I’m pleased to be participating in EVA this year on 8 July, in a symposium chaired by Jonathan Bowen and Tula Giannini: Computation, AI, and Creativity. Featuring my new book Creative Simulations, about George Mallen and the history of the Computer Arts Society. Read the EVA paper here. And come to a FREE book launch evening event!
My zoom lecture about artistic use of pre-artificial intelligence systems in British art schools is now available. Listen again here. Also pleased to be a part of this ai-created book of the proceedings (shown above). This was part of the AI Practice Sharing day organised by Chris Rowell at University of the Arts London
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.
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.
Join me for British Art & Cybernetics, a talk for “Cybernetics Snacks” – convened by the School of Cybernetics at Australian National University.
TUESDAY 11 OCTOBER – 8pm Australian Eastern Daylight Time (9 am in the UK)
Info: https://cybernetics.anu.edu.au/cybernetics-snacks/catherine-mason/
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
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.
Very pleased to be visiting the
Westerham Fine Arts Society to give a lecture about early 20th Century art in America on Wednesday 6 November at 8pm. Visitors welcome @ £5.
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.
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).
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