Digital art newly thought: with creative coding to interdisciplinary expression

The boundaries between technology and art blurred - and that's a good thing. Where oil, canvas and sculpture used to be the measure of all things, fascinating works of art are now being created using algorithms, sensors and digital platforms.

The interactive art , a mixture of creative work and technological innovation, is a particularly captivating playground. But how exactly does the cooperation between artists and programmers actually work?

Departure into a new era

creative coding (creative programming) represents an innovative, interdisciplinary art form that overcomes the barrier between technologists and artists.

We are currently at a turning point where the gap between artists and scientists is becoming increasingly smaller and a new kind of interdisciplinarity is emerging. This makes it possible to express themselves artistically through modern technologies and at the same time to expand the limits of which these technologies were originally designed. A path that runs at this turning point is the creative coding , as formulated in the master's thesis by the design educator Tim Rodenbröcker .

Tim Rodenbröker is a design teacher who is devoted to building an online school and a community for creative programming. His teaching is rooted in a deeply critical attitude towards harmful mythologies of "technological progress" and offers alternative, positive perspectives on technological simplicity.

For Tim, creative coding is an as simple as it is versatile tools - not just for the development of design systems for a wide variety of media formats. It is even more important to him to demy the information technology.

Since 2018, Tim has been teaching a large number of academic institutions, including Elisava (Barcelona), Glasgow School of Art and Ecal (Geneva). As a freelance creative technologist, he worked for customers such as the New York Times, IBM, the University of Pennsylvania and Slate + Ash. Together with Dr. He heads Martin Lorenz the design studio Coding Systems, which researches the synergies between flexible visual systems and code. Tim is also part of the team of curator for the design in Motion Festival (Netherlands) and the International Creative Awards (Scotland). *

In the past few years, interest in creative coding has been growing steadily, whereby code is not only regarded as a functional tool, but also as a medium for artistic expression. ”

This development has changed our view of art and opened new perspectives for artists in the digital age. Technical creativity turns out to be closely interwoven with artistic creativity.

Many who originally come from the natural sciences have now developed a unique voice and aesthetics in the field of creative programming. Thanks to the rapid progress in the accessibility of information, it is easier than ever to immerse yourself in the world of coding, making creative programming a realistic career path. Formerly rare sewing financial successes are now tangible for many, which makes it even more attractive to get started with this gripping field.

Is there a definition of creative coding?

Creative coding includes a large number of code -based artistic practices that have become more important in recent years. A central topic is generative art that is divided into different subcategories.

This also includes niches such as live coding or interactive installations Basically, everything falls under the term "creative coding" , which is considered original and creative and is created with the help of code.

In order to understand what creative coding really means, it makes sense to strive for a clear definition and explore how it is perceived by different people and sources.

Wikipedia has this tight definition:

Creative coding is an art form, the goal of which is to create something expressive instead of functional. ”

However, Tim Rodenbröcker continues the concept of concept:

Creative coding is a method that uses computer programming for artistic expression. With this method, the goal is not predefined and the process is based on the discovery, variation and research of mostly unexpected results. ”

Creative coding therefore differs fundamentally from traditional programming because it pursues an exploratory approach. Results are discovered during the process instead of planning them in advance.

At the beginning of our programming training (as part of my web design studies), we were taught to create pseudocode before we started coding. This requirement shaped the view of programming as something dutiful and puzzling.

But the discovery of P5 , a creative JavaScript library , changed everything, as the programmer Ahmad Moussa in an article on Gorilla Sun. *

Suddenly the preliminary planning was no longer necessary; You could get started right away. Today the Moussa notebook is more used to capture ideas and sketches, while the formal pseudocode hardly plays a role anymore.

These considerations for the termination of the concept introduce the important concept of "code as a medium" and emphasize the need to consider the underlying medium in creative coding. Code is a precise tool that delivers repeatable results, in contrast to the imperfection of artistic techniques such as painting.

Creative coding strives to overcome this logical strict and create forms of expression that capture human fault. In addition, the term “media artifacts” used to describe the digital products of creative coding, which can often be experienced in physical form.

Are you pleasing even more definitions and examples? In this video, the Yeti Learn the disruptive world of creative programming. Some of the amazing art and design projects that were created with creative programming are also presented, from interactive installations to generative art and beyond:

Bridge builders between two worlds

Communication between artists and IT experts is sometimes not easy. Both groups often speak completely divergent "languages" . Artists bring ideas, visions and creative concepts, while programmers master the technical challenges. If, for example, an artist is planning an interactive art project in which viewers are recorded by sensors and then real-time visualizations arise, he needs someone who can program these complex processes.

Specialized providers can help here. An artist who is looking for an expert could find, for example, with Mobilunity Java developer and thus secure the technical backbone of his art project.

From sorting algorithms to visual art form

Sorting algorithms serve to re -arrange lists of elements according to certain criteria. There are numerous sorting techniques, including selection, bladder, insertion, merge, quick and basic sorting. Their relevance is effectiveness and scalability for the users. In order to evaluate the performance of an algorithm, programmers use the asymptotic analysis that focuses on the size of the input instead of the term.

It is understandable that you could ask yourself to what extent sorting algorithms could manifest programming as an art form. The aesthetic attraction, which results from the execution of code, is actually impressive, and creative code, which was created by developers, can be presented in a way that enables it to make the algorithm process clear.

Finding programmers find paths to convert text -based algorithmic coding into visual representations so that the algorithm is carried out in real time while you can observe how the image is sorted.*

In this video introduction, Bruno Imbrizi passes on his specialist knowledge to support you in creating appealing graphics with code. You discover the basics of programming and learn how to draw with creative programming in JavaScript .

Practical example: The sound installation that speaks

A particularly unusual example could be an interactive sound installation . Let us imagine, visitors enter a room in an exhibition, the walls of which react to movement. Depending on how visitors move through the room, sound and light patterns arise that are never the same.

Artists initially design the creative concept - they determine how the experience should work, which emotions it could cause. Programmers then take on the task of technically implementing this creative vision. They program sensors and systems that perceive movements and react immediately. Here, precise Java programming is particularly important, since timing and performance are crucial for the experience.

Numerous other examples can be found on the Instagram channel of the Community Creative Code Art (@CreativeCodeart) led by artists:

Challenges in cooperation

Of course, the cooperation between artists and programmers not always smooth. A common obstacle are different expectations of the end product. While the artist is often focused on visual aesthetics and user experience, the programmer is concerned about functionality, performance and technical feasibility. Misunderstandings can quickly arise if both sides do not communicate continuously and clearly define expectations.

The solution is often in developing common language Common workshops, regular coordination and the use of agile methods help to strengthen mutual understanding and minimize frustrations.

Artistic freedom through flexible technologies

A great advantage of digital technologies is the enormous flexibility they offer. Artists can not only develop their ideas, but also adjust and refine at any time. Frameworks and tools help that were specially developed for creative purposes.

For example, if an artist wants to create a web -based interactive exhibition , he could find an experienced Ruby on Rails programmer that creates a dynamic, easily accessible platform. This web application could allow users to interact with works of art from every place in the world-for example through simple mouse movements or smartphone gestures.

Creative impulses through new technologies

New technologies such as KI / AI , Augmented Reality (AR) or Virtual Reality (VR) open up completely new expressions. With the help of AR, artists could create completely new street art, in which passers -by use their smartphones to make hidden digital works of art visible in their area.

Such projects are technically demanding and require specialized knowledge, both artistic and technological in nature.

For the search for talented experts who master such technologies, platforms such as tech-careers.de an excellent opportunity to find specifically creative and technically experienced employees. These experts are often crucial to implement visionary projects that have so far only existed in the imagination.

Learning creative coding-entry-level tutorial and tools

Regardless of whether you are an absolute beginner or already have experience, the entry-level tutorial of The Coding Train will inspire and enable you to let your creativity run free by programming. Coding Train experts, the so -called processing the gateway to create art, animations and interactive experiences. No previous knowledge is required - just curiosity and desire to create!

Here we present a compilation of tools and resources that can be useful when choosing where you want to start creative programming.

All tools mentioned here offer a variety of experiences and results. Depending on your needs, I created a brief overview of the respective program goals and information on external application integrations.

Processing / P5.js

Processing , generally known as P5.JS , is a programming language that aims to promote software competence by providing a tool that makes it easier to learn programming. This language was developed in 2001 by two students of the MIT MEDIA LAB and essentially based on Java, but with minor adjustments to simplify. It can be used independently or used in combination with Ruby via the "Ruby-Processing" interface.

Spark AR

Spark AR is a powerful software for augmented reality (AR) that stimulates creativity at all levels. The studio platform is mainly used in connection with Facebook and Instagram and enables users to create their own AR interactions, which they can then implement and share them with their followers.

The studio uses a visual programming language (VPL) to create its object logic, which helps to do justice to different user groups. It also supports JavaScript to optimize model logic and interactivity.

Cinema 4D

Cinema 4D is a comprehensive software suite for 3D design that allows designers to create and render 3D models. The user-friendly workflow was designed for both beginners and experienced users and supports seamless integration with applications such as Adobe after effects, illustrator and CAD programs.

Cinema 4D also offers script options with coffee and python.

Unity

Unity is a gaming engine that was programmed in C ++ and C# and provides users everything they need to create, operate and monetize interactive experiences. In addition to the development of video games, Unity has a large development community, which makes it ideal for beginners and can also be used for the creation of web plugins or desktop applications.

Integration in Cinema 4D is effortless and supports you to bring 3D renderings to life with significant C#gameplay scripts.

Open frameworks

OpenFrameworks is a programming tool kit that is written in C ++ and is based on OpenGL to promote creative and intuitive coding. Founded by Zach Lieberman in 2005, the main goal in developing this toolkit was to facilitate access to programming code for all people.

Future prospects for interactive art

In the future, interactive art will certainly continue to grow and become more diverse. More and more cities and municipalities are recognizing their value and actively promoting such projects. Artists and programmers will work closer and more frequently to create immersive, impressive experiences that combine people in a new, exciting way with art.

In addition, educational programs could arise in the future that are explicitly focused on this interdisciplinary cooperation. These programs could train young people alike in art and technology to promote future innovations in interactive art.

Technological trends of the future

In the future, interactive art will continue to be promoted through developments such as neural networks and blockchain technologies . For example, AI could automate creative processes and enable unique works of art generated by the algorithm. Blockchain could be used to secure the authenticity of digital works of art and to make it easier to trade. Such technologies will open up artists and developers revolutionary opportunities.

Community projects and collective creativity

A growing area of ​​interactive art are community projects in which artists, programmers and local communities work together. Such collaborations create projects that interacted cultural identity, local history or social issues.

Community art projects not only strengthen the feeling of community, but also promote collective creativity and enable everyone involved to create innovative and meaningful works together.

A creative dialogue at eye level

The cooperation between artists and programmers in creating interactive works of art is an exciting dialogue that constantly produces new expression. Despite occasional challenges, this connection creates unique art forms of creative and technical competence that expand our understanding of what art can actually be.

The digital revolution has long since arrived in art - and it offers space for unlimited creativity and exciting innovations.

Joachim Rodriguez y Romero

Owner and managing director of Kunstplaza . Publicist, editor and passionate blogger in the field of art, design and creativity since 2011. Successful conclusion in web design as part of a university degree (2008). Further development of creativity techniques through courses in free drawing, expression painting and theatre/acting. Profound knowledge of the art market through many years of journalistic research and numerous collaborations with actors/institutions from art and culture.

www. kunstplaza .de/