{"id":2584,"date":"2011-02-22T14:52:58","date_gmt":"2011-02-22T19:52:58","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/orbittrap.ca\/?p=2584"},"modified":"2011-02-22T14:52:58","modified_gmt":"2011-02-22T19:52:58","slug":"are-fractals-better-categorized-as-generative-art","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/orbittrap.ca\/?p=2584","title":{"rendered":"Are fractals better categorized as Generative Art?"},"content":{"rendered":"

Generative Art is simply a machine whose output has artistic qualities.<\/p>\n

The Wikipedia page<\/a> defines Generative Art as:<\/p>\n

Generative art is a system oriented art practice where the common denominator is the use of systems as a production method. To meet the definition of generative art, an artwork must be self-contained and operate with some degree of autonomy. The workings of systems in generative art might resemble, or rely on, various scientific theories such as Complexity science and Information theory. The systems of generative artworks have many similarities with systems found in various areas of science. Such systems may exhibit order and\/or disorder, as well as a varying degree of complexity, making behavioral prediction difficult.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

It’s a contraption that makes neat-looking stuff, I’d say.\u00a0 The important characteristic is that the artwork is generated from the mechanical algorithm, or machine design, and untouched by human hands.\u00a0 The human component comes into play only in the design of the algorithm \/ choice of the algorithm \/ set-up of the machine \/ but the final result is displayed as-is, without alteration.<\/p>\n

Graphically creative Java applets without any controls that initialize when the web page loads are the quintessential examples<\/a> of Generative Art.\u00a0 You can’t get any more autonomous than that.\u00a0 Of course, a good Generative Art machine involves a huge amount of very clever design in order for it to achieve its intended purpose of producing far-out imagery.\u00a0 You could say that Generative Art is all about making beautiful clocks.\u00a0 A little winding and out comes a river of art, pouring forth in endless generations from a single, well-crafted piece of DNA.<\/p>\n

<\/object><\/a><\/div>\n
Glory Math 1<\/a> from Coffeeshopped<\/a> on Vimeo<\/a>.<\/div>\n

The art is what the machine does.\u00a0 You could photograph Generative Art and then tweak it graphically and display it, but then it’s less generative; derived from a generative art process.\u00a0 Many Generative Artworks are dynamic and produce animated results.\u00a0 The art is the flow of imagery and not just the best looking, and constantly changing images.\u00a0 Generative art is like a sports game: what engages the audience is the play, the way the game changes, develops and ends.\u00a0 Photos from a sports game are really not the same thing, but again, –produced from; –derived.<\/p>\n

What I’m suggesting then, is that fractal programs are just like a sports game and what we normally think of as the finished product of fractal art –the saved image– is a derivation of what is actually the most artistic aspect of fractals: exploring parameter combinations within the program itself.<\/p>\n

To a considerable degree, much like nature photography itself, saved fractal images are like fishes out of water, removed from their natural environment where they literally (had) a life of their own.<\/p>\n

I’ve often wondered why I see so many “dead fish fractals” all over the internet.\u00a0 The reason is they’re the trophies of great fishing expeditions; fractal hunts; odysseys of adventure; rocks from the top of Mt. Everest.\u00a0 What’s missing is the art, but that’s in the process which can’t be captured and displayed; the memories; the experience itself.\u00a0 And that’s the heart of what Generative Art is: a beautiful process.<\/p>\n

Naturally, one can also “make” fractal art and process and layer it, but what I’m suggesting is that that sort of thing is the lesser of two fractal art forms.<\/p>\n

It’s the more common one, isn’t it? Or is it?\u00a0 How many more fractal “artists” are there out there who mostly play with the programs and spend hours sometimes just surfing the fractal waves of some nice set of parameters they’ve discovered.\u00a0 That sort of Generative Art lives in the machine and requires the machine to experience it.\u00a0 The saved and displayed images may just be the tip of the fractal art iceberg, whose greater bulk is submerged and unseen.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

Generative Fractal Art (I just invented the term) requires special programming.\u00a0 The ideal program requires minimal user input and quickly renders graphically interesting imagery.\u00a0 In this context, Steven Ferguson’s programs are the best.\u00a0 I don’t know if Steve intended them to be used this way, but their design makes them very Generative Art friendly.\u00a0 You can make some pretty nice still images with them too, but starting up one of Steve’s fractal programs is like sailing off on a sunny day with no goal but to see what’s over the horizon.\u00a0 If you sail far enough you’ll find the more exotic fish, but even just keeping to the harbor where the sailing students take their lessons is a glorious experience.\u00a0 And I’d add it’s an artistic experience.<\/p>\n

Tiera-zon<\/a>, Sterling-ware<\/a>, Inkblot Kaos<\/a>, each one is like an old pirates treasure map or the 8th, 9th and 10th voyage of Sindbad.<\/p>\n

Fractal Explorer<\/a>, like the name suggests, is another good Generative Art fractal program.\u00a0 You don’t have to go to a naval academy to sail this one.<\/p>\n

Ultra Fractal<\/a>?\u00a0 Well, Dan Wills has used it quite a bit and brought back some impressive still images.\u00a0 I called Dan “Fractal Columbus”<\/a> because I thought he was enjoying the generative qualities of fractals with UF, exploring vast landscapes and saving cool snapshots.\u00a0 But I think you’ll need a little training to get going with UF, unlike Steve’s programs which are much better suited for Generative Fractal Art purposes relying on a program’s operational autonomy and built-in creative design.<\/p>\n

Terry Gintz<\/a> has some good Generative Fractal Art programs too.\u00a0 His fractal landscape renderer is practically a Generative Art genre all it’s own.\u00a0 It’s found in Fractal ViZion and several other programs of his.\u00a0 Gintz’s programs also feature the ultimate Generative item: random parameters.\u00a0 Come to think of it, maybe Gintz’s programs are actually simpler to use than Ferguson’s.\u00a0 But Steve’s are my favorites because experimentation is quick and easy and good coloring is not hard to achieve .<\/p>\n

In conclusion then, I think Fractal Art’s greatest artistic strength is realized when it’s seen as a type of Generative Art –a picture machine.\u00a0 I also think there’s many more people enjoying fractal art in this way but that they’ve just been thinking of it as playing around with fractals.\u00a0 It’s more than that, fractal programs are really complex Generative Artworks; some programs more than others.\u00a0 Used simply as tools with which to create still images, the results are often, but not exclusively, the kind of “dead fish fractals” we see having been taken out of the Generative Art context from which they came.\u00a0 In general, I think fractals are best categorized and appreciated firstly as Generative Art and only secondly as still images.\u00a0 The depth of the impression fractals make is greatly reduced when separated from the rich electronic environment that generated them.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Generative Art is simply a machine whose output has artistic qualities. The Wikipedia page defines Generative Art as: Generative art is a system oriented art practice where the common denominator is the use of systems as a production method. To meet the definition of generative art, an artwork must be self-contained and operate with some … Continue reading →<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":2605,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-2584","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-uncategorized"],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/orbittrap.ca\/wp-content\/uploads\/2011\/02\/gen01.png?fit=290%2C400&ssl=1","jetpack-related-posts":[{"id":923,"url":"https:\/\/orbittrap.ca\/?p=923","url_meta":{"origin":2584,"position":0},"title":"Kandid’s Cellular Automata and the Creativity of Computational Art","author":"Tim","date":"13 March, 2010","format":false,"excerpt":"Of all the things that the Genetic Art java program Kandid does, I had always found (until recently) it's cellular automata features to be the most enticing and the most disappointing. The cellular automata, true to their synthetic, space age name, looked very computer-ish and although the high contrast color\u2026","rel":"","context":"With 2 comments","block_context":{"text":"With 2 comments","link":"https:\/\/orbittrap.ca\/?p=923#comments"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/orbittrap.ca\/wp-content\/uploads\/2010\/03\/DirectLca_RGB_g6okgclp_g6okgd84_x427_y427.png?fit=427%2C427&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200},"classes":[]},{"id":365,"url":"https:\/\/orbittrap.ca\/?p=365","url_meta":{"origin":2584,"position":1},"title":"Sterling-Worlds – Interactive Fractal Art","author":"Tim","date":"18 February, 2009","format":false,"excerpt":"Climb the mountain, explore the caves, or check out the little islands off shore... Just load the parameter file (shellcity02.loo) into Sterling2 and this whole little world is yours.Fractals are a unique form of artistic imagery.\u00a0 They are more like sculptures and dioramas than the flat, static paintings they are\u2026","rel":"","context":"With 1 comment","block_context":{"text":"With 1 comment","link":"https:\/\/orbittrap.ca\/?p=365#comments"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]},{"id":1467,"url":"https:\/\/orbittrap.ca\/?p=1467","url_meta":{"origin":2584,"position":2},"title":"Frames, drains and hurricanes","author":"Tim","date":"28 July, 2010","format":false,"excerpt":"Many people have a favorite sport.\u00a0 Some follow soccer, others american football or hockey, basketball, baseball, cricket...\u00a0 I follow hurricanes, the tropical storms or cyclones that form in the Carribean during summer and fall of every year.\u00a0 There's never a players strike and you can follow all the action over\u2026","rel":"","context":"With 3 comments","block_context":{"text":"With 3 comments","link":"https:\/\/orbittrap.ca\/?p=1467#comments"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/orbittrap.ca\/wp-content\/uploads\/2010\/07\/Ghosty_Frosty_by_Sophiiiii.jpg?fit=500%2C500&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200},"classes":[]},{"id":2843,"url":"https:\/\/orbittrap.ca\/?p=2843","url_meta":{"origin":2584,"position":3},"title":"Rebooting Fractal Art: Part 2","author":"Tim","date":"1 August, 2011","format":false,"excerpt":"What fractals are good for, or,\u00a0the creative use of fractal algorithms. Fractal art needs a reboot, a re-thinking of what it's all about.\u00a0 The optimistic forecasts from the early days of fractal art, the coming fame and pubic recognition, needs to be corrected and downgraded in light of what has\u2026","rel":"","context":"With 4 comments","block_context":{"text":"With 4 comments","link":"https:\/\/orbittrap.ca\/?p=2843#comments"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]},{"id":5871,"url":"https:\/\/orbittrap.ca\/?p=5871","url_meta":{"origin":2584,"position":4},"title":"The Nature of Creativity in Fractal Art, Part 5: Artist or Symbiont?","author":"Tim","date":"21 August, 2017","format":false,"excerpt":"Executive summary The user does what the machine can't do and the machine does what the user can't do and together they make something. Automatism explains how fractal imagery works and mutation explains how a fractal user works but only symbiosis explains how fractal \"art\" works. Automatism works at the\u2026","rel":"","context":"Similar post","block_context":{"text":"Similar post","link":""},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/orbittrap.ca\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/08\/clownfish.jpg?resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200},"classes":[]},{"id":2249,"url":"https:\/\/orbittrap.ca\/?p=2249","url_meta":{"origin":2584,"position":5},"title":"More Phase Two Sightings","author":"cruelanimal","date":"16 January, 2011","format":false,"excerpt":"sbioelements (from Undersea) by Tatiana Plokhova I figured it might be time to return again to examining work that falls into the category of Phase Two fractal art.\u00a0 Tim laid down the foundation for Phase Two thinking in an earlier OT post where he notes that Phase Two fractal art\u2026","rel":"","context":"Similar post","block_context":{"text":"Similar post","link":""},"img":{"alt_text":"White by Tatiana Plokhova","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/orbittrap.ca\/wp-content\/uploads\/2011\/01\/white_TatianaPlokhova.jpg?fit=425%2C444&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200},"classes":[]}],"jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/orbittrap.ca\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2584","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/orbittrap.ca\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/orbittrap.ca\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/orbittrap.ca\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/orbittrap.ca\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=2584"}],"version-history":[{"count":25,"href":"https:\/\/orbittrap.ca\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2584\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":2610,"href":"https:\/\/orbittrap.ca\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2584\/revisions\/2610"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/orbittrap.ca\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/2605"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/orbittrap.ca\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=2584"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/orbittrap.ca\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=2584"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/orbittrap.ca\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=2584"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}