Editorial

Only Bombs Are Intelligent?

by Michele Emmer

The Leonardo Gallery

Curated by Malcolm Ferris

by Nigel Johnson, Toshio Iwai, Art+Com, Paul Sermon, Jeffrey Shaw, Jane Prophet and Gordon Selley.

Special Section: Art and Biology

Artist's Article

Evolving Expressions and Art by Choice

by Gary R. Greenfield

ABSTRACT: One common criticism of algorithmic art is its slavish devotion to technical virtuosity at the expense of artistic intent and content. To address this problem, the author uses an algorithmic method known as "evolving expressions," which both challenges the technical ability of the artist and also paves the way to "art by choice"---an art that re-creates what lies in the imagination by visualizing the creatures that live there, the creatures of our dreams.

The Garden of Chances: A Visual Ecosystem

by Guillaume Hutzler, Bernard Gortais and Alexis Drogoul

ABSTRACT: The Garden of Chances is a computer-generated artwork that makes a link between the real-world climate and a virtual garden of abstract, colored shapes. When the artwork is functioning all day long and all year round, the spectator can see the evolution of the climate as the time passes. The software has been developed as a simulation of a real ecosystem and it relies on multi-agent techniques. In this article, the authors present the basic principles of the software and explain how they use it as a tool to explore both art processes and multi-agent issues of emergence and interpretation.

Artists' Note

Luminograms: Apparent Movement in Two-Dimensional Images

by Zdenek Kocíb

ABSTRACT: Luminograms, a contemporary form of kinetic art, are two-dimensional images created with ready-made holographic foils. These "trompe la lumi¶re" compositions demonstrate virtual movement in their fixed images. The author also discusses the view that Luminograms appear to display the fourth dimension.

Artists' Statements

The View from the Pixel Factory: Ethos and Lucre

by Ira Alschiller

Cellular Automat'Art as Part of Algorithmic Art

by Bernard Caillaud

Reflections of a Sculptor

by Hélène Gauthier

General Article

On Anamorphosis: Setting Some Things Straight

by David Topper

ABSTRACT: Recently there has been a revival of anamorphic imagery, notably in its use as a metaphor by postmodern theorists. But often, discussions of anamorphosis are confused, and even wrong. In this article, the author not only focuses upon correcting these errors, but also analyzes our perception of anamorphic images, since there is a dearth of such in the literature. The resulting discussion points out aspects of how we see anamorphs that have never been pointed out before.

General Article

Towards a Philosophy of Virtual Reality: Issues Implicit in "Consciousness Reframed"

by Stephen Jones

ABSTRACT: This paper reviews the first "Consciousness Reframed" conference. A number of artists' works in media such as virtual reality and interactive installations are discussed, and various issues relating to "technoetic" artworks are raised. These issues include questions such as the potentially dehumanizing nature of technology, the transcendent states claimed for cyberspace, the nature of immersion, and aspects of the problem of consciousness. The author offers some suggestions regarding how technoetic art might tackle such issues.

Document

Delusions of Dialogue: Control and Choice in Interactive Art

by Jim Campbell

ABSTRACT: The author discusses the relationship of interactive art to the structure of the computer, in particular commenting on artists' choices in using different kinds of systems, programs and interface devices. He discusses the problems inherent in the reduction of an artist's concept to a mathematical representation, a transformation that is necessary to allow a work to be implemented on a computer. Discussing the potential of the computer to allow a work to be able to change and grow over time through the extraction and storage of information, he looks for new, untouched directions for interactive art.

New Media Dictionary

by Louise Poissant

Endnote

Escape Velocity: A Review

by Anthony Hill

On-Line Resources

Leonardo Reviews

Reviews by Wilfred Niels Arnold, Robert Pepperell, Yvonne Spielmann, Roy R. Behrens, David Topper, Fred Andersson, George K. Shortess, Steve Thompson, Molly Hankwitz, Kasey Rios Asberry and Roger Malina.