[spectre] eVolution: The Art of Living Systems

[oliver grau]

Art Interactive invites you to the opening of:

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eVolution
The Art of Living Systems
Opening reception Friday night, January 23, 6 - 9pm
Art Interactive
130 Bishop Allen Drive
Cambridge, MA
617.498.0100
http://www.artinteractive.org
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eVolution, curated by Christiane Paul, takes a 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 and allow us to examine our relationships
with increasingly independent machines. The exhibition points both to the
evolutionary aspects of artificial life and the evolution of an art practice
towards a 'living' art work.

The show is on exhibit through April 11, 2004.


Featured Projects:

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 - predators (hawks) and prey (mice). While the characters are
visible to the audience only on the respective projection screen they
currently "live" on, they are inhabiting one seamless, networked data
landscape. They can perceive and interact with each other through instant
messaging and can move instantaneously between the different computers
connected to the Instant Places network, no matter if they are in the same
room or dispersed across the globe.

Public Educational Programs events:

Saturday, February 28
Curator's talk with Christiane Paul.
$5 non-members, members - no charge

Thursday, March 25
Panel Discussion with Jeff Huang and Martin C. Martin,
moderated by Christiane Paul.

For more information, see
http://www.artinteractive.org