| Have
you heard of Karl Sims? Chances are, you haven't - unless you've
delved into computer generated art yourself. Karl Sims pioneered
evolutionary graphics and Steven Rooke takes us on a journey into this
little known area of artistic design.
Evolutionary computer graphics
allow images to be bred, just as you breed plants or animals. Rather
than designing them by hand, natural evolution is simulated. First,
the computer randomly generates a collection of images to displays on-screen.
The user tells the computer which ones he/she likes. Depending on
the evolutionary program used, you may choose your single favorite, rate
each image on a scale, or state your preference in some other manner.
The computer then uses this information to "breed" a new set of images.
Again, the user chooses their preference. The user's choices determine
which images "live" to produce the next generation, and which images "die",
removing themselves from the gene pool. The underlying computer representations
of the images are mutated and combined. Using the user's aesthetic
preference in place of natural selection, each generation of images is
increasingly well adapted to the user's preferences. This simply
means that each generation looks better and better to the person using
the system. Each person who uses an evolutionary graphics system
will produce different images, and a single person will produce unique
images each time they use it. The computer attempts to 'learn' from
the user about how to produce aesthetically pleasing images. The
user provides positive responses for those images that are most liked,
and the computer reacts by generating more images in that direction.
(For a truly detailed and technical explanation of how all this works,
visit Karl Sims site and read his paper on ARTIFICIAL
EVOLUTION FOR COMPUTER GRAPHICS. But
be forewarned - the page contains extremely large graphic files and even
with my cable access, it took several minutes to download everything.)
When you first look at Rooke’s
images of vibrant, explosive colors, they appear to be just abstract art.
But what makes these pictures fascinating is the way in which they were
created - not by a human being, but generated within the computer … a simulated
life form. Visit both the Portfolio and New Stuff so as not to miss
any of his creations.
Mr. Rooke explains exactly
how the computer creates the art. You will encounter many terms that
seem foreign to you (unless you're a computer expert) and Steven has provided
access to the glossary right from the Technical Overview page. Thank
goodness for that, or I would have been hopelessly lost. The way
he does it makes it effortless to understand the process. Just click
on the hyperlink to take you to his ‘dictionary’, then use the back button
on your browser to return to the place you where you left off reading.
Click on the image above
to begin your exploration of artificial intelligence creating art.
As of June 2006, Steven Rooke's
web site (http://www.dakotacom.net/~srooke/) has been removed from the
internet.
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