We consider the artist-programmer, who creates work through its description as source code. The artist-programmer grandstands computer language, giving unique vantage over human-computer interaction in a creative context. We focus on the human in this relationship, noting that humans use an amalgam of language and gesture to express themselves. Accordingly we expose the deep relationship between computer languages and continuous expression, examining how these realms may support one another, and how the artist-programmer may fully engage with both.

Our argument takes us up through layers of representation, starting with symbols, then words, language and notation, to consider the role that these representations may play in human creativity. We form a cross-disciplinary perspective from psychology, computer science, linguistics, human-computer interaction, computational creativity, music technology and the arts.

We develop and demonstrate the potential of this view to inform arts practice, through the practical introduction of software prototypes, artworks, programming languages and improvised performances. In particular, we introduce works which demonstrate the role of perception in symbolic semantics, embed the representation of time in programming language, include visuospatial arrangement in syntax, and embed the activity of programming in the improvisation and experience of art.

Feedback is very welcome!

BibTeX record:

@phdthesis{McLean2011,
    title = {{Artist-Programmers} and Programming Languages for the Arts},
    author = {McLean, Alex},
    month = {October},
    year = {2011},
    school = {Department of Computing, Goldsmiths, University of London}
}

RIS record:

TY  - THES
ID  - McLean2011
TI  - Artist-Programmers and Programming Languages for the Arts
PB  - Department of Computing, Goldsmiths, University of London
AU  - McLean, Alex
PY  - 2011/10/01

I’m back to hacking haskell now, results hopefully before this Saturday when I’m playing at the make.art festival in Poitiers.  I won’t be livecoding in Haskell itself (it seems dynamic programming in Haskell is a bit up in the air while work on the ghc API goes on), instead I’m writing a parser for a language for live coding vocable rhythms.  It’s interesting designing a computer language centered around phonology…

First, dorkcamp is a lovely event in its third year.  The idea is for around 60 of us to go to a campsite an hour out of London, well equipped with showers, toilets, a big kitchen and hall, and do fun dorky stuff like soldering and knitting.  It happens at the end of August, tickets are running low so grab yours now.  More info on the website and wiki.

Second here’s a new demo, this time with two drum simulations, one high and one low:

By the way you might notice that vocable records everything you do under the ‘logs’ directory.  I’d be really interested in seeing your log files and the dorky words and funky rhythms you are typing in.  Please send me a copy if you don’t mind — don’t be shy now…

Abstract:
In the context of the live coding of music and computational creativity, literature examining perceptual relationships between text, speech and instrumental sounds are surveyed, including the use of vocable words in music. A system for improvising polymetric rhythms with vocable words is introduced, together with a working prototype for producing rhythmic continuations within the system. This is shown to be a promising direction for both text based music improvisation and research into creative agents.

Full details here:

http://www.pawfal.org/openlab/index.php?page=OpenLab4

As ever, feedback, both positive and negative is very much appreciated!

The idea is to be able to make instrumental sounds by typing onomatopoeic words. (extra explanation added in the comments)

Here’s my first ever go at playing with it:

For a fuller, more readable experience you’re better off looking at the higher quality avi than the above flash transcoding.

As before, I’m using HSC3 to do the synthesis. If anyone’s interested, I plan to release the full source in September, but the synthesis part is available here