The Best Art

March 28, 2017 12:43 PM

The Best Art is an ongoing artistic collaboration between the computer (MacBook Air, 13-inch, early 2015), and the human (Nicole He). The computer queries the universe and uses an algorithm to objectively calculate the best art for any given moment in time. The human executes the commands.
posted by everybody had matching towels (17 comments total)

This is indeed the best art.
posted by chavenet at 12:52 PM on March 28, 2017 [1 favorite]

Nice one, thanks for posting this. Nicole is one of the most interesting techno-creatives i know of these days, and so consequently I have a huge nerd crush on her. Who knew that HCI could turn out to be an artistic medium?
posted by rhizome at 12:54 PM on March 28, 2017 [1 favorite]

Her Soylent Dick was my first exposure to her work.

(Also, I have tried Soylent.)
posted by Samizdata at 1:03 PM on March 28, 2017 [4 favorites]

This is weird. And cool. But mostly .... hmm ... co ... wei ... no, cool. Mostly cool. I think.
posted by jacquilynne at 1:07 PM on March 28, 2017

Albeit before her project and administered in a more traditional form.
posted by Samizdata at 1:07 PM on March 28, 2017

Wonderful, thank you.
posted by Kwine at 1:14 PM on March 28, 2017

This is very cool! I love semi-random instruction projects.
posted by Going To Maine at 1:24 PM on March 28, 2017

Immediately reminds me of the classic Eric Conveys An Emotion, except if the requesters are all dadaists.
posted by King Sky Prawn at 1:24 PM on March 28, 2017

That said, I’d like to see the source code.
posted by Going To Maine at 1:25 PM on March 28, 2017 [3 favorites]

Reading this reminds me of a TV serial from the 60s that featured Fred Astaire (or maybe some other classic-era actor) and a computer that could compose music, poetry or some other randomly-generated art. The conclusion in the show was no, it's not good because only humans make art. Some show like Alcoa Premiere. Maybe I dreamed it. I need to start taking notes when I randomly come across interesting old things!
posted by RobotVoodooPower at 1:31 PM on March 28, 2017

Metafilter: That said, I’d like to see the source code.
posted by chavenet at 2:10 PM on March 28, 2017 [4 favorites]

I mean, to be clear: without the source code, this might as well be a deck of Oblique Strategies. Which are great! But I actually rather strongly believe that if you are doing processed-based artwork you need to expose the process in order to be honest about what you’re doing. The computer is calculating the “best art” by using a set of criteria supplied by the human - so I feel obliged to know what those criteria are.

But then, I don’t like it when people pretend computers are gods.
posted by Going To Maine at 5:37 PM on March 28, 2017 [1 favorite]

Can I say that i was disappointed the artist didn't actually type a three page reasoned essay against trucks?
posted by Mr.Encyclopedia at 5:40 PM on March 28, 2017

But I actually rather strongly believe that if you are doing processed-based artwork you need to expose the process in order to be honest about what you’re doing

Eh, Benjamin disposed of authenticity a century ago. A Vermeer is still a cool painting regardless of your knowledge of lenses.
posted by rhizome at 7:58 PM on March 28, 2017

Going To Maine: "I mean, to be clear: without the source code, this might as well be a deck of Oblique Strategies. Which are great! But I actually rather strongly believe that if you are doing processed-based artwork you need to expose the process in order to be honest about what you’re doing. The computer is calculating the “best art” by using a set of criteria supplied by the human - so I feel obliged to know what those criteria are.

But then, I don’t like it when people pretend computers are gods."

My computer would like to disagree with you (as worship and regularly sacrifices seem to be the only way I keep an eight year old Core 2 Quad running).
posted by Samizdata at 8:02 PM on March 28, 2017

Going To Maine: "That said, I’d like to see the source code."

Also, surprised she hasn't gotten it on GitHub, although she has most everything else.
posted by Samizdata at 8:04 PM on March 28, 2017

This makes me happy.
posted by Theta States at 6:36 AM on March 29, 2017