomization of the distortions, with their
unpredictability, further adds to the creepiness of the work, making it a wonderful case study on as to how
generative art can make a work more potent. Some may be under the impression that generative art is
interesting, but not an entirely viable form of creating art when all art could be created entirely within the
autonomy of the artist, though the unpredictability of this work is aided by its generative nature.
Reas.com Is a Database for Casey Reas, http://reas.com/untitled_5/.
Project 2: Variable Face
Project 1: My Self Portrait
sketch
function setup() {
createCanvas(500, 300);
background(220);
text("p5.js vers 0.9.0 test.", 10, 15);
}
function draw() {
background(200, 64, 52);
strokeWeight(5);
stroke(223, 160, 125);
fill(230, 177, 138);
rect(227, 150, 50, 150);
fill(0);
ellipse(250, 120, 160, 150);
fill(230, 177, 138);
ellipse(width/2, height/2, 120, 160);
line(225, 180, 300, 220);
fill(200, 160, 130);
quad(200, 100, 210, 200, 240, 120);
fill(190, 150, 105);
quad(250, 100, 300, 200, 290, 110);
stroke(0);
ellipse(225, 125, 1, 1);
ellipse(270, 125, 1, 1);
}
For me, the most difficult part of the project was figuring out the coordinates for the quadrilaterals.
LO: My Inspiration
Video games have always fascinated me. It is a testament to their function as an art form when people such as myself can derive enjoyment from titles in the medium without having ever played them. One in particular, The Legend of Zelda: The Wind Waker, has been a dream of mine to play. I am enamored by its aesthetics and by what I imagine its gameplay to be. The game was developed by Nintendo in the span of about two and a half years using a custom game engine. It was an artistic departure from previous entries in the series, utilizing a technique known as cell shading on its 3D models in order to give the game the appearance of a cartoon. This was initially a very controversial decision, but the game is now a beloved title for how well its graphics have stood the test of time. It goes to show the importance of strong, intentional art direction above pure realism in game design.
