Aesthetic Exploration
Posted on in Strange Attractors
Aesthetic Exploration by Nathan Selikoff. Real-time interactive video projection (screen capture).
Æxploration (Aesthetic Exploration) represents a new direction in my artwork – a focus on interactive algorithmic motion as performance and installation. What once was my internal artist’s tool has become externalized – the beauty and the mess exposed for all to see. This is experimental, in-progress work, as I revamp my codebase once again and seek opportunities to perform and collaborate using its generative visuals.
Until recently, my goal has been to generate individual, high quality, still images, and the interactive software I have developed has been geared towards that purpose – an artist’s tool that is a byproduct of the process, viewable only by myself. But in October of 2008, I participated in Create Chaos – a local conference for creative professionals – as a performer, using my software to create new artwork live. The response was very positive, and opened up a last minute performance opportunity with MGFest.
In the course of a single day I made some changes to my code that completely revolutionized what I was seeing on the screen while using my software – suddenly, I was thinking about and playing with the principles of motion graphics design and time-based media. I also enjoyed and benefitted from the process of collaboration, both in the performances themselves and in discussions surrounding them. Based heavily on this experience, I have continued to develop my software in this new direction and look forward to seeing where this exploration takes me.
Aesthetic Exploration - installation view at Process & Influence