spot blog

Speaking at YLEM Forum

this wednesday evening i'll be speaking at the YLEM Forum at the Rx Gallery. i'll give an overview of the sheep system, demonstrate a dedicated sheep appliance with the latest generation of sheep, and preview some recent results of research with Ralph Abraham et al.

YLEM Forum: Patterns in Nature
Wednesday, July 13, 7:30 pm
RX Gallery and Bar
132 Eddy St., San Francisco, CA 94102
2 blocks from Powell St. BART
FREE, Open to the public (No one under 21 allowed) and wheelchair accessible.
Sponsored by YLEM: Artists Using Science and Technology

Contact: Trudy Myrrh Reagan, trudymyrrh@earthlink.net, 650-856-9593

This forum features Trudy Myrrh Reagan - patterns evident in nature, John Edmark - the math that underlies natural patterns, Scott Draves - software that mimics nature, and Deborah Kennedy - complex ecological interactions .

Cellular Design

John Edmark will talk about his explorations that led to laser-cut sculptures and mosaics with cell-like structures. He will describe how spiral geometry, Phi (the golden ratio), and the Fibonacci numbers have all contributed to his creative process. A number of his pieces—several of which are kinetic and interactive—will be on display.

John is a lecturer at Stanford’s Department of Art and Art History, where he teaches design. He has an M.S. in Design from Stanford and an M.S. in Computer Science from Columbia University. Before moving to the Bay Area, he did research at Bell Labs on 3D virtual environments .

My Life among the Patterns

Hexagonal patterns, branching and erosion, fluid flow, you name it, Trudy “Myrrh” Reagan has been using them in her art since 1970. Her strategy has been to use craft or painting media as analogs for the phenomena she admires. Learning why patterns propogate as they do has led her into the realms of science and philosophy.

Myrrh is the founder of YLEM, and before that, a founding member of the California Crafts Museum, (now merged with the Museum of Craft and Folk Art, SF). She will share not only her work and philosophy, but some hands-on pattern making activities. http://www.myrrh-art.com

Environmental Interconnections

The elegant and often intricately crafted conceptual installations, performances and artworks by Deborah Kennedy communicate complex environmental themes through visual drama and metaphor. The artist's use of lighting, sound and symbolism brings issues such as the impact of pesticides on honeybees, the interdependence of life and the importance of sustainable technology to the public.

Kennedy, a passionate educator, uses art as a teaching tool. Her own research into ecology creates a solid framework "to work at the growing edge, where we as a global community are struggling to create new visions that will help solve our environmental problems. My hope is that these new perceptions will help us change how we think about ourselves and our role in the world. Then, perhaps, we can begin to change our actions as individuals and larger communities." http://www.greenmuseum.org.

Programming Dazzling Patterns

Scott Draves a.k.a. Spot is a visualist and programmer residing in San Francisco. He is the creator of the Fractal Flame algorithm, the Bomb visual-musical instrument, and the Electric Sheep distributed screen-saver. All of Draves' software artworks are released as open source and distributed for free on the internet.

His award-winning work has appeared in Wired Magazine, the Prix Ars Electronica, the O'Reilly Emerging Technology Conference, and on the dance-floor at the Sonar festival in Barcelona. In 1997 Spot received a PhD in Computer Science from Carnegie Mellon University for a thesis on metaprogramming for media processing. Today he regularly projects live video for underground parties and at clubs, and self-publishes SPOTWORKS, a DVD of abstract animation synchronized with electronic music. http://www.spotworks.com

Full information at: http://www.ylem.org,
JPEG illustration available upon request ### Posted by spot at July 11, 2005 12:45 PM