Leonardo

Volume 38, Number 4 (2005)

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Editorial

Expanding the Mandate

Artists' Statements

The Anasculpture---An Alternative to Visual Perception

Creating Space: Web Art Practice

Special Section: College Art Association Papers

Special Section Introduction: Artists in Industry and the Academy: Interdisciplinary Research Collaborations

Between Art, Science and Technology: Data Representation Architecture

ABSTRACT: As our civilization continues to dive deeper into the information age, making sense of complex data becomes critical. This work takes on this challenge by means of a novel method based on complete interdisciplinarity, design process and built-in evaluations. The result is the design, construction, testing and deployment of data environments supporting real-time decision-making in such diverse domains as anesthesiology and live art performance. Fundraising success, technology licensing, market implementation and many live art performances provide evidence of the great potential of committed interdisciplinary work for advancing science, art and technology while benefiting society at large.

Both and Neither: in silico v1.0, Ecce Homology

ABSTRACT: Ecce Homology, a physically interactive new-media work, visualizes genetic data as calligraphic forms. A novel computer-vision user interface allows multiple participants, through their movement in the installation space, to select genes from the human genome for visualizing the Basic Local Alignment Search Tool (BLAST), a primary algorithm in comparative genomics. Ecce Homology was successfully installed in the UCLA Fowler Museum, 6 November 2003--4 January 2004.

New Ideas Emerge When Collaboration Occurs

ABSTRACT:This paper provides some examples demonstrating the value for industry of funding and working with artists on research projects. It discusses how art research and industry can mutually benefit from working together at the research and development level. While artistic practice has long been recognized for its innovation and creativity, the potential of artistic research and the collaborative nature of artistic practice are currently underutilized by high-tech industry.

The Emergence Project: The Bush Soul

PING: Poetic Charge and Technical Implementation

The Hybrid Invention Generator

NANO: An Exhibition of Scale and Senses

Global Visual Music Jam Project

Special Section: ArtScience: The Essential Connection

Desmond Morris's Two Spheres

The Critical Collaboration Between Art and Science: An Experiment on a Bird in the Air Pump and the Ramifications of Genomics for Society

General Article

Interfacing the Brain Directly with Musical Systems: On Developing Systems for Making Music with Brain Signals

ABSTRACT: The authors discuss their work on developing technology to interface the brain directly with music systems, a field of research generally known as Brain-Computer Interfacing (BCI). The paper gives a brief background of BCI in general and surveys various attempts at musical BCI, or Brain-Computer Music Interface (BCMI)---systems designed to make music from brain signals, or brainwaves. The authors present a technical introduction to the electroencephalogram (EEG), which measures brainwaves detected by electrodes placed directly on the scalp. They introduce approaches to the design of BCI and BCMI systems and present two case study systems of their own design: the BCMI-Piano and the InterHarmonium.

General Article

Interfacing the Brain Directly with Musical Systems: On Developing Systems for Making Music with Brain Signals

ABSTRACT: The authors discuss their work on developing technology to interface the brain directly with music systems, a field of research generally known as Brain-Computer Interfacing (BCI). The paper gives a brief background of BCI in general and surveys various attempts at musical BCI, or Brain-Computer Music Interface (BCMI)---systems designed to make music from brain signals, or brainwaves. The authors present a technical introduction to the electroencephalogram (EEG), which measures brainwaves detected by electrodes placed directly on the scalp. They introduce approaches to the design of BCI and BCMI systems and present two case study systems of their own design: the BCMI-Piano and the InterHarmonium.

General Note

Symbolic Pointillism: Computer Art Motivated by Human Brain Structures

ABSTRACT:The authors introduce a new kind of computer art motivated by cortical structures in the human visual system. This type of computer art is related to the sub-group of the impressionist art movement called pointillism. However, while pointillism visualizes and makes use of processes that have been associated with the human eye, Symbolic Pointillism also makes cortical processes explicit. The visual representations underlying this art have been developed during a project that aims at the transfer of functional aspects of human vision to artificial systems. The authors have applied their findings in such an artificial vision system and in a sound/vision installation.

Theoretical Perspective

Metadesign as an Emergent Design Culture

ABSTRACT: The concept of metadesign was adopted in the 1980s regarding the use of information in relation to art, cultural theories and design practices (from interactive art to biotechnological design)> This article introduces theories and practices of metadesign and contributes to the unfolding of metadesign as an emergent design culture, calling for an expansion of the creative process in the new design space engendered by information technologies.

Leonardo Reviews

Reviews by Rene Beekman, Roy R. Behrens, Andrea Dahlberg, Dene Grigar, Rob harle, Coral Houtman, Amy Ione, Mike Leggett, Robert Pepperell, Michael Punt, Stefaan Van Ryssen

Commentary

Are Cognitive Fossils Significant for Art? Studies of Synesthesia in Normal and Abnormal Cases.

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