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Ming + PHP5 + AI = Pretty

Posted by timothy on from the mind-the-drooling dept.

cyberscribe writes "Project K++ just released its first alpha version today. The project aims to explore computer-generated abstract art using PHP and Ming. The name of the project is an homage to Wassily Kandinsky, father of abstract art. Caution: the Flash movies can be intensive on your graphics card. Other caution: hitting reload to see the next cool computer-generated abstract 'painting' can be highly addictive."

17 of 204 comments (clear)

  1. art? by incal · · Score: 5, Interesting

    Art isn't about being pretty. Art is about emotional, spiritual communication between an artist, his culture, work of art, and public.

    some random images are no more art than some randomly placed things on my workbench.

    1. Re:art? by daveb · · Score: 2, Interesting
      Art isn't about being pretty.

      Yes it is

      Art is about emotional, spiritual communication between an artist, his culture, work of art, and public.

      you almost defined "pretty" there (in a pretentious "arty" way) - but that last cavet ... I guess there are no public art collections them. Stopping it being public removes the "art" from the work eh

      >some random images are no more art than some >randomly placed things on my workbench.

      sounds like an idea for my next installation. I'm not sure why you don't think that is "art"

    2. Re:art? by Too+Much+Noise · · Score: 2, Interesting

      you need to reparse that:

      spiritual communication between an artist [...] and [the] public

      it's public==audience (noun).

      Anyway, I would have to side (partly) with the GP. Beauty is in the eye that beholds it. And thus art has to convey a message to its viewers. However, not everything that conveys a message is art - and the distinction is highly subjective. But the intent to convey a message from the creator is almost always a prerequisite.

      Bottom-line: art sense is mostly acquired through education, as it's tied to the culture of that era. There are, of course, examples of art that transcend the local culture - and one may restrict the definition of art to their kind (and receive the scorn or ire from lots of artists that won't qualify, as well as from hordes of 'connoisseurs'). But there's no real problem with that, as what really matters is the impression on the individual: it's art for me if I feel it as such.

      And no, art does not have to be 'pretty'. In fact, most of the stuff that endures is beautiful, not pretty. There's a distinction, you know.

  2. Desktop Wallpaper by wolrahnaes · · Score: 4, Interesting

    this could be reall sweet on platforms supporting using a web page as a wallpaper

    --
    I used to get high on life, but I developed a tolerance. Now I need something stronger.
  3. hrmm.... by abscondment · · Score: 3, Interesting

    Sounds like a deserving candidate for the Museum of Bad Art

  4. AI? by agoatley · · Score: 3, Interesting

    What exactly does the AI do? Yeah, it has to decide on some basic actions eg adding a circle, but is that worthy of the term AI?

    Surely it's not that complex. Correct me if I'm wrong, but AI is an overstatement.
    -Ashton

  5. I'm sorry, but this looks like crap by t0qer · · Score: 5, Interesting

    I used too produce stuff like this on my atari what.. 15 or more years ago, in basic. I'm not impressed in the slightest. Thumbs down for an image that looks like it could have been produced by my little brother with a crayon.

    Now if you truly want some cool abstract art, try debris by Brennen Underwood of nullsoft fame. For some reason it has a tendancy too gather porn pictures in the images it creates. Is it because there's a lot of porn on the net? Or is it because nullsoft = sex. Try it for yourself and you tell me.

  6. Umm... not really. by applef00 · · Score: 2, Interesting

    I hit about ten of those random abstracts. They all--every one of them--looked like something I would have seen in a hair salon in the late '80s, early '90s. It's not exactly difficult to grab a few geometrical shapes in various colors and slap them on a solid background. Personally, I'd rather look at those horrid Nagel prints than this pseudo-abstract rubbish. Interesting computer project? Maybe. Art? Absolutely not.

  7. No, this is not art. by l0ungeb0y · · Score: 3, Interesting

    I'd be reeeeeal curious as to how they define "AI". And no, a PHP class that uses interpolation of random numbers to create vectors is NOT AI in my book.

    The real thing that irks me about this project is that IT'S NOT ART. There is much more to art than just crapping out random shapes, colors and patterns -- which it appears is all this thing does.

    You could make more artistic shapes by giving a paintball gun to a monkey -- or for those on a budget, just by pissing a monkey off.

    I'd suggest the developers take a course in Art101, study up on color theory and composition and then create code that takes aesthetics, design and ambient factors into account.

    By calling their online mess maker "AI generated modern art" is a grave disservice to both Computer Science and the Fine Arts commmunities all in one.

    In response to such heinous crimes against man, machine and nature, I hereby sentence the developes to be the recipient of 100,000 porno popups per annum and be given an AOL CD every month for the duration of their pitiful life... may the lord have mercy on their souls.

  8. Re:Generated Art by selfpromotingartist · · Score: 2, Interesting

    I've got some computer generated art here They are generated by applying a genetic algorithm to the parameters of an iterated function. The program tries to maximise a weighted sum of the powers of the spatial frequencies whilst minimizing the clumping of the trajectories in phase space, leading to some quite intricate and structured patterns.

  9. Why PHP? by mrbarkeeper · · Score: 4, Interesting

    Honest question, no flamebait: Why did they use PHP? You can create the same effects entirely in ActionScript, the native language of Flash.

  10. geesh... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 1, Interesting

    wasn't this seen three years ago already? http://www.warprecords.com/brothomstates

  11. I've made a random art generator before by bersl2 · · Score: 2, Interesting

    The program made imitations of Mondrian's paintings. Not too hard.

  12. Screensaver by igrp · · Score: 2, Interesting

    Very cool. I guess I will retire my screensaver and use this instead. Should be easy to write a simple wrapper that fires up a webbrowser (or maybe call mozilla http://mirror/screen.php directly).

  13. Open-source content-creation, but no player by motown · · Score: 4, Interesting

    What I just don't understand is that Macromedia licenses the flash specs on the condition that it is used by other products (such as Ming) to create content. Apparently, it is not permitted to use the specs to develop an alternative open-source plugin.

    So why is that? It's not like Macromedia is making any money on the plugins, and besides: the more compatible plugins are out there, the larger the userbase for Flash, right?

    Can someone here explain this to me?

    --
    "Oooh, does that mean we get to kick some puffy white mad zionist butt?"
  14. Re:Needs more by daniel_yokomiso · · Score: 2, Interesting

    If only somebody would generate background midi music!

    It's impossible to generate quality midi music without professional musicians!!

    --
    Disclaimer: If I disagree with you I'm probably trolling...
  15. Machine-generated art since 1973 by Corvus9 · · Score: 2, Interesting
    Harold Cohen has been writing computer programs that generate art since 1973.

    His latest project, Aaron, is the result of many years of experiment and refinement. The K++ project can draw abstract polygons. Aaron can draw portraits, landscapes, and still lives using perspective, detail, and composition.