Micro Arts History 1984–85 Computer Generated Art and Stories
By Geoff Davis
()
About this ebook
In this exciting and colourful book, find out about the origins of modern generated computer art and graphics, including AI text generation done the old way.
"Micro Arts has produced some stunningly original work." Personal Computer World 1985.
A lot of new digital technology arrived in the 1980s, including microcomputers or micros, cheap personal computers for home use.
"I think this period is something of a lost era in digital art. It's definitely a good idea to be engaging with it. " Sean Clark, Computer Arts Society, Fellow BCS 2019
Complete with many colour images from the genrated art and animations, scans of the complete print magazine, and examples of generated stories from the text program.
Micro Arts released many computer art compilations on cassettes, with generative abstract art, story text generators ('Cow Boils Head'), SCUM Manifesto feminist animation (Valerie Solanas), Duchamp animations, slow art and math/data art. All of the art programs, and many articles from the Micro Arts print magazine, were placed on Prestel teletext in 1985, so the software could be downloaded nationally from a TV set.
"The alternative society is still throbbing at Micro Arts." Sinclair User 1985.
Micro Arts artists also created video titles for clubs like Manchester's Hacienda, Sheffield's Leadmill, and Network21, the infamous late night pirate TV channel featuring icons like Leigh Bowery, Body Map and the London alternative fashion scene.
A mix of art, new technology, the club scene, and education, Micro Arts was an exciting part of the computer democratisation of the 1980s. This illustrated book is an illuminating and informative look into the 1980s micro computer scene, with the arrival of the all-new Sinclair ZX Spectrum, BBC Micro, Apple Macintosh, the IBM PC, alongside a gaudy and extrovert visual culture. The book has images from the unique art programs and a detailed history of Micro Arts, a full copy of the first and only edition of the print magazine, and contemporary reviews and context. There is also a gallery of stills from the many generative computer art programs.
"Inspiring. All worth thinking about and testing for yourself." A&B Computing 1985.
Geoff Davis, the founder of Micro Arts, has taught computer graphics at UK universities including Sheffield Hallam University, Psalter Lane Art College and the London University of the Arts. He has a Masters in Electronic Arts from Middlesex University (Cat Hill campus, 2003). He also works extensively in the computer industry, originally as a programmer, later becoming a web technical director and app producer (Notes Story Board v2.2 latest). He is now (2019) a researcher at the Creative Computing Institute, part of the University of Arts London UAL.
Geoff Davis
Geoff Davis MA has had several fiction books published, starting with an appearance in a PEN New Fiction collection in 1984 with ‘African Story’. These various printed books will be republished as ebooks in 2019-20. He is a researcher at the University of the Arts London (UAL) Creative Computing Institute. The topic is AI and text generation, with various outputs. This follows his 1985 computer program ‘Cow Boils Head’, and his MA work at Middlesex University on zooming and multi-layered texts, ‘Calm As A Dead Clam’. Now (2019) he is researching computers and text art at the Creative Computing Institute (CCI) at University of the Arts London.
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Reviews for Micro Arts History 1984–85 Computer Generated Art and Stories
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Micro Arts History 1984–85 Computer Generated Art and Stories - Geoff Davis
Praise for Micro Arts
Micro Arts has produced some stunningly original work.
Review, Personal Computer World 1985
I think this period is something of a lost era in digital art. It's definitely a good idea to be engaging with it.
Sean Clark, Computer Arts Society, Fellow BCS 2019
Things move fast in the computer world, don’t they? ...The most successful [Micro Arts programs] are the animated designs, hypnotic and colourful collages that offer mobile abstracts... All colour schemes can be adapted, and, if you wish, the program itself can be interfered with (that’s the interactive part).
Review, Blitz Magazine 1985
Looks fascinating! I love the imagery too.
Brian McClave, Site Eye 2019
Pride of place goes to The Money Work System, based on The Scum Manifesto by Valerie Solanas ... Essential viewing for all neo-patriarchal non-feeling fascists, ie men, especially ones who cannot win at the Hampstead real estate game.
Review of MA2: Various Unusual Events, Sinclair User February 1985
Gremlin [reviewer] was delighted to receive a large scroll through the post the other day entitled Cow Boils Head. The unusual missive tells the story of a cow which forced a man to boil his head in a bucket. Veteran Gremlin fans will immediately recognise the delicate touch of Geoff Davis and Micro Arts, who have devised a program which churns out endless variations on the tale.
Review of MA4: Cow Boils Head, Sinclair User, Gremlin gossip, September 1985
"The display mixes colour, shape and timing, and it’s different each time you run it. Definitely to ‘enhance your next dinner or cocktail party, union meeting or conference!’
Pass the Pina Colada, comrade."
Review of MA1: Geoff Davis ‘Abstract Originals’, Computer News 1985
Inspiring. A very promising start from Micro Arts. All worth thinking about and testing for yourself.
Review of MA3: Martin Rootes Vol. 1, A&B Computing February 1985
The alternative society is still throbbing at Micro Arts.
Sinclair User February 1985
The computer art that we have come to take for granted is only one aspect of a subject that is as old as computers themselves.
Acorn User 1987
still-MA-AO-1-cyan-panels.pngMA1: Geoff Davis ‘Abstract Originals’, still image from generated art, 1984
Preface
The background
In the early 1980s computers and computer (or ‘video’) graphics of all types were making it into public awareness. The new micro computers such as the Sinclair Spectrum, Amiga, BBC Micro and many others were mostly used for games, although 3D journeys of exploration were arriving in cloaks of pixilated mystery. Pong, Space Invaders, Manic Miner and The Dark Crystal arrived around this period.
Micro Arts was one of the first producers of computer art and ‘creativity apps’ as early as 1984, presenting a wide range of generative computer art for the microcomputer, including evolving computer art, animations and generated text stories. These were distributed in compilations, to entertain and educate. Micro Arts generated abstract art could be used for ambient visuals, with menus to control colours, speed etc. As I said at the time, to enhance your next dinner or cocktail party, union meeting or conference
. Micro Arts also produced text story generators, political animations, ‘slow’ art, and more.
Just after this experimental period, paint and drawing programs appeared in what would become a new mass market. Adobe launched Photoshop and Illustrator in the later 1980s, after developing the industry standard PostScript type manipulation program. Programs also appeared for home micros, such as Paintbox, Paint Plus and The Artist. Generally the professional graphics market used Apple computers. Cheaper home computers such as the Amiga, Commodore, Atari, Sinclair and BBC Micro had their own programs as each computer had different hardware and operating systems. [1]
Traditional computer art
From the 1950s and 60s computer art was almost entirely found in academia or research, with rare gallery shows such as Cybernetic Serendipity at the Institute of Contemporary Arts in London, organised by Jasia Reichardt, in August 1968. This large mixed event inspired the creation of the Computer Arts Society (CAS). The history of 1980s computer art is summed up well by Paul Brown of CAS:
My reading of this is: by the mid 1980s the original objectives of the CAS, to promote the use of computers to creatives, had become obsolete thanks to cheap ‘personal’ computing and creative apps. When CAS was relaunched 20 years later the main objective was to research, archive and maintain the history.[2]
Why did I create Micro Arts?
I was working as a mainframe programmer on typical large data systems and enjoying London’s diverse art and club scene. In a break to write fiction I became interested in coding on micros, which were the opposite of my professional experience, as they were small, easy to code and had instant results, onscreen and in colour. No paint editors existed at the time, and I never used them on these small systems. Even the Micro Arts logo was generated by code.
Micro Arts logo 1 only.jpgThe artistic possibilities of these tiny computers seemed endless. To quote Frieder Nake:
...[T]he artist in generative or algorithmic art is working from a radically novel perspective. He or she are thinking their work, they build it in their head ... ‘Think the work, don't make it!’ is their revolutionary approach. ...The individual work becomes an instance only of an infinite class of works.
[3]
I had drawn and painted as a teenager but soon got more interested in the creative music scene in Sheffield, where, between University courses, I worked at the iconic Stanley Tools factory, now a setting for zombie invasion games. At