Coding creativity

Generative art has been happening for almost as long as computers have existed, but it's only over the last few years that it has begun to break out of the geek-chic ghetto and make some waves in the mainstream. Max Akkerman runs the Maxalot/TodaysArt Festival series in The Hague, and last September he curated a unique display of generative art projected on the side of the venue. As he explains, generative art is starting to become more influential: "This was our third year for the festival, which is about putting together large projection shows to present graphic arts and illustration on buildings' faades. This year we decided to work with generative artists, since we feel these types of artists often create organic patterns and artwork that lends itself well to surface panelling in architecture. Showing this through projection is an exciting medium. Generative artists aren't new in town but are definitely a big part of the future. Amazing things are being created, and this will keep accelerating along with the technology curve."

There's a lot more to generative art than using a computer to spit out random designs. Part of the appeal is aesthetic, as Danny Franzreb, chief designer at Taobot, notes: "Generative artworks have a kind of beautiful, fascinating, mathematical complexity that's simple and easy to understand, so it's not disturbing, since the same rules are found in nature. It sometimes feels like the kind of unbiased art we could find in atoms and cells. We are all drawn towards creations like these, because the rule sets and the maths they involve are closely connected to the world we live in."

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