mapping learning algorithms

Software Art

What is Software Art? Software Art provides an interesting framework »describing not merely software used to produce art, but rather software itself as the artwork« (Cox, 2007, p. 147). The naming of Software Art gives already a very specific idea about the topics. In contrast to that other movements that happened in the beginning of the 00er where much broader in their focus. E.g. New Media Art. But the interesting thing about Software Art is the specific focus on Software. Seeing Software as an object of study. What is of most interest for this thesis is the framework and the approach that Software Art chooses.

relation to there is no software by kittler (find reference)

contradiction: »if any algorithm can be executed mentally, as it was common before computers were invented, then of course software can exist and run without hardware« (Cramer, 2002)

focus on the actual thing:

The approach of Software Art

preprocessed

Software Art is running, is in motion, but not necessarily visibly.

Software and it’s semiotics

Software not as a tool

It is acknowledging the role of Software in the cultural manner. Not only looking at Software as a pragmatic / neutral tool to execute algorithms for software developers.

Software Art marked a shift from *pure syntax* to *something semantic, something that is aesthetically, culturally and politically charged*. (Cramer, 2003)

Why is it different from Generative Art?

The interaction with the software itself and why it is important

http://pzwiki.wdka.nl/mediadesign/User:Alexander_Roidl/first-chapter

process based approaches

Software Studies

Argument: Software Arts can be seen as a reaction to the limited interaction with the tools in Generative Arts

History of Software Art & Generative Art
Software Art and its process based approach
Software as the main subject of research

References

Cramer, F. (2002) Contextualizing Software Art …