Thrilled to be a part of Showcase, the arts program on TRT World television on 14 November, with thanks to Belle Lupton. Watch me again here, speaking about the effects of technology on art. 
lectures
Lecture – Computer art and the influence of D’Arcy Thompson
Come to my forthcoming lecture in Dundee –
‘A huge space of endless predetermined possibilities’: Computer art and the influence of D’Arcy Thompson
On 8 November 6pm, I’m thrilled to be going to the D’Arcy Thompson Zoology Museum to talk about how the writing of code has been used to draw since digital computing technology became accessible to artists from the mid-1960s. This year is the 100th anniversary of D’Arcy W Thompson’s book On Growth and Form (1917) which had a formative influence on the pioneers of algorithmic art.
In this talk we will learn how complex and visually arresting imagery often comes from surprisingly simple sets of instructions. We will discover that the use of the computer offers ‘a huge space of endless predetermined possibilities.’ (William Latham, artist)
Co-organised with the Abertay Historical Society as part of NEoN Digital Arts Festival supported by Creative Scotland. Book your ticket here
Forthcoming Lecture at Richmond Art Society
I will be giving a lecture on Jackson Pollock and Post-War American Art on Wednesday 30 September for the Richmond Art Society. The venue is the American University in London, Queen’s Road, Richmond TW10 6JP (non-members are welcome: £5.00) Hope to see you there!
Lecture : A Machine that Makes Art @ Richmond Art Society
On Wednesday 20th November, I’m giving a lecture at the Richmond Art Society:
(Guests are welcome, please see the website)
8pm @ Richmond The American International University in London
Queen’s Road, Richmond-upon-Thames, Surrey, TW10 6JP
The inspiration for this talk comes from the great conceptual artist Sol LeWitt’s statement, The idea becomes a machine that makes the art (1967). Although LeWitt’s ‘machine’ was metaphorical rather than literal, nevertheless this radical concept raised questions about the notion of art process and creative behavior and challenged the notion of what art was or could be. To what extent does the hand of the artist need to be involved in the art-making? Artists such as David Hockney (on the iPad), Julian Opie, Jessica Steinkamp and others use computer code of simple instructions to generate complex and visually arresting art works. So why, more than 40 years after Le Witt’s comment, is it still such a leap of faith for some in the mainstream art world to conceive of the involvement of a machine like a computer? We will explore the use of computing and digital systems in art today.