ABOUT THE PROJECT

LOGLINE
Generative explores the history behind the most infamous yet anonymous art movements of our time; Computer Art. With NFTs unraveling the art and financial world Generative will trace the complex relationship between artists and machines to demystify the most divisive art movement that is rapidly shaping our future.

SYNOPSIS
GENERATIVE tells the story of computer art, which started in the early 1950s on computers the size of rooms, aggressively dismissed by the arts community and public to become the largest growing artistic movements of recent years. For many, Generative Art is seen as the artistic movement of our time, with the creation of the NFT transforming the very way that art is bought and sold to the power and beauty of the algorithms, something in which we all interact with on a daily basis. Through the pioneering artists past and present, curators and historians, GENERATIVE will explore why computer based arts (Generative Art and Net Art) was dismissed for so long. GENERATIVE discovers why, now more than ever, it is important for artists through their work to question the ethics of society, especially with the advent of algorithmically driven AI, once again pitting humans vs. machines.

Generative tells the story of the undervalued computer art movement, which started in the early 1950s on computers the size of rooms. The movement was aggressively dismissed by the arts community and public to become the largest growing artistic movements of recent years. We tell the stories of the pioneers Vera Molnár (The most celebrated female computer artist), Manfred Mohr, Frieder Nake, and Harold Cohen. These artist were ignored by the arts community and feared by the public, as they believe that machines were threatening humanity. This was further heighten by technical computational use in the Cold War and institutional mistrust with the Vietnam War.

With the invention of the internet, GENERATIVE shines a light on the rebellious playful Net Art Movements. The net artist such as JODI and Olia Lialina utilized the wild west freedom of the early web, to create politically charged works in the web browser, creating an artist community outside of the traditional art world. The Net Artists foresaw the internet would become a commercialized space run by few conglomerates. With a move away from Flash, Net Art works began to disappear overnight, highlighting the volatile nature digital assets.

Inspired by the Net Art movement GENERATIVE explores the open source explosion of Processing software which made creative coding accessible to millions, contributing to the next generation of generative artists. GENERATIVE tells the story of the transformative creation of NFTs allowing generative artists a means to sell their works. NFTs caused an explosion of interest in the space, with works such as Beeple’s 500 Days, reaching record breaking prices at auction. GENERATIVE explores whether these large sale devalued the public’s perception of Generative Art. The initially neglected Generative Art space formed a strong community spirit of sharing ideas code and the beauty of the algorithm.

GENERATIVE tells the story of some of today’s leading artists within the space: Tyler Hobbs, William Mapan, Emily Xie, and Erick Calderon (Artists and Art Blocks Creator). Through these artists GENERATIVE explores how Generative Art could be seen as the art of our time as, it is created using a coded algorithm, which is in all forms of technology we use daily.

GENERATIVE looks into the resurgence of AI which once again like the 1950’s pits humanity against the power of the machine. Through the work and stories of some the leading AI artist such as Refik Anadol, Anna Riddler, Mario Klingemann, and Trevor Pagan, GENERATIVE unearths the risks (use of personal data, poor labelling of race and gender) and potential to do good with AI.

Taking inspiration from the steadfast belief and perseverance of pioneering artist of the 1950’s, GENERATIVE at its core is a celebration of forward thinking pioneering artists on the fringes, whose ideas highlight issues, inspire, and enlighten our culture. Now more then ever it is important to protect our artists, allowing them to continue to question culture and attempt to make the world a better place, one algorithm at a time.

PROJECT TYPE Documentary Series (Short Form)

DIRECTOR Ben Spilling
PRODUCER Amber Tordoff-Gibson
EXECUTIVE PRODUCER Matt DesLauriers

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