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❶ Mind
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umarts focus
research 2025
CONCEPT MATERIAL RESEARCH
aleatory.agent
20 january 2024
Summary
aleatory.agent researches how to incorporate algorithmic chance operations in the creation of visual art utilizing computer-controlled machines like hacked CNC machines and drawing robots.
Unlike typical AI art tools, aleatory.agent emphasizes the physical interaction between the artist, audience, and machine, by developing playful methodologies that embrace the unexpected with algorithms as the primary creative force.
The outcome will be a toolkit consisting a animistic instrument playable during performances, introducing randomness to guide both robots and myself in creation of visual art.
The research delves into the aesthetic and ethical implications of AI collaboration, prioritizing accessibility and audience participation.
Main research question
How can the integration of algorithmic chance operations in co-creation with machines, lead to the development of a toolkit that facilitates the production of new, real-time, and unpredictable visual works in the fields of drawing, woodcutting, and sculpture? What are the aesthetic and ethical effects of human-AI collaboration, and considering the impact on artistic techniques, authorship, agency, and audience perception?
Motivation
Last year my art practice was led by algorithms that decided the outcome of my computer generated sculptures. I have developed a lot of design methodologies, systems and collected new tools (CNC, 3d printer, plotter) and I can't wait to incorporate this within aleatory.agent.
AI tools for artistic creation often involve disembodied interactions, my project focuses on the physical interaction between the artist, the audience and the machine.
It is important to explore the convergence area of robotic + computational technologies with physical drawing and sculpture practices to explore new creative potential. Within the project chance operations serve as a tool to foster innovation, explore the unknown and challenge established norms bridging science and art.
Goal
With the algorithm as a leading performative entity, aleatory.agent explores new territories within the visual arts. By incorporating algorithmic chance operations in co-creation with image creation algorithms, drawing - woodcutting robots and other computer controlled machines the project embraces unexpected and generative visual outcomes based on random and controlled variables.
The tool kit will help intuitively control the randomness that will be infused in the machine and my own behavior during creation processes. The methodology within this project is prioritizing playfulness and accessibility, embracing audience participation. The research will examine aesthetical and ethical effects of collaboration with AI and machines. It will offer formats that engage reflection and play; on the new dynamics of agency, authorship and control.The project is a search for intuitive interfaces, extended embodiment and queer expression of the machine.
It is a continuation of the series of cyber sculptures I made last year for Unstable Image in Centraal Museum: antidote.dwellers (which shapes I determined with AI), they are connected in a local network, and respond to each other's messages generating unpredictable continuous streams of unexpected poetry.
This start subsidy allows the creation of new tools and research that will be embedded in future bigger scale interactive installations in my own practice and Telemagic works. It will result in a application for a bigger project.
Modes of action, mode 1:
Mode 1 will be developing new methodologies to interact with drawing robots and computer controlled machines in a meaningful way. I’ll develop an open source tool set with games and digital applications that help myself and others to think, play and reflect on shared authorship with machines.
Similar to scores, the games provide instructions or recipes for algorithms and humans, encouraging collaboration between human and computational creativity and processes. By integrating randomness and participatory elements in the games there is a place to explore the intentionality and (un)predictable nature of algorithmic creation; they are meant to be played with machines.
Examples of possible games:
a) Card deck with instructions to play surrealistic games with machines like Telephone (pass along a message through a group and see how it distorts), Exquisite Corpse (each participant draws a section without seeing the others) etc. Play it with a group of human and non-human actors in a workshop to loosen up participants in ideas of co-creation, designing specific moments to hand over control and allowing randomness.
b) Card deck to play prompt charades, with written or visual instruction for simple, often absurd, and sometimes humorous action to act out. These instructions form event scores that could include instructions for simultaneously drawing or mark-making activities. Compiled from prompts on Discord’s channels, they challenge traditional notions of art creation and reveal a new language.
Mode two is embracing tools:
It brings the experimental self-built applications generating works beyond human control into my own lab of CNC machines, drawing robots and 3D printers. It investigates how I could be able to execute them in real-time, and turn the machines into embodied agents.
To me interesting advancements happen in pushing the technology into what it wasn’t to do. I’m looking forward to dive deeper and learn what my machines are able to do and the material tactility they bring.
Examples of possible drawings are:
1) Exquisite Corporation, a series of cadavre exquis drawings where AI generates one part of the drawing. I have no control over the design and the drawings are realized by the drawbot. I will use different models and algorithms to explore the AI’s training focus and preferred styles. This results in a series of drawings that show how non neutral different text to image creation models are reacting to the same prompts.
2) Exquisite Corpse is a big leporello that portrays how image creation algorithms look at the body of technology and how I perceive it. I start by drawing by hand, let the machine generate the next image and print it by the plotter, and repeat this process.
3) Iteration is a painting that is generated by training an image model on my old graphical work. It has a small screen embedded in the canvas where you see the executed image constantly iterate into a new version. It questions the power of a single image.
Mode three has a focus on the embodiment of tools:
As final step I want to develop a prototype of an instrument that brings randomness, expression and emotion as parameters into the creation of automated drawings and sculptures. The instrument is a sculpture itself, its shape is defined by the experimental outcomes of mode 2.
The instrument will measure data with the help of sensors and the incoming data will influence the generation of new visual works. Resulting images executed by the computer controlled machines, become a reflection and dialogue between the visitor and the algorithmic collaborator.
The instrument will have an animistic character and is constantly generating new images and styles. But during an exhibition these instruments will be playable to influence event scores that guide the robots and myself in creation of new visual works.
I’ll experiment with sensors registering weight, pressure, distance, heartbeat and perennial noise, generating constant streams of input variating on the human interacting.
The data will be translated into language ‘prompts’ that interpret this into emotions, expressions and styles. The prompts will be used mixed with random assigned prompts, in a locally running open source image creation model. An image is created, variating on the executing machine the image will be used as depth map for woodcutting and 3d printing or used as texture by the pen plotter. This will be produced in the moment.
chance.operator merges AI with automated artistic craftsmanship. It critically encompasses surrealistic playfulness. All outcomes and tools are shared open source.
- Media artists utilising AI tools often overlook the influence of capitalist driven systems and the ethical concerns surrounding collected and incomplete training data.
- Interactive artworks typically involve disembodied interactions, limited to typing instructions on a keyboard.
- Projects encouraging physical interaction between the artist and machines often result in digital artworks, only a handful translating this into tangible materials.
- Projects utilising CNC machines, 3D printers, and pen plotters are technically focussed, they often lack conceptual depth.
- Image generation AI tools, predominantly used for game and character used for game and character design, see limited artistic exploration.