Panel Statement

Panel: Machine Flaws in Generative Art

Intro

Study 7/0 project visualizes the positioning errors generated by a static GPS receiver. Motivated by the idea of cognitive mapping as an individual, non-linear and discontinuous spatiotemporal experience, the project explores error and imperfections as generators of interesting conceptual, and narrative source material for further creative processing and expression unlike typical glitch art where the error is an aestheticised frontline layer. Study 7/0 is a concise study of the effective approaches to emergence in generative art in which the simple initial settings of a system can produce complex and surprising phenomena. In this context, it is spatiotemporal configurations and relations.
Placing a Garmin GPSmap 60Cx receiver on my desk, I turned it on with a draw track function, and kept it there powered on for 7 days, 7 hours, 16 minutes and 11 seconds (from 7 July 2010 04:46:36PM to 15 July 00:02:47AM).
While the ideal GPS plot for an immovable object is a single point, this setup had recorded 8438 trackpoints on a path 34.7km long, covering an area of 2.1km2 with average speed of 0.2km/h and maximum speed of 17.9km/h. The path is a consequence of the limited precision of a commercial GPS receiver working inside a building under changing weather conditions, combined with the general GPS inaccuracy. With time-stamps, horizontal positions, altitudes and speeds for all trackpoints, the path constitutes a large dataset.

• Dr. Dejan Grba is a media artist, author and educator. He has exhibited, curated and/or lectured at venues including ISEA2017 Manizales and ISEA2016 Hong Kong, SIVA Shanghai, SU Syracuse, SIGGRAPH Los Angeles, ZKM Karlsruhe, IFA Berlin, GfZK Leipzig, Montevideo Amsterdam, MiP Vienna, <rotor> Graz, MoCA Novi Sad and Belgrade. He has published papers in new media art journals worldwide. He is currently a visiting associate professor at the School of Art Design and Media, Nanyang Technological University in Singapore. He is a founding chair of the international interdisciplinary MA program The Art of Digital Media at University of the Arts in Belgrade, and a founding chair of New Media department at the Faculty of Fine Arts in Belgrade where he teaches Transmedia Research. He teaches Poetics of Digital Art at Digital Art doctoral program at University of the Arts in Belgrade, Serbia.

Full text (PDF) p. 713-716