This document provides background information and outlines the goals and timeline for a creative group project exploring generative art. Generative art uses technology to create artworks autonomously or semi-autonomously according to set parameters. The group will develop software allowing users to create art within one conceptual domain (e.g. futurism, pointillism) using multiple complimentary inputs like a webcam, microphone, and pressure pads. The final product will be an engaging and user-friendly interface promoting creativity. Key goals are for the art to be under the user's control, fun to use, and ensure each output is unique. The timeline outlines progress checkpoints over 6 weeks culminating in a finished hardware and software system.

1. Creative Group
Project
Karishma Bhadesia
Marzena Chmielewska
Daniel Crisp
Alexandra Panayi
John Perez

2. Background

3. Background
• Generative art – what is it?
• Desmond Paul Henry – pioneer in Computer Arts during
the 1960’
• Created by using 3 mechanical drawing machines

4. Yuri Vishnevsky
• 21st century is a major development time in this area
• Yuri Vishnevsky’s “Silk” web- based program which
allows the user to create paintings with swipe of finger or
a computer mouse

5. Sergio Albiac
• Another recent example produced by Sergio Albiac, uses
images sourced from the Hubble Space Telescope to
create a series of space-age portraits.

6. Concepts

7. Futurism
• 20th century – beginning of futurism as art movement
• Instead of looking back, artists celebrated the future,
making technology and innovation the primary subject
• Key characteristics are colour, movement and geometric
forms to express dynamic modern life
• Repetitive patterns and shapes can be replicated using
for-loops

8. Giacomo Balla, Abstract Speed + Sound,
(1913–1914)
Umberto Boccioni, 'Elasticity' (1912)

9. Pointillism
• First seen in 1886
• Specific technique where small dots of pure colour are
placed on the canvas in close proximity
• This could be replicated with eclipse tool and colour
variable linked to user input
Seurat’s La Parade de Cirque(1889) Vincent van Gogh, Self Portrait, (1887) Georges Lemmen, The Beach at Heist, (1891/2)

10. Expressionism
• Began in 20th century in Germany
• Emotion and experiences by drastically distorting the
traditional view of the world, without conventional
restrictions
• Using a webcam we could use facial recognition and
possibly feature detection to analyse the user’s mood
which could affect the colours used or the amount of
distortion applied to the image

11. Starry Night by Vincent Van Gogh (1889)
Karl Schmidt-Rottluff, Nude (1914)

12. Issues

13. Issues
• System should be easily understandable by user
• Coding may also restrict creativity if each variable is only
responsible for one component of the piece
• Ideally we should allow each variable to react with each
other
• Result of this should be pieces which are highly
individualised
• We would like user to experience project creativity
instead of being guided by rules

14. Goals

15. Goals
• Allow user to semi-autonomously create art within ONE
conceptual domain.
• Must be under control of the artist.
• Fun to use.
• Accessible to everyone.
• Record and analyse multiple complimentary user inputs.
• Visualise these in an effective and apparent way.
• Give user feedback.
• Ability to save pieces.
• Create an engaging, user-friendly interface that promotes
creativity.
• Ensure all output is distinguishable and unique.

16. Practicalities

17. 30/01 - Start of Project
28/03 – Project Deadline
6th February
- Understand the
project brief
- Form ideas
- Background research
20th February
- Complete sections 1-3
of documentation
- Ideas for design of
software and
hardware
27th February
- Allocation of key
tasks amongst group
- Develop software
and hardware
13th March
- Test the code
- Get hardware parts
cut and soldered
27th March
- Add final touches to
hardware, software
and documentation
- Test the system
13th February
- Choose conceptual
domain
- Finalise idea
- Start Documentation
23rd February
- Midterm Project
Review; Sections 1-3 of
documentation due
6th March
- Continue working on
documentation and
development of
software/hardware
20th March
- Perfect the code
- Finalise the creation
of hardware

18. Design

19. Design

20. Key components
• Webcam
• Microphone
• Pressure Pads
Each of these offer a different type of input into the
software.

21. Why we chose this
design?
• We wanted to create something fun and user
friendly.
• It mimics the appearance of an artists paint palette
• We took into consideration following variables:
- Left and right handed users
- Suitable for different hand sizes
- Position of microphone
- Balancing it right so in the end it would remind static
- LED lights would respond to the use of the pressure
pads and microphone and feedback will be given

22. Prototype

23. Prototype
Cardboard model we created
which, in the end looks exactly
like our final product.