Creative or Not? Birds and Ants Draw with Muscle

In this work, a novel approach of merging two swarm intelligence algorithms is considered – one mimicking the behaviour of ants foraging (Stochastic Diffusion Search [5]) and the other algorithm simulating the behaviour of birds flocking (Particle Swarm Optimisation [17]). This hybrid algorithm is assisted by a mechanism inspired from the behaviour of skeletal muscles activated by motor neurons. The operation of the swarm intelligence algorithms is first introduced via metaphor before the new hybrid algorithm is defined. Next, the novel behaviour of the hybrid algorithm is reflected through a cooperative attempt to make a drawing, followed by a discussion about creativity in general and the ’computational creativity’ of the swarm

ICS Materials. Towards a re-Interpretation of material qualities through interactive, connected, and smart materials.

The domain of materials for design is changing under the influence of an increased technological advancement, miniaturization and democratization. Materials are becoming connected, augmented, computational, interactive, active, responsive, and dynamic. These are ICS Materials, an acronym that stands for Interactive, Connected and Smart. While labs around the world are experimenting with these new materials, there is the need to reflect on their potentials and impact on design. This paper is a first step in this direction: to interpret and describe the qualities of ICS materials, considering their experiential pattern, their expressive sensorial dimension, and their aesthetic of interaction. Through case studies, we analyse and classify these emerging ICS Materials and identified common characteristics, and challenges, e.g. the ability to change over time or their programmability by the designers and users. On that basis, we argue there is the need to reframe and redesign existing models to describe ICS materials, making their qualities emerge

Expression-based evolution of faces

[Abstract] The combination of a classifier system with an evolutionary image generation engine is explored. The framework is instantiated using an off-the-shelf face detection system and a general purpose, expression-based, genetic programming engine. By default, the classifier returns a binary output, which is inadequate to guide evolution. By retrieving information provided by intermediate results of the classification task, it became possible to develop a suitable fitness function. The experimental results show the ability of the system to evolve images that are classified as faces. A subjective analysis also reveals the unexpected nature and artistic potential of the evolved images.Portugal. Fundação para a Ciência e a Tecnologia; PTDC/EIA–EIA/115667/2009Ministerio de Ciencia y Tecnología; TIN2008–06562/TINGalicia. Consellería de Innovación, Industria e Comercio; PGIDIT10TIC105008P

Eniatype: Transdisciplinary Practice for Methodologies of Communication

Full version unavailable due to 3rd party copyright restrictions.The thesis demonstrates a rethinking of methodologies of communication through ecological design. Human communication and ecological accountability are inextricably linked in architectural design: the current global ecological crisis underscores this fundamental connection. Within architectural practice the communication from architect to participant or environment is not at all straightforward. This is also true of the dyadic relation between context, design and communication in architectural education. Notational systems within architectural education used as a communication tool have made the composition of architecture an activity like the composition of fiction: the activity of communication. So deep is the connection between architecture and communication in our culture that for much of the time we ignore it and behave as if notation were really a transparent window – just as in reading a working drawing in architectural practice we may ignore the intermediacy of notation and imagine that thoughts are reaching us directly from the architect’s mind. The most important criterion of notational systems, whether literally or architectural, is precisely that it should not draw attention to itself, nor disturb the illusion of neutrality and faithfulness. Through original design exploration, this work proffers a critical vision towards the built environment. These conceptions challenge the everyday education of architectural design by offering a transdisciplinary framework for design production. The work concludes with the necessity for a new design field entitled ‘Eniatype’. Eniatype is still in its nascent stages. It has the potential to become a far-reaching awareness that bonds the disciplines of design ecologies, theory of notation, instructional design and aesthetics; together they form the acronym ENIA. The work establishes the theoretical foundation for Eniatype in four parts. Part one, ideation, is a survey of visions on architectural practice illustrating original concepts such as ‘Correalism‘, ’Reflexive Architecture‘ and ’Recursive Vision‘. Part two, Enia, illustrates the principles of design ecologies, theory of notation, instructional design and aesthetical strands in projects such as ’Basque Enia‘ and ’Beijing Enia‘. Part three, Type, conveys the principles of the logical theory of types in ’Working Drawing, Participant and Environment‘. Part four, Eniatype, synthesise these approaches through a series of research sessions towards a transdisciplinary idea of architectural education and practice. The work describes a burgeoning field, Eniatype, which promotes ecological transitions within local and global contexts through architectural education. By linking working drawing and environment within architectural education, unique ecological design proposals were produced, which promote a new role in defining the ciphers of future design thought

Embedding Graphs under Centrality Constraints for Network Visualization

Visual rendering of graphs is a key task in the mapping of complex network data. Although most graph drawing algorithms emphasize aesthetic appeal, certain applications such as travel-time maps place more importance on visualization of structural network properties. The present paper advocates two graph embedding approaches with centrality considerations to comply with node hierarchy. The problem is formulated first as one of constrained multi-dimensional scaling (MDS), and it is solved via block coordinate descent iterations with successive approximations and guaranteed convergence to a KKT point. In addition, a regularization term enforcing graph smoothness is incorporated with the goal of reducing edge crossings. A second approach leverages the locally-linear embedding (LLE) algorithm which assumes that the graph encodes data sampled from a low-dimensional manifold. Closed-form solutions to the resulting centrality-constrained optimization problems are determined yielding meaningful embeddings. Experimental results demonstrate the efficacy of both approaches, especially for visualizing large networks on the order of thousands of nodes.Comment: Submitted to IEEE Transactions on Visualization and Computer Graphic

The Mechanical Turkness: Tactical Media Art and the Critique of Corporate AI

The extensive industrialization of artificial intelligence (AI) since the mid-2010s has increasingly motivated artists to address its economic and sociopolitical consequences. In this chapter, I discuss interrelated art practices that thematize creative agency, crowdsourced labor, and delegated artmaking to reveal the social rootage of AI technologies and underline the productive human roles in their development. I focus on works whose poetic features indicate broader issues of contemporary AI-influenced science, technology, economy, and society. By exploring the conceptual, methodological, and ethical aspects of their effectiveness in disrupting the political regime of corporate AI, I identify several problems that affect their tactical impact and outline potential avenues for tackling the challenges and advancing the field.Comment: Matthes, J\"org, Damian Trilling, Ljubi\v{s}a Boji\'c and Simona \v{Z}iki\'c, eds. 2024. Navigating the Digital Age: An In-Depth Exploration into the Intersection of Modern Technologies and Societal Transformation. Vienna and Belgrade: Institute for Philosophy and Social Theory and University of Belgrade and Department of Communication, University of Vienn

Evolutionary Meta Layout of Graphs

A graph drawing library is like a toolbox, allowing experts to select and configure a specialized algorithm in order to meet the requirements of their diagram visualization application. However, without expert knowledge of the algorithms the potential of such a toolbox cannot be fully exploited. This gives rise to the question whether the process of selecting and configuring layout algorithms can be automated such that good layouts are produced. In this paper we call this kind of automation "meta layout." We propose a genetic representation that can be used in meta heuristics for meta layout and contribute new metrics for the evaluation of graph drawings. Furthermore, we examine the use of an evolutionary algorithm to search for optimal solutions and evaluate this approach both with automatic experiments and a user study. The results confirm that our methods can actually help users to find good layout configurations

The Synthetic Uncanny: Grotesque Aesthetics in Artificial Intelligence Art

Senior Project submitted to The Division of Arts of Bard College

Electronics and control technology

Until recently, there was no requirement to learn electronics and control technology in the New Zealand school curriculum. Apart from isolated pockets of teaching based on the enthusiasm of individual teachers, there is very little direct learning of electronics in New Zealand primary or secondary schools. The learning of electronics is located in tertiary vocational training programmes. Thus, few school students learn about electronics and few school teachers have experience in teaching it. Lack of experience with electronics (other than using its products) has contributed to a commonly held view of electronics as out of the control and intellectual grasp of the average person; the domain of the engineer, programmer and enthusiast with his or her special aptitude. This need not be true, but teachers' and parents' lack of experience with electronics is in danger of denying young learners access to the mainstream of modern technology