A-Life

Nigel Johnson; John Conway

A-Life

Nigel Johnson, John Conway (Other)

Research output: Non-textual form › Digital or Visual Products

Original language	English
Publication status	Published - 2007

Keywords

John Conway's 'Game of Life'
Interactive computer installation
Artificial life systems
Computer art

Cite this

@misc{7375ed98b1324b4cab1d7fc3c100d0fb,

title = "A-Life",

keywords = "John Conway's 'Game of Life', Interactive computer installation, Artificial life systems, Computer art",

author = "Nigel Johnson and John Conway",

note = "Johnson{\textquoteright}s work {\textquoteleft}A-Life{\textquoteright} is a large-scale, real-time, interactive computer installation based on research which makes retrospective homage, conceptually and stylistically to the early work of John Conway{\textquoteright}s 'Game of Life', incorporating Cellular Automata, Artificial Life and Gaming. Originally developed by John Conway at Cambridge University, it stemmed from his interest in creating a 'universal system'. It is an example of emergence and self-organisation having analogies with real life systems which has intrigued artists, biologists, philosophers and others in the way that complex patterns can emerge from the implementation of very simple rules. The novel nature of this research arises from the unexpected discovery, richness and complexity of these emerging structures. This can only be appreciated fully by studying the intricate behaviour and the unexpected events that arise within the installation, created through the implementation of a simple programming structure, based on fundamental rules of life, birth and death. This ongoing research is significant through its historical association with Johnson's earlier research interests in artificial life systems and has been studied by the AHRC funded project CACHE (Computer Arts, Contexts, Histories, Etc...). This project based at Birkbeck College, London examined the origins of computer arts in the UK during the 1970{\textquoteright}s and 1980{\textquoteright}s and includes his early works and contributions to this field within the additional archives of pioneering British computer artists from the period 1960-1980. An exposition of the research was held at the Visual Research Centre, Dundee Contemporary Arts (1 – 15 December 2006). The originality of 'A-Life' was further recognised by receiving the Whittingham Riddell Shrewsbury International Open Art Exhibition overall prize winners award, in association with the Darwin Summer Symposium dc.title.alternative: Shrewsbury Open Art Exhibition 2007 dc.description.sponsorship: Microrobotics Limited, Cambridge. Whittingham Riddell Shrewsbury International Open Art Exhibition (provider of overall prize winners award) coverage.spatial: Shrewsbury Open Art Exhibition, Shrewsbury Museum & Art Gallery, 14 July - 2nd September 2007 A-Life, Visual Research Centre, Dundee Contemporary Arts, 1st - 15th December 2006 dc.contributor.other: John Conway (retrospective homage to) dc.format: DVD and portfolio of supporting evidence dc.isbasedon: The Whittingham Riddell Shrewsbury Open Art Exhibition 2007 - batteries not included, mind as machine - catalogue Mediamaker: contemporary art network - exhibition archive ",

year = "2007",

language = "English",

}

TY - ADVS

T1 - A-Life

AU - Johnson, Nigel

A2 - Conway, John

N1 - Johnson’s work ‘A-Life’ is a large-scale, real-time, interactive computer installation based on research which makes retrospective homage, conceptually and stylistically to the early work of John Conway’s 'Game of Life', incorporating Cellular Automata, Artificial Life and Gaming. Originally developed by John Conway at Cambridge University, it stemmed from his interest in creating a 'universal system'. It is an example of emergence and self-organisation having analogies with real life systems which has intrigued artists, biologists, philosophers and others in the way that complex patterns can emerge from the implementation of very simple rules. The novel nature of this research arises from the unexpected discovery, richness and complexity of these emerging structures. This can only be appreciated fully by studying the intricate behaviour and the unexpected events that arise within the installation, created through the implementation of a simple programming structure, based on fundamental rules of life, birth and death. This ongoing research is significant through its historical association with Johnson's earlier research interests in artificial life systems and has been studied by the AHRC funded project CACHE (Computer Arts, Contexts, Histories, Etc...). This project based at Birkbeck College, London examined the origins of computer arts in the UK during the 1970’s and 1980’s and includes his early works and contributions to this field within the additional archives of pioneering British computer artists from the period 1960-1980. An exposition of the research was held at the Visual Research Centre, Dundee Contemporary Arts (1 – 15 December 2006). The originality of 'A-Life' was further recognised by receiving the Whittingham Riddell Shrewsbury International Open Art Exhibition overall prize winners award, in association with the Darwin Summer Symposium dc.title.alternative: Shrewsbury Open Art Exhibition 2007 dc.description.sponsorship: Microrobotics Limited, Cambridge. Whittingham Riddell Shrewsbury International Open Art Exhibition (provider of overall prize winners award) coverage.spatial: Shrewsbury Open Art Exhibition, Shrewsbury Museum & Art Gallery, 14 July - 2nd September 2007 A-Life, Visual Research Centre, Dundee Contemporary Arts, 1st - 15th December 2006 dc.contributor.other: John Conway (retrospective homage to) dc.format: DVD and portfolio of supporting evidence dc.isbasedon: The Whittingham Riddell Shrewsbury Open Art Exhibition 2007 - batteries not included, mind as machine - catalogue Mediamaker: contemporary art network - exhibition archive

PY - 2007

Y1 - 2007

KW - John Conway's 'Game of Life'

KW - Interactive computer installation

KW - Artificial life systems

KW - Computer art

M3 - Digital or Visual Products

ER -