Innovative Computer Art: Past and Present

From the earliest days of electronic computers, people used them to make art: from drawings to poems, from screenplays to paintings, and from music to films. Today, the computer has become an indispensable tool and medium for many diverse artists. This event will create a dialog around early computer films and how they paved the way for cutting-edge art-installations using today’s technology.  The evening will feature digital artist, Camille Utterback, a winner of a Macarthur Foundation “genius grant” and a professor of art at Stanford University.

The evening will begin with a screening of selections from CHM’'s new exhibition, “Early Computer Films, 1963-1972,” and a discussion of them by curator David C. Brock and Utterback. You will then be treated to a presentation by Utterback about her work today at the intersection of technology and art, and how it resonates with earlier intersections. 

Selected Film Excerpts: 

Stan VanDerBeek, “Poemfield No. 7,” 1967–68 

Stan VanDerBeek (1927-1984) was an American experimental filmmaker and multimedia artist, and a notable figure in New York’s avante garde artworld in the 1960s. In the spring of 1966, he visited Bell Labs and worked with researcher Ken Knowlton on a series of computer-animated films. John Cage provided the music for this example. 

John Whitney, “Permutations,” 1968 

John H. Whitney, Sr. (1917-1995) was an American experimental filmmaker, composer, and a pioneer of computer animation. In 1965, Whitney recieved a resarch grant from IBM to explore the use of the digital computer for making animated films. This film is a wonderful example of Whitney’s interest in “visual harmonics.” 

Lillian Schwartz, “Pixillation,” 1970 

Lillian Schwartz (b. 1927) has spent her long life of artmaking exploring new mediums and pushing existing media. She worked as a visual artist at Bell Labs for three decades, starting at the end of the 1960s. In the early 1970s, she produced a remarkable series of experimental films incorporating computer animations. 

MISS THE EVENT?

You can catch the full program here and enjoy reading the blog recap here.