Digital Artist:  Karl Sims

          And now for something completely different.  Karl Sims is a specialist in computer graphics and a software engineer.  In addition to creating art, he started a company that does special effects for movies.  He studied life science at MIT, but went on to computer graphics (also at MIT).  His science background is an important part of his work, and computer programming is too.  Sims, K. (2013).  Karl Sims.  Retrieved from http://www.karlsims.com/index.html

            What Sims does is program his computer to make art, using scientific principles.  Some of it is really beautiful.  I loved his whole “Fractals” series, which he generated “by iterated function systems related to Julia sets” (whatever that is).   Sims, K.  (2013).  Fractals,  Retrieved from http://www.karlsims.com/fractals.html  I especially liked the top and bottom images, the top one because of the effect of the light and the shadow on the intricate detailed shape, and the bottom one because who would ever think that this wild 60s type design was created by some scientific principle. He also has had some very cool ideas, like creating an exhibit where computer generated creatures evolve before your eyes. But. Some of his stuff, like the reaction-diffusion series, seems very soulless, which I guess in a way it is, since it was generated by the computer using science, and not the human mind.  Sims, K. (2013).  Reaction-Diffusion.  Retrieved from http://www.karlsims.com/rd-images.html  It is almost like the idea is more interesting than the art.  And I thought his clip “Primordial Dance” was terrible—lots of dancing squiggles to really bad music.  At least it was short.  Sims, K (1991).  Primordial Dance.  Retrieved from http://www.karlsims.com/primordial-dance.html 

            But I guess I just don’t get it.  Sims has won many prizes and awards—so many that you actually have to scroll way down on the link that lists them all.  One of them was the MacArthur Fellowship.  He writes a lot of articles too, like “Artificial Evolution in Computer Graphics.”  He also has shown at the Center Georges Pompidou in France, and a lot of other places as well.  (Sims 2013). Karl Sims.  Retrieved from http://www.karlsims.com/index.html