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Generative Video Art

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Creating Digitally

Part of the book series: Intelligent Systems Reference Library ((ISRL,volume 241))

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Abstract

Generative art is historically and widely used for the production of abstract images and animations, each frame corresponding to a generation or iteration of the generative system, which runs within the aesthetic boundaries defined by its author. But rather than being limited to image or sound synthesis, generative systems can also manipulate video samples and still images from external sources, and include vectors that can be mapped to the concepts of shot, sequence, rhythm and montage. Furthermore, generative systems need not be limited to the visual plane and can also render audio, either through sound synthesis or by manipulating sound samples. And in this case, since the output is a constant and uninterrupted audio-visual stream, is it not possible to speak of generative video art, as it becomes indistinguishable from its modern-day video art digital counterparts? Within this perspective, this article traces back the historical roots of generative video art, and proposes a theoretical model for generative video art systems, as a creative intersection of two artistic genres, often seen as disjoint.

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Notes

  1. 1.

    The film can be viewed here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JdCjwS1OxBU.

  2. 2.

    For an interview conducted by David Em with John Whitney about his creation processes and work, which also includes excerpts of Lapis, see https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cP5Mj6ZvZJc.

  3. 3.

    https://youtu.be/CMd2J9teidY.

  4. 4.

    https://youtu.be/ZXrjrr6ifME.

  5. 5.

    https://youtu.be/nVnF9A3azSA.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. CIAC – Research Centre for Arts and Communication, Portuguese Open University, Lisbon, Portugal

    Pedro Alves da Veiga

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  1. Pedro Alves da Veiga
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Correspondence to Pedro Alves da Veiga .

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  1. CREATE—Section for Media Technology, Campus Aalborg (Human Machine Interaction/The Center for Applied Game Research), Department of Architecture, Design and Media Technology; The Technical Faculty of IT and Design, Aalborg University, Aalborg, Denmark

    Anthony L. Brooks

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da Veiga, P.A. (2023). Generative Video Art. In: Brooks, A.L. (eds) Creating Digitally. Intelligent Systems Reference Library, vol 241. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-031-31360-8_9

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