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The Problem with Evolutionary Art Is ...

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Applications of Evolutionary Computation (EvoApplications 2010)

Part of the book series: Lecture Notes in Computer Science ((LNTCS,volume 6025))

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Abstract

Computational evolutionary art has been an active practice for at least 20 years. Given the remarkable advances in that time in other realms of computing, including other forms of evolutionary computing, for many a vague feeling of disappointment surrounds evolutionary art. Aesthetic improvement in evolutionary art has been slow, and typically achieved in ways that are not widely generalizable or extensible. So what is the problem with evolutionary art? And, frankly, why isn’t it better? In this paper I respond to these questions from my point of view as a practicing artist applying both a technical and art theoretical understanding of evolutionary art. First the lack of robust fitness functions is considered with particular attention to the problem of computational aesthetic evaluation. Next the issue of genetic representation is discussed in the context of complexity and emergence. And finally, and perhaps most importantly, the need for art theory around evolutionary and generative art is discussed, and a theory that stands typical evolutionary art on its head is proposed.

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Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Visualization, Texas A&M University, College Station, Texas, USA

    Philip Galanter

Authors
  1. Philip Galanter
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Editor information

Editors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Mathematics and Statistics, University of Strathclyde, 16 Richmond Street, G1 1XQ, Glasgow, UK

    Cecilia Di Chio

  2. School of Business, University College Dublin, Belfield, Dublin 4, UK

    Anthony Brabazon

  3. ’Dalla Molle’ Institute for Artificial Intelligence (IDSIA), Galleria 2, 6928, Manno-Lugano, Switzerland

    Gianni A. Di Caro

  4. Wilhelm Schickard-Institut für Informatik, Universität Tübingen, Sand 1, 72076, Tübingen, Germany

    Marc Ebner

  5. National University of Computer and Emerging Sciences (NUCES), A.K. Brohi Road, H-11/4, Islamabad, Pakistan

    Muddassar Farooq

  6. Fakultät für WiSo, HelmutSchmidt-Universität, Holstenhofweg 85, 22043, Hamburg, Germany

    Andreas Fink

  7. Department of Information Systems, Johannes Gutenberg-Universität, 55099, Mainz, Germany

    Jörn Grahl

  8. Mathematics and Computer Science Depatment, University of Richmond, 23173, Richmond, VA, USA

    Gary Greenfield

  9. Department of Informatics Engineering, Polo II - Pinhal de Marrocos, University of Coimbra, 3030 - 290, Coimbra, Portugal

    Penousal Machado

  10. School of Computer Science and Informatics, University College Dublin, Belfield, Dublin 4, UK

    Michael O’Neill

  11. Istituto di Calcolo e Reti ad Alte Prestazioni (ICAR), Consiglio Nazionale delle Ricerche (CNR), Via P. Castellino 111, 80131, Naples, Italy

    Ernesto Tarantino

  12. School of Computing, Edinburgh Napier University, 10 Clinton Road, EH10 5DT, Edinburgh, UK

    Neil Urquhart

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Galanter, P. (2010). The Problem with Evolutionary Art Is .... In: Di Chio, C., et al. Applications of Evolutionary Computation. EvoApplications 2010. Lecture Notes in Computer Science, vol 6025. Springer, Berlin, Heidelberg. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-642-12242-2_33

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-642-12242-2_33

  • Publisher Name: Springer, Berlin, Heidelberg

  • Print ISBN: 978-3-642-12241-5

  • Online ISBN: 978-3-642-12242-2

  • eBook Packages: Computer ScienceComputer Science (R0)

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