Information Technology Reference
In-Depth Information
•
Feedback
(
7.3.1
)
In which
we examine the multi-level feedback loops which characterise creativity,
particularly the iterated cycle of
generation
and
evaluation
.
•
Exploration
(
7.3.2
)
In which
we discuss different ways that novelty and serendipity can be introduced
by algorithmic means.
•
Intimacy
(
7.3.3
)
In which
we argue towards the need for trust and intimacy with a generative part-
ner, and the surrounding issues of embodiment and predictability.
•
Interactivity
(
7.3.4
)
In which
we introduce five classes of productive dialogue that can be entered
into with a computational partner:
directed, reactive, procedural, interactive
and
adaptive
.
•
Introspection
(
7.3.5
)
In which
we consider computational partners as a conduit for introspection, al-
lowing us to reflect on our existing creative habits.
•
Time
(
7.3.6
)
In which
we review different timescales of the creative feedback loop, ranging
from seconds to centuries.
•
Authorship
(
7.3.7
)
In which
we reflect upon issues of authorship and non-human agency, and the
surrounding moral objections.
•
Va l u e
(
7.3.8
)
In which
we discuss the differences and difficulties in assessing the aesthetic value
of an art object produced with computational partners, and the proper evaluation
of autonomous creativity tools.
Throughout this coverage, we will continue to draw on key examples from the
field of algorithmic composition and interactive performance.
7.3.1 Feedback
Already at the very beginning of the productive act, shortly after the initial motion to create,
occurs the first counter motion, the initial movement of receptivity. This means: the creator
controls whether what he has produced so far is good.
- Paul Klee,
Pedagogical Sketchbook
(
1972
, p. 33)
Feedback is at the very heart of creativity, from Klee's “initial motion” to the
point at which we stand back and decide that a work has reached its finished state.
We oscillate back and forth between creative acts and reflection upon those acts,
with each new mark, note, or theorem offering subtle potential to alter the direction
of a work. This is a
feedback loop
, in which data about the past informs the events
of the future. After each new brushstroke, what
was
just about to happen is
now
in the past, and will affect whatever we do next. It is this short cycle of repetition
(depicted in Fig.
7.1
), in which the output of one act becomes the input for the next,
that constitutes feedback.
