a research project into the live generation of interactive art A close collaboration with students from the Media Academy Maastricht and Conservatorium Maastricht by Tom Luyten and Vincent Sijben 2021/22/23/24 Project ‘Generative Art’ is an inspiring project with relatively much freedom and space to experiment. Students learn to look at and reflect on other work, speak the language of design and art and learn how to do research to feed their own work. The clients are ‘Lectoraat Technology Driven Art’ and ‘Maastricht Conservatorium”. Students will create interactive music visualisations for muiltiple live bands, including a live performance.
Generative art and generative design (Gen-Art) are created by using a system during the design process. This system will be used to allow part of this process (or sometimes the entire process) to take place autonomously. Such a system consists of rules devised by the artist or designer.
This means that the creator no longer has everything under control during the creation, but does retain a guiding role. What such a system looks like and what input can be used for this is something that students will discover. They will also investigate why this design method plays an increasingly important role in society. GEN ART: The generative method in art and design, from computer programs, algorithms and science, to the beauty of coincidence and patterns in nature. The results of eight weeks exploring were presented by our students in the GenArt Hub.
"Last week we ended the genart period for my students with a live concert. The visuals projected could be manipulated live through arduinos. The synergy between the jazz and the vj-ing students was amazing. This is why i'm a teacher." Tom Luyten 9:23 AM · Apr 28, 2022
Thinking with your Hands - alongside software
At the Lectureship, we have noticed that students who participate in workshops or minors like to experience not only the software (coding) side of technology, but also the "offline" side; working with their hands and making something tangible.
This is why we are introducing several workshops during this year's genart project, such as soldering, working with 3D printers or laser cutters. We are curious to see how the first year students like this.
The memory of the mirror - A research project on design thinking in collaboration with CMD (upcoming february 2025).
The Technology Driven Art research group has been around for over ten years now. As a research group within the arts, we study the guiding role of technology in contemporary art creation. We stimulate the use of new technologies, materials and media within the art education at Zuyd.
In this project we encourage students to come up with ideas, experiments and solutions to make our research group more visible to the 'outside world’. Young creative people do not immediately associate technical tinkering with art. It all sounds very complicated and difficult. We want to counter this by showing a media art installation (or several installations) that revolves (largely) around the input/data/image/shadow of the viewer.
Think of a hall of mirrors: nothing happens without an audience. It does not have to be theoretical or highly sophisticated (although that is allowed), as long as the creators and the audience enjoy discovering the exhibition.
The creators are given free rein to go wild around the (very broadly interpreted) theme: '(Re)flections'. The research group TDA is the client, but does not have to be visible as such in the exhibition. We want to show the freedom of technological/artistic tinkering.
