fishwick - aesthetic computing (mit, 2006)

edited by Paul A. Fishwick AESTHETIC COM PUTING AESTHETIC COMPUTING Fishwick, editor Aesthetic Computing edited by Paul A. Fishwick In Aesthetic Computing, key scholars and practition- ers from art, design, computer science, and mathe- matics lay the foundations for a discipline that applies the theory and practice of art to computing. Aesthetic computing explores the way art and aesthetics can play a role in different areas of computer science. One of its goals is to modify computer science by the application of the wide range of definitions and cate- gories normally associated with making art. For exam- ple, structures in computing might be represented using the style of Gaudi or the Bauhaus school. This goes beyond the usual definition of aesthetics in com- puting, which most often refers to the formal, abstract qualities of such structures—a beautiful proof, or an elegant diagram. The contributors to this book discuss the broader spectrum of aesthetics—from abstract qualities of symmetry and form to ideas of creative expression and pleasure—in the context of computer science. The assumption behind aesthetic computing is that the field of computing will be enriched if it embraces all of aesthetics. Human-computer interac- tion will benefit—“usability,” for example, could refer to improving a user’s emotional state—and new models of learning will emerge. Aesthetic Computing approaches its subject from a variety of perspectives. After defining the field and placing it in its historical context, the book looks at art and design, mathematics and computing, and interface and interaction. Contributions range from essays on the art of visualization and “the poesy of programming” to discussions of the aesthetics of mathematics throughout history and transparency and reflectivity in interface design. Paul A. Fishwick is Professor of Computer and Information Sciences and Engineering at the University of Florida. A Leonardo Book Cover art: EPF:2003:V:A:997,141 by Kenneth A. Huff, 2003 new media/cultural studies “A dramatic and inspiring exploration of computers, art, and design. No one should miss the experi- ence of entering the portals of this beautiful book to stimulate creative thinking and develop a fresh way to look at the world, from novel computer interfaces to new social fabrics and communication methods.” —Clifford A. Pickover, author of A Passion for Mathematics and Sex, Drugs, Einstein, and Elves “Aesthetic Computing brings the exploration of aesthetic experience beyond the representation of natural processes and technological events, and beyond optimization in mathematics and computing. Instead, the contributors envision a visual space where concepts of aesthetics from both art and computing can enhance each other.” —Anna Ursyn, Professor of Visual Arts, University of Northern Colorado “ Aesthetic Computing examines the relationship between beauty and computation from a variety of perspectives. With the advent of digital art and digitally created music, we have come to accept that computation can be the medium through which beauty is expressed. Less obvious is the idea that logic has its own inherent beauty and computation a unique aesthetics. Perhaps most intriguing of all is the artistic presentation of mathematical concepts in computationally produced form. This collection of essays is a fascinating exploration of the varied terrain where abstraction and creative force meet.” —Jennifer Burg, Department of Computer Science, Wake Forest University Contributors James L. Alty, Olav W. Bertelsen, Jay David Bolter, Donna Cox, Stephan Diehl, Mark d’Inverno, Michele Emmer, Paul A. Fishwick, Monica Fleischmann, Ben Fry, Carsten Görg, Susanne Grabowski, Diane Gromala, Kenneth A. Huff, John Lee, Frederic Fol Leymarie, Michael Leyton, Jonas Löwgren, Roger F. Malina, Laurent Mignonneau, Frieder Nake, Ray Paton, Jane Prophet, Aaron Quigley, Casey Reas, Christa Sommerer, Wolfgang Strauss, Noam Tractinksy, Paul Vickers, Dror Zmiri The MIT Press Massachusetts Institute of Technology Cambridge, Massachusetts 02142 http://mitpress.mit.edu 0-262-06250-X 49418Fishwick 3/14/06 4:02 AM Page 1 Aesthetic Computing LEONARDO Roger F. Malina, series editor The Visual Mind, edited by Michele Emmer, 1993 Leonardo Almanac, edited by Craig Harris, 1994 Designing Information Technology, Richard Coyne, 1995 Immersed in Technology: Art and Virtual Environments, edited by Mary Anne Moser with Douglas MacLeod, 1996 Technoromanticism: Digital Narrative, Holism, and the Romance of the Real, Richard Coyne, 1999 Art and Innovation: The Xerox PARC Artist-in-Residence Program, edited by Craig Harris, 1999 The Digital Dialectic: New Essays on New Media, edited by Peter Lunenfeld, 1999 The Robot in the Garden: Telerobotics and Telepistemology in the Age of the Internet, edited by Ken Goldberg, 2000 The Language of New Media, Lev Manovich, 2001 Metal and Flesh: The Evolution of Man: Technology Takes Over, Ollivier Dyens, 2001 Uncanny Networks: Dialogues with the Virtual Intelligentsia, Geert Lovink, 2002 Information Arts: Intersections of Art, Science, and Technology, Stephen Wilson, 2002 Virtual Art: From Illusion to Immersion, Oliver Grau, 2003 Women, Art, and Technology, edited by Judy Malloy, 2003 Protocol: How Control Exists after Decentralization, Alexander R. Galloway, 2004 At a Distance: Precursors to Art and Activism on the Internet, edited by Annmarie Chandler and Norie Neumark, 2005 The Visual Mind II, edited by Michele Emmer, 2005 CODE: Collaborative Ownership and the Digital Economy, edited by Rishab Aiyer Ghosh, 2005 The Global Genome: Biotechnology, Politics, and Culture, Eugene Thacker, 2005 Media Ecologies: Materialist Energies in Art and Technoculture, Matthew Fuller, 2005 From Technological to Virtual Art, Frank Popper, 2005 Art Beyond Biology, edited by Eduardo Kac, 2006 New Media Poetics: Contexts, Technotexts, and Theories, edited by Adalaide Morris and Thomas Swiss, 2006 Aesthetic Computing, edited by Paul A. Fishwick, 2006 Aesthetic Computing edited by Paul Fishwick The MIT Press Cambridge, Massachusetts London, England ( 2006 Massachusetts Institute of Technology All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced in any form by any electronic or me- chanical means (including photocopying, recording, or information storage and retrieval) without permission in writing from the publisher. MIT Press books may be purchased at special quantity discounts for business or sales promotional use. For information, please email special_sales@mitpress.mit.edu or write to Special Sales Depart- ment, The MIT Press, 55 Hayward Street, Cambridge, MA 02142. This book was set in Garamond 3 and Bell Gothic on 3B2 by Asco Typesetters, Hong Kong. Printed and bound in the United States of America. Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data Aesthetic computing / edited by Paul Fishwick. p. cm. Includes bibliographical references and index. ISBN 0-262-06250-X (alk. paper) 1. Computer science. 2. Aesthetics. I. Fishwick, Paul A. QA76.5.A3393 2006 004—dc22 2005054458 10987654321 To Barbara Jean Fishwick Contents series foreword xi preface xiii I Philosophy and Representation 1 1 an introduction to aesthetic computing 3 Paul Fishwick 2 goodman’s aesthetics and the languages of computing 29 John Lee 3 a forty-year perspective on aesthetic computing in the leonardo journal 43 Roger F. Malina 4 the interface as sign and as aesthetic event 53 Frieder Nake and Susanne Grabowski 5 metaphorical dimensions of diagrammatic graph representations 71 Ray Paton II Art and Design 87 6 metaphoric mappings: the art of visualization 89 Donna Cox 7 public space of knowledge: artistic practice in aesthetic computing 115 Monika Fleischmann and Wolfgang Strauss 8 visually encoding numbers utilizing prime fact ors 137 Kenneth A. Huff 9 from the poesy of programming to research as art form 169 Laurent Mignonneau and Christa Sommerer 10 transdisciplinary collaboration in ‘‘cell’’ 185 Jane Prophet and Mark d’Inverno 11 processing code: programming within the context of visual art and design 197 Casey Reas and Ben Fry III Mathematics and Computing 227 12 aesthetics and the visualization and quality of software 229 Stephan Diehl and Carsten Go ¨ rg 13 aesthetics and mathematics: connections throughout history 239 Michele Emmer 14 aesthetic computing and shape 259 Frederic Fol Leymarie 15 the foundations of aesthetics 289 Michael Leyton 16 aesthetics of large-scale relatio nal information visualization in practice 315 Aaron Quigley 17 the well-tempered compiler? the aesthetics of program auralization 335 Paul Vickers and James L. Alty IV Interface and Interaction 355 18 tertiary artifacts at the interface 357 Olav W. Bertelsen 19 transparency and reflectivity: digital art and the aesthetics of interface design 369 Jay David Bolter and Diane Gromala 20 articulating the use qualities of digital designs 383 Jonas Lo ¨ wgren Contents viii 21 exploring attributes of skins as potential antecedents of emotion in hci 405 Noam Tractinsky and Dror Zmiri about the authors 423 index 435 Contents ix [...]... Aesthetic Computing I Philosophy and Representation 1 An Introduction to Aesthetic Computing Paul Fishwick In this brief introduction to a new area of study, aesthetic computing, we first define the terminology, then position the area in the context of related fields that combine art, mathematics, and computing Aesthetic computing is concerned with the impact and effects of aesthetics on the field of computing. .. based on the notion that aesthetics and art could play a role in computing disciplines A manifesto was created on the last day of the workshop as a preliminary definition for the area, and was recently published in Leonardo (Fishwick 2003) Aesthetics and Art Aesthetic computing is the application of aesthetics to computing The goal of aesthetic computing is to affect areas within computing, which for our... semiotics, and representation Fishwick espouses the need to expand the definition of aesthetics in computing to borrow from design and the arts in an attempt to progress beyond the idea that aesthetics is primarily about optimality Lee employs Goodman’s theory of art-as-symbol-system, as a way to successfully critique symbol use in aesthetic computing Malina covers a wide swath of art and computing within the... mathematics to computing cannot be overemphasized; it establishes the formal infrastructure in which mathematical concepts and abstractions can be related to basic computing concepts Thus, much of aesthetic computing corresponds naturally with mathematical formalism Aesthetic Computing: An Overview We are now in a position to combine two words aesthetic and computing We define aesthetic computing as the... Society (IEEE-CS), which define the breadth of computing A recent National Academy study on computing (CSTB 2003, chap 4) recommends considering the effects of the arts within the computing field The richness of work in digital design and arts, or the information arts (Wilson 2002), suggests relations to aesthetic computing, but the goals of each area are quite different For one thing, aesthetic computing. .. digital methods to art is the converse goal to that of Aesthetic Computing Visualization, specifically scientific, information, and software visualization, lacks the sort of personalization or customization aesthetic computing makes potentially viable An Introduction to Aesthetic Computing 11 These areas play vital roles in combining aesthetics and computing, but to date, designs have tended to be visually... assumed roles of aesthetics as applied to computing are too limiting First, we are not limited to traditional concepts such as symmetry and harmony when defining computing aesthetics Instead, we are free to choose, say, the aesthetics of a particular artist or art movement Second, formal constructs within computing are sometimes bypassed in considering aesthetics One can interpret ‘ aesthetic algorithm’’... computer vision When we speak of aesthetic computing, we therefore apply aesthetics to one or more of these subareas Recently, Denning (2003) suggests a new high-level taxonomy based on application domains, core technologies, design principles, and computing mechanics While on the subject of computing, it is important to stress the relationship between mathematics and computing Computer science is founded... therefore appears to be a critical component of aesthetics as it applies to computing, lest we imagine that only traditional aesthetics associated with mathematics (Plotnitsky 1998)—parsimony, symmetry, and so forth—are relevant In fact, one of the goals of aesthetic computing is to facilitate the expanding role of aesthetics in mathematics, and by extension, computing This plurality must encompass both... Fishwick 6 Figure 1.1 Aesthetic computing process architecture angles, through numerous lenses This multiperspectivism is an important concept in aesthetic computing, serving as a bridge between the two areas Certainly, art has the potential to create new ways of looking, listening, and touching things that are relevant to computing: interfaces, programs, data, and models The pluralistic heart of aesthetics . edited by Paul A. Fishwick AESTHETIC COM PUTING AESTHETIC COMPUTING Fishwick, editor Aesthetic Computing edited by Paul A. Fishwick In Aesthetic Computing, key scholars and practition- ers from art,. Cataloging-in-Publication Data Aesthetic computing / edited by Paul Fishwick. p. cm. Includes bibliographical references and index. ISBN 0-2 6 2-0 6250-X (alk. paper) 1. Computer science. 2. Aesthetics an introduction to aesthetic computing 3 Paul Fishwick 2 goodman’s aesthetics and the languages of computing 29 John Lee 3 a forty-year perspective on aesthetic computing in the leonardo journal