7 Incredible Computer Generated Works of Art

The first ever exhibition of computer generated art was held at the Howard Wise Gallery in New York, in April 1965. It was entitled “Computer Generated Pictures”, as people agreed that the potentially dehumanising influence of the computer prevented the pieces in the show from being considered ‘art’ in the true sense of the word.

The computer has since become a central feature of much contemporary art, be it in the execution, reconfiguration or reproduction of work. Entire artistic disciplines like algorithm art, software art and digital illustration have evolved with computers at their very core.

This article takes a closer look at seven contemporary pieces where computers have been used to fascinating and often beautiful effect.


1. “Google Color” by Pascal Dombis (2007-2009)

For this series of work, Dombis uses Google to search for images categorised under specific colours. It is not the colour of the image that’s important, but the colour under which the image has been categorised by the search engine. Dombis then arranges the images into colour groups, creating large, often monochromatic, lenticular prints.


2. “Computer Virus 2.0” by Joseph Nechvatal (2002)

“Computer Virus 2.0″ is an electronic virus-attack art installation. In other words, it’s a video piece which documents the behaviour of a computer-generated virus. The computer virus has been specifically programmed to behave like a biological virus as it degrades and transforms one of Nechvatal’s digital paintings.


3. “Blowing in the Wind” by Gilles Tran (2007)

“Blowing in the Wind” is one of many examples of Tran’s surrealist 3D work. Tran is famous for his use of POV-Ray, although this particular image and much of his most recent work has been modelled with Cinema 4D. Tran allows other artists to download aspect of his 3D images (the fire extinguisher in this piece for example) from his website, for use in their own work.


4. “The Draftmasters” by Victor Adan, Jeff Snyder & Daniel Iglesia (2009)

The Draftmasters - I from Daniel Iglesia on Vimeo.

This high-tech, multi-sensory piece combines performance with computer generated art. A computer is used to translate physical gestures, made by Adan and Snyder on stage, into vector commands that drive pen-plotter printers and printer inks. Iglesia then uses another computer system to convert the movement of the printers into 3D images for the audience to view.


5. “Every Playboy Centrefold, The Decades” by Jason Salavon (2004)

The four reconfigured photographic images in this series feature all the Playboy centrefolds from four particular decades (1960s, 1970s, 1980s and 1990s). Salavon creates his signature blurred photographic effect by overlaying numerous photographs and averaging the results by computer, to make a visual amalgamation.


6. “Abundance” by Camille Utterback (2007)

“Abundance” is a video installation that converts the movement of pedestrians, captured by a camera mounted in San Jose’s City Hall plaza, into colourful silhouettes and patterns that are projected onto a nearby 3-storey rotunda.


7. “Falling Girl” by Scott Snibbe & Annie Lou (2008)

This interactive video installation depicts a girl slowly falling from the top of a tall building. Cameras situated in the gallery allow viewers to control the movements of figures who appear in the building’s windows as she falls. The falling girl visibly ages on her descent, becoming an old woman before eventually hitting the ground.

15 Innovative Lamp, Lighting and Light Bulb Designs

Interior lighting is often an afterthought, with bland boring fixtures that are purely functional – but these 15 innovative lighting designs put the spotlight on the lamps themselves. From wallpaper that lights up in a pretty pattern to a hovering lampshade dripping with blood, each of these modern floor lamps, table lamps and built-in lighting designs are simply beaming with creativity.


Cast Stunning Shadows with Patterned Light Fixtures

When light fixtures are perforated with designs, suddenly the light itself becomes much more interesting. These designs by Sha-do take advantage of the properties of light and shadow, casting stunning patterns of illumination on surrounding surfaces, from intricate curves and waves to simple geometric shapes.


Customizable Bending Desk & Table Lamp

For those dark corners that seem impossible to illuminate with conventional light fixtures, this customizable lamp design will bend to your will. It can be molded and folded into practically any shape, winding around poles or sitting at just the right angle on your desk. The simple, minimalist design would help it fit into practically any interior.


Organic Interactive Foldable Home Lighting

Industrial designer Fredrik Farg created these unusual folding light fixtures, which can function as either hanging lamps or table lamps. Though floral motifs are usually quite traditional looking, Farg’s design is crisp and modern with large, soft pedals that can either support the light or mute it.


Colorful Lamp Seems to Float in Space

When the sun goes down, this innovative lamp design by Kristin Birna Bjarnadottir looks like a jellyfish gracefully floating in the air. Hanging from almost invisible strands of fishing line, the lampshade is made from highly reflective safety cloth that gives it a shimmering, otherworldly quality. Hanging strings finish off the effect, and the whole thing is illuminated from below with an LED light unit.


Surreal Self-Reflecting Table Lamp

When spotting this strange lamp by Oliver Schick, you might wonder whether you’re seeing some kind of odd reflection – which is exactly what the designer is going for. The ‘Self-Reflecting Lamp’ is made up of two generic lamp frames fused with a custom orb, and given that light only streams out from the slits on the bases, it’s more fun than functional.


A Twist on the Boring Bare Bulb

Bare bulbs are not exactly the height of lighting design, but this clever twist turns that idea on its head. A second working socket allows the bulb to be inserted in various ways to a variety of fixtures. It’s minimalist, but fun – the kind of fixture that makes you look twice.


Bathroom Tile Lights Give Subtle Ambiance

When you’ve got a small bathroom, getting rid of as much clutter as possible is the key to making it feel relaxing and spacious. This bathroom lighting idea takes decluttering to the max by getting rid of fixtures altogether and integrating illumination into the tiles. Available in a variety of designs, they can be configured in any way you like to create larger custom designs or provide targeted light.


Whimsical Wall Lighting for Interiors

Minimalism doesn’t have to mean spare, boring light fixtures. This conceptual lighting system by Billy May uses camouflaged lamps in three shapes, nicknamed Hang Nail, Dog Ear and Crevice for various wall surfaces. Once installed, the fixtures look like the wall itself is peeling away to reveal a light source.


Pop-Up Lamps Unfold to Illuminate

Guests that browse your coffee table books will be surprised when they open this one to reveal an actual working pop-up lamp. Made of paper and fabric, this book – which also comes in a street lamp version – has a Victorian-style lamp concealed within, great for ambiance or just as a conversation piece.


Wild Wallpaper Has Built-In Lighting

Another variation on the wall-integrated-lighting concept is light-emitting wallpaper by Jonas Samson. When the light is turned off, it looks like an ordinary wall, but flip the switch and you’ve got illumination and art. It can be set up so that it lights up in a sequence, giving some life to an otherwise blank space.


Quarter-Round Lamps Make Compact Corner Lighting

Lamps never quite fit into corner spaces, taking up much more room than they should. This corner lamp design by Ji Young Shon is basically one-fourth of a lamp, the perfect size and shape to blend effortlessly into spaces that can be quite challenging to decorate.


Floating Rippled Fixture Looks Like Dripping Water

There’s an indescribable beauty to photographs of moving water caught in slow motion, freezing a moment in time that normally happens too quickly for our eyes to follow and appreciate. This elegant drop light design by DBProjektBestaltung manages to transform that moment into a three-dimensional light fixture in which the water droplet is bulb.


Bleeding Lamp Makes Lighting Gory

Bloody brilliant: Generate Design Inc.’s blood pool lamp is certainly eye-catching with its drips of shocking red from a white lampshade. The support for the shade is concealed within the dripping blood, making it seem as if it’s floating.


Solar-Powered Light Affixed to Window Shade

Cool, or kitsch? It’s hard to call, but the idea is certainly interesting: a solar-powered interior light that mounts to the inside of your window shades and draws power from the sun. The design itself – dated-looking silhouettes on vertical blinds – is a bit ‘80s, but the concept could be taken a bit further with great success.


Cutting Lamp Shapes Out of Cardboard

The cardboard cutout lamps designed by David Graas are sort of like putting together a puzzle: just as much about the process itself as the finished product. They may not be the most stable or fireproof lamps available, but the interactive qualities and surprisingly sophisticated result make this concept a fun DIY project that can be easily disassembled and recycled.

Francis Tsai Digital Art

Japanese manhole covers

Japan is famous for their beautiful manhole covers. They come in a variety of designs and attract many tourists. This post contains a collection of creative Japanese manhole covers.