Computational Thinking Seminar by Richard Brown, 4 pm on 31 May 2006

Are Science and Art two worlds apart, what happens when they collide?

In the fields of complexity and emergence can the analogue and the electrochemical offer a richer and wider landscape than that of the digital?

Joseph Beuys created batteries from copper, felt and fat; was this some form of Pataphysics? Where was Gordon Pask heading with his ferrite growths, and did Pask's Ear really move to music? Nikola Tesla wanted to make electricity free and transmit it through the air; was this such a brilliant idea? If Chemistry represents the essential distillation of Alchemy, what is Informatics?

These are some of the areas Richard will touch upon in his talk and presentation. He will show examples of interactive installations that embody art and science, carry out some live experiments, and illustrate how non-digital interactive processing may have the edge over the digital in generating complexity and emergence.

Richard Brown is the Informatics Research Artist in Residence, with a degree in Computers and Cybernetics and an MA in Fine Art, has a hybrid background in both Art and Science. Richard will conclude his presentation by outlining the interactive art proposals for the new Informatics Building.