e V o l u t i o n: The Art of Living Systems

From: Amy Bauman [[email protected]]

Art Interactive invites you to the opening of:

——————————–
e V o l u t i o n
The Art of Living Systems
January 23 at 6pm
——————————–

Curated by Christiane Paul, eVolution takes a captivating look at artificial life and autonomous, behavior-driven systems. The concepts explored by the five acclaimed artists featured in the show challenge our notions of life forms, intelligence, and consciousness. The exhibition allows us to examine our relationships with increasingly independent machines.

Science frequently weighs in on questions of artificial life forms and intelligence, but Art Interactive presents a slice of the topic from an artistic and cultural point of view. Be one of the first in the city to see this important line-up of works. The show is on exhibit through April 11, 2004.

——————————–
Opening reception Friday night, January 23, 6 - 9pm
Art Interactive
130 Bishop Allen Drive
Cambridge, MA
617.498.0100
http://www.artinteractive.org
——————————–


Additional Information:
eVolution has been curated by Christiane Paul, Adjunct Curator of New Media Arts at the Whitney Museum of American Art, and showcases the work of five internationally acclaimed artists:

Rebecca Allen, Bush Soul #3 (1997-present)
In Bush Soul #3, part of the ongoing project Emergence, the user is implicated into a virtual environment inhabited by autonomous characters. Users control their avatar (the graphic representation of a user in virtual environments) with a force-feedback joystick in order to navigate the environment and interact with the creatures living in the virtual world in ever-changing encounters.

David Rokeby, Giver of Names (1990-present)
The Giver of Names is a computer system that quite literally gives objects names by trying to describe them. The objects are chosen by visitors and placed on an empty pedestal. The computer performs various levels of image processing (outline analysis, division into separate objects or parts, color analysis, texture analysis, etc.) and then uses an associative database of objects, ideas, and sensations to come up with words and concepts associated with the object.

Christa Sommerer & Laurent Mignonneau, A-Volve (1994/95)
A-Volve allows visitors to create virtual creatures and interact with them in the space of a water-filled glass pool. By drawing a shape with their finger on a touch screen, visitors produce virtual 3D creatures that automatically come "alive," and swim in the real water of the pool, reacting to the visitors' hand movements in the water.

Maciej Wisniewski, Instant Places (2002)
Instant Places by Maciej Wisniewski creates a networked space for autonomous characters