Drawing with Code

algorithm |ˈalgəˌriT͟Həm| noun a process or set of rules to be followed in calculations or other problem-solving operations, esp. by a computer: a basic algorithm for division Exhibition Statement: Drawing with code has not been around for a very long time. At least not for some of these artists featured in this exhibition which incorporates artworks that used algorithms in order to create them. The works showcased are by artists Manfred Mohr, Vlatko Mojoski, Richard Lawrence, Jean Pierre Hébert, Frieder Nake, Hiroshi Kawano, Vera Molnar, Ben F. Laposky, and Roman Verostko. Some of these artists created this pieces many years ago whereas some of the other artists have used recent technology to create these pieces For instance the piece by Ben F. Laposky was created in the mid-1950s whereas other pieces by Jean Pierre Hébert were created in the 2000s. The exhibition exhibits many pieces in varied portions of time but their addition into the exhibition shows off the ideas of people who's thoughts run along the same lines. Many of the artists included in the exhibition can be considered part of a group of artists called Algorists. The Algorists are artists who incorporate their own algorithms in order to make their art. Algorist was a name penned in the 1990s by these artists who also wrote a manifesto in 1995. Although many thought that the Algorist created generated computer which is what many of the newer pieces were created in such as Vera Molnar, Vlatko Mojoski, Richard Lawrence or Jean Pierre Hébert's later pieces others were created with silkscreens, ink, photo paper, and more. The pieces by Mojoski, and Lawrence are the only two artists who did not create their own algorithms to make their work. Their work can be understood as response pieces to algorithmic art and pay tribute to the amazing work these masters of algorithms create by using simple tools to recreate the work in their own way. The other artists al created their own algorithms in order to create their own unique visions of what their algorithms can recreate whether on a computer or by using more physical hands-on methods of art. Many of these pieces have been showcased in an exhibition in the deCordova museum in 2011 that featured these artists as drawing with code, their algorithms. The audience includes lecturers from Massachusetts Institute of Technology and and moderators from the Rhode Island School of Design. This shows that many mathematicians and artists are the audiences of this kind of art. It is exciting to see how art and math can be linked a strange way. Although math should not be confused with algorithms the concepts of algorithms and math combined draws in a crowd who can understand and appreciate the pieces along side artistic minds.