Paul Prudence

Helen asked if I was interested in covering the opening at Devotion Gallery in Williamsburg. She knows I have an interest in electronic art and I remember shrugging and thinking, why not, even though I had never heard of generative art. That’s the term gallerist Phoenix Perry used to describe The Root of the Root, the show she curated, which opened last Friday at Devotion. Featuring works by Aaron Meyers, Paul Prudence, and Marius Watz, the show celebrates generative art, or art that relies on a system that operates with some independence (such as a computer programming language or biological process) for its creation. Prudence, a London-based artist, describes it as “controlled randomness”; although he, Meyers, and Watz establish the algorithms that power the programming, none of them know beforehand what patterns will result. For instance, using various shaders in the programming language VVVV, Prudence created audio-video images reminiscent of cellular forms. The piece is shown on a flat screen accompanied by headphones, and viewers become listeners as the forms morph and their layers—which correspond to various sonic frequencies—emit new and unexpected audio.

Marius Watz

“It’s not traditional media,” says Perry, an artist in her own right. “A painter controls every aspect of the painting. Here, that’s not the case.” Her statement suggests viewers will have some understanding of how programming operates, but “if people walk out with an aesthetic experience of the work, that’s fine,” she says. Meyers, a fellow at Eyebeam Art + Technology Center, echoes her. “I want people to have a sensory experience of the art,” he says.

Aaron Meyers

Indeed, his are the most sensuous of the show. Using custom software written with Processing, Meyer’s artworks offer patterned images burned onto plywood by a laser cutter. The works had a tactility the others, which are primarily shown on screens, lacked. The small, light boards seemed to gleam against the dark walls of the cozy gallery, and for someone who spends most of the day in front of a computer screen, like I do, Meyer’s art offered a welcome release from the digital world that’s increasingly dominating our visual experience.

Photos: 1, 2 Courtesy of Devotion Gallery. 3 Marius Watz