Computer Arts Society

On-line talk: 18 September – George Mallen & the early Computer Arts Society

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Join me on Zoom to hear about some of the artists and artworks in my new book – Creative Simulations. Don’t know who George Mallen is? Well, I’ll tell you all about him and the ground-breaking Computer Arts Society project Ecogame of 1970. Ecogame was a simulation model of an economic system, dealt with opportune issues of ecology and environment, and was the first multi-player, digitally driven, interactive gaming system in the UK.  It exemplified the CAS belief in a positive ‘human machine interrelationship’ made visible through art. Watch the recording here: YouTube

Presentation at EVA London Conference

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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!

NEW BOOK!

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It’s been a long time coming (three + years!), and my latest book is now out – Creative Simulations: George Mallen and the Early Computer Arts Society published by Springer. This tells the story of the beginning of the Computer Arts Society, through the career of George Mallen, the last surviving founder of CAS and pioneer of creative computing systems since 1964. Mallen commenced his career with cybernetician Gordon Pask, and Pask’s concept of interdisciplinarity influenced various activities including the Ecogame (exhibited in London 1970 and in Davos 1971) – a cooperative project involving many CAS members. Ecogame was the first digitally-driven, multi-player, interactive game (simulation) in the UK. Learn all about this and many other exhibitions and events from the 1960s and 1970s in this new book.

Listen to a talk I gave to the Computer Arts Society now on YouTube

Latest for the Tickle – featuring 1980s micro-computers

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Geoff Davis and his Micro Arts initiative, which allowed people to create computer art at home using their TV and the Sinclair ZX Spectrum. Read all about it in the Tickle, arts magazine published and sold as an NFT on Objkt.com

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

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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

The Tickle

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I am super thrilled to be joining two dynamic creators/editors – Jess Britton and Johnny Dean Mann on their digital art magazine The Tickle. I am writing a monthly column – starting with Issue No.80, about the history of this field – each month a new topic. I’m looking forward to covering some historical subjects that still have relevance in the art world today, especially with reference to technology, society and early digital art. First up is Stroud Cornock and Ernest Edmonds with a work from 1970!

New book art:notes+works Ernest Edmonds

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This beautifully-illustrated book about award winning digital and systems artist Ernest Edmonds, covers his career from 1960 to present. The Introduction includes a transcription of a ‘Conversation’ between Ernest and I that took place at the Paul Mellon Centre last year – hit the VIDEOS tab above to see a recording on YouTube of this lecture and conversation.

Networked art in Lockdown: how can we be creative in new ways?

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What if we could adjust to new creative ways of doing things, to make and experience art to keep it relevant during times of Lockdown? Use of digital technologies facilitates an art made for networks and is a way for people to have a connection through art across the globe when museums and galleries are unable to open to the public. Read my article published today in Studio International.

See also Colour Computation, an article I wrote in 2013, about artist Ernest Edmonds, featured here:

Ernest Edmonds, H Space, 2020. Distributed Augmented Reality interactive installation. Sydney, communicating with Guangzhou [Photo: Ernest Edmonds]

Event Two at the Royal College of Art

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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.