RECREATING THE PAST @
SCHOOL FOR POETIC COMPUTATION

In Recreating the Past, we study computational art from the past decades, and co-create our own computational art histories through recreating the works of artists who inspire us. We use contemporary techniques to gain aesthetic, analytical and technical knowledge, and study the contexts from which these artists’ works emerged to better understand the politics, communities of practice, and social and artistic movements they engaged in.

For each class, we investigate a different set of artists that have created work using computational techniques—either through code, algorithmic processes or instruments—and then recreate their artworks from scratch, while discussing their approaches, tools, and social and poetic underpinnings. By recreating historic works, we can learn what modern tools and approaches have to offer. Through our focus on the building blocks of media art, generative design practice, and computational techniques such as algorithmic composition, typography, imaging, computer vision, audio analysis / synthesis, and interaction design, the class will encourage critical inquiry into what constitutes the canon of computational art by re-verbing “recreating” to take on different forms: reproducing, reenacting, rethinking and reframing.

Participants will be given a toolkit featuring a series of exercises and questions to unpack and expand on the themes, techniques and communities of practice engaged by artists. Participants are encouraged to bring their own artists not only to compile a more inclusive list of artists and designers working in and around computation, but inspire new generations of computational artists well versed in diverse computational art histories and practices.

Teachers: Zach Lieberman with Murilo Polese, Edgardo Avilés-López and Hind Al Saad
10 Week Course from Oct 2021 - Jan 2022


Class process and outcomes were compiled and designed by Hind to be showcased as part of Radical Futures, Tasmeem Doha 2022 at VCUArts Qatar, in the Records of the (im)possible: A Radical Projects Exhibition, in March 2022


#computational-art
#teaching #exhibtion

class framework + toolkit structure >
w/ participants answers from class



reflections && recreations