An in-depth analysis of the algorithm and its evolution within procedural, rule-based creative works.

Join us for 5 presentations that represent diverse perspectives from dance, mathematics, literature, engineering, and knitting. The discussion will cover the use of the algorithm in all phases of artistic endeavor: from creation, to analysis, to the algorithm being the product itself. Topics will cover recent developments of the algorithm in artistic works, the aesthetic impact of algorithms, and the practical tradeoffs between control and chaos inherent in their use. The five short talks will be followed by Q&A, moderated by media technologist Barry Threw.

Andrew (Andy) W. Schmeder

Andy is a research scientist and inventor working on new technologies for human-computer interaction with applications in the arts and sciences. His expertise includes high-bandwidth gesture sensing interfaces, audio control protocols, many-channel array audio systems and the theory of auditory and visual sensory perception. Andy is a staff member at UC Berkeley where he works with the research group at the Center for New Music and Audio Technologies (CNMAT). He received the BA in Mathematics from UC Berkeley in 2002 and has more than 15 years of professional experience in computer programming, electronics design and research. He has co-authored one US and international patent and 19 technical publications appearing at conferences worldwide. He is also co-inventor of a new medical device for computer-adaptive screening and diagnosis of color vision anomalies including genetic deficiencies and tetrachromatic hyper-sensitivity.

Christian Nagler

Christian Nagler works as a writer/teacher in San Francisco. Recent work can be found in forthcoming issues of the journals Encyclopedia and Paul Revere’s Horse. He has been a resident at Millay and the Anderson Center, and has received a fellowship from the Wallace Foundation. He directs the Colima Project at San Francisco State University, a social practice project focused on immigration issues. He is currently working on a novel, a book of essays, and a series of performance texts.

Terre Unité Parker
http://www.terreparkerdance.net/

Terre Unité Parker is an experimental dance artist and company member with Anna Halprin. Terre directs the Open Experiments Ensemble- an interdisciplinary performance collective. She founded the collaborative experimental performance training- Experiments in the Environment Lab. Using Lawrence and Anna Halprin’s RSVP scoring process, Terre directs improvisational scores that integrate emotion with physicality, offer multiple layers of meaning for the audience’s imagination, and re-invoke performance as a site for magic. Terre’s dance photography collaborations imagine the dancer as part of the animate landscape.

Rachel Beth Egenhoefer
www.rachelbeth.net

Rachel Beth Egenhoefer considers her Commodore 64 Computer and Fischer Price Loom to be defining objects of her childhood. She is an artist, designer, writer, and educator. Her work explores the intersections between textiles, technology, and the body on historical, constructional and conceptual levels, and often incorporates tactile elements such as candy, knitting, and machines to represent intangible computer codes and conceptual spaces. Rachel Beth received her BFA from the Fiber department with a concentration in Digital Video from the Maryland Institute College of Art. She was an MFA fellow at the University of California, San Diego where she also was a graduate researcher at UCSD’s Center for Research and Computing in the Arts (CRCA). Egenhoefer’s artistic work has been exhibited both locally and internationally in San Francisco, Los Angeles, New York, London, Beijing, Madrid, and more. Her work has been included in major exhibitions such as the Options 2002 Biennial in Washington DC, the 2003 Boston Cyber Arts Festival, ISEA 2004 in Tallinn Estonia, La Noche en Blanco in Madrid, and at The Corcoran Gallery of Art, The Institute for Contemporary Art (ICA) London, The Banff Centre for the Arts, Lighthouse Brighton in the UK, and many others. Egenhoefer is currently an Assistant Professor in Design in the Department of Art + Architecture at the University of San Francisco.

Ian Smith-Heisters
http://heistersgenerative.com/

Ian Smith-Heisters works as a consultant providing technology support to artists and media companies. He received a degree in Dance and Computer Science from Marlboro College in 2005, and has since endeavored to make his dances more logical and his computers better at shaking “it”. He has worked with Camille Utterback, The Merce Cunnginham Dance Foundation, Other Minds, Apple Inc., The Sundance Institute, and Howcast.com. He is also active as a dancer, having trained with Merce Cunngingham, Anna Halprin, Akira Kasai, Eiko Otake, Shinichi and Dana Iova-Koga, and Sherwood Chen. Ian performs with Anna Halprin’s Sea Ranch Collective, and Terre Unité Parker’s Experiments in the Environment Ensemble.

Schedule:
7PM-7:30PM — Informal Reception
7:30PM — Welcome
7:35PM — Andrew W. Schmeder + Mathematics
7:50PM — Christian Nagler + Literature
8:05PM — Terre Unité Parker + Dance
8:20PM — Break
8:30PM — Rachel Beth Egenhoef + Knitting
8:50PM — Ian Smith-Heisters + Engineering
9:10PM — Open Discussion + Q&A
9:30PM — Closing + Thank you
9:30PM – 10PM — Social Mixer