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Don Relyea 
Home | Art Projects | Real Time Contextual Art Generator Theory

Project Update!--8/19/05

I have released a much enhanced .exe version of RTCAG with command keys, animation loop mode, layer transparency control, font control, the ability change screen resolution, and the ability to export jpegs of your design.


Get it HERE! (3mb RTCAG.zip)

You can preview a simple version of RTCAG online. Preview a limited version of the Real Time Contextual Art Generator Now online!(250k opens in new window)

RTCAG has been accepted at the premier software art portal runme.org! RTCAG Project page on runme.org is here. The page at runme.org may be down for a few days while they moderate my updates.

Contextual visual art on demand.

Welcome to the Real Time Contextual Art Generator by Don Relyea. Contextual visual art on demand. This work is comprised of algorithmically generated layouts from contextual Google image search results. I have been experimenting with algorithmic art for some time now, since about 1993 or 1994. In fact the top treatment of this site was generated as well as the layouts of 2003,2002 and 1999 versions of my site.

Time to give my nods, this work in particular was inspired in part by Move's n_gen design machine. Its a clever app that makes infinite numbers of layouts from textual input. Its contextual in a sense but it draws from predefined source image libraries. It neat though check it out if you get a chance. This work is also partially inspired by articles I have read about Pierre Mertens interactive installation called Digita@l. Other influences are runme.org, artwarez.org and the high brow writings (manifesto) of Polish artist Jan Swidzinski.

The theory behind contextual art is based on concepts derived from the work of artists in the 1970's like Swidzinski. At the time a lot of artists drew heavily on social context like feminism, and later (80’s) post-modernism (be sure to hit refresh a few times) and the like. Back then those things were revolutionary and thought provoking, now they are mainstream. The big idea here is that artists conceptions are dated at the point of concept due to the ever changing meanings of words, artistic language and cultural norms. For instance, in 1950 "gay" meant "happy". In 2005 "gay" does not mean "happy". Same thing with "hot" and "cool". Those words used to have something to do with temperature. In 2005 they can used to describe just about anything.

contextual toilet art contextual toilet art contextual toilet art

Likewise when Duchamp presented a urinal as art it was shocking, now you can do an image search for toilet art (see above images) and find a myriad of crappers. Today(06.19.05) its generally accepted that pretty much anything can be art.

Typically most visual art is stuck within the context of time and artistic statement when its made. But what if we create a design framework for a piece of art thats flexible. A dynamic framework that searches for recent contextual imagery from the vast sea that is the internet and real time algorithmically (based on set of mathematical rules) composes a layout from those results. The visual results are automatically ranked by popularity according a system of rules (in this case Google image search rules).

contextual toilet art contextual toilet art contextual toilet art

So the image of the art statement changes with time, societies views and popular culture. At the time of this writing, querying for "disfigured" or "freak" yielded mostly designs with the recently acquitted Michael Jackson, King of Pop and dioxin poison victim Yuschenko (see above disfigured).

contextual apple art contextual apple art contextual apple art

The art work is contextually customized for the individual at the time the individual views it. It is available when the individual wants to see it, and only then, it is "on demand". My daughter wants to see apples, whales and Nemo. So we enter those queries and we receive art with whales or Nemo or apples in seconds.(see above)

The Real Time Contextual Art Layout Generator(250k opens in new window) is the first in a series of almost a dozen interactive contextual pieces that I am working on. When I complete my series later this year (2005) or next year, I intend to solicit locations for a large physical display space using projectors and some undisclosed technical tomfoolery to allow people to interact with the contextual art in real time.