Dale Thomas
Sunday May 20, 3pm ­ 4pm
University of Zurich, Switzerland
http://www.ifi.unizh.ch/ailab/people/thomas/

The Evolution of Morphogenetic Art Forms

With the incredible increase of computer technology, the border between science and art is becoming increasingly blurred. As interactive art becomes more sophisticated, new methods and techniques are needed to explore this blurred area.

One discipline that has great potential in this area is Artificial Life. The objects, pictures and animations produced in this field are of great interest to people because of the associations with real life. People have an intrinsic notion of what it means to be alive. Using the power of natural processes, evolution and growth, the project here produces interesting art forms, slightly organic in shape and motion. The objects start their 'life' as small cubes and grow due to chemicals reacting and diffusing through their structure. The evolution of these forms is directed by a user who can breed and mutate them using aesthetic selection. This method also blurs the distinction between artist and critic. It is 'art by critisism'.

Biography

Born in rural east England, Dale Thomas initially trained as an artist and counsellor. After several years he went on to recieved a degree with honours in Cybernetics and Control Engineering from Reading University. During his years in Reading he also devoted a lot of time to travelling around England, increasing awareness of science and technology in schools. In 1999 he spent several months working for a UK based, Artificial Life Software company, 'Cyberlife'. After spending some time in Japan, he is currently working on his PhD in Switzerland, at the University of Zurich. His work interests involve artificial intelligence, computer graphics, morphogenesis, evolution and interactive art.