TL;DR:
- The Whitney Museum is hosting the “Harold Cohen: AARON” exhibition, exploring the history of AI art.
- Bantam Tools’ ArtFrame system is creating AI-generated art for the exhibit, combining digital designs with traditional materials.
- Harold Cohen’s AI AARON is showcased for the first time since the 1990s.
- Bre Pettis, CEO of Bantam Tools, collaborated with the Whitney Museum to create a modern art machinery system.
- The exhibition highlights the significance of artist-attributable AI art.
- Bantam Tools’ acquisition of Evil Mad Scientist expands their offerings in computer-controlled art machines.
Main AI News:
The forthcoming exhibition, “Harold Cohen: AARON,” debuting at the Whitney Museum of American Art on February 3, 2024, promises to delve into the historical underpinnings of AI artistry while offering an immersive exploration of creativity, authorship, and collaboration within the realm of artificial intelligence. Spearheading the creation of AI-generated art for this exhibit is none other than the cutting-edge Bantam Tools ArtFrame system, a bespoke product meticulously crafted by Bantam Tools to bring this visionary project to fruition. The Bantam Tools ArtFrame stands as a versatile art machinery system equipped with modular tool heads, empowering artists to transform digital designs into tangible masterpieces employing traditional materials. This riveting showcase will be open to the public from February 3 through May 2024, and you can find detailed information on whitney.org.
Rekindling the Legacy: Harold Cohen’s AI AARON Takes the Spotlight at the Whitney
In an unprecedented spectacle, the Whitney Museum is set to illuminate the artistic legacy of Harold Cohen, showcasing live drawings generated by his AI creation, AARON, within its hallowed galleries for the first time since the 1990s. While the visionary Cohen once proclaimed he would be the pioneer of posthumous art exhibitions, thanks to AARON’s ability to create art beyond his lifetime, the Cohen Trust firmly asserts that true Harold Cohen art necessitates a trifecta of elements: “the artist, the process, and the software.” The significance of Harold Cohen’s AARON at the Whitney transcends aesthetics; it delineates the boundaries of artist-attributed artwork in a world inundated with AI-generated artistry.
The Revival: Bre Pettis and Bantam Tools’ Ingenious Approach
When the Whitney Museum embarked on its mission to resurrect the early foundations of AARON, including the AI software that fueled Harold Cohen’s art and the plotter machines that brought it to life, they sought the expertise of Bre Pettis at Bantam Tools. Rather than merely reconstructing the original machines, the challenge was taken to an entirely new level by creating an entirely novel art machinery system infused with contemporary technology, thereby remaining faithful to the spirit of the original. Bre Pettis, the CEO of Bantam Tools, expressed his gratitude for the collaboration with key figures such as Christiane Paul, curator of Digital Art at the Whitney, Thomas Machnik, Harold Cohen’s former assistant, and Paul Cohen, Harold Cohen’s son, whose combined efforts have yielded remarkable results. The inclusion of the Bantam Tools ArtFrame system within the exhibit stands as a testament to their dedication and innovation.
The Visionary at the Helm: Bre Pettis and Bantam Tools’ Remarkable Journey
Bre Pettis, no stranger to generative and computer-controlled machinery, co-founded and led MakerBot, the revolutionary 3D printing company that captivated the world’s imagination in 2009 and subsequently acquired Bantam Tools in 2017. Blending a background in art, education, and technology, Pettis’s journey continued with Bantam Tools’ acquisition of Evil Mad Scientist in January 2024. This dynamic addition, led by Dr. Windell Oskay and Lenore Edman, who now serves as CTO and COO of Bantam Tools, marks a significant stride in the realm of computer-controlled drawing and handwriting machines, promising innovative solutions for artists and educators alike. The ArtFrame Art Machine System, featured in the Harold Cohen: AARON exhibit at the Whitney Museum of American Art, represents just one of the groundbreaking creations slated for launch by Bantam Tools in 2024.
A Collector’s Tribute: Bre Pettis’s Passion for Computer Art
Bre Pettis, a fervent collector of historic computer art, reflected on the profound significance of Harold Cohen’s works within his collection, describing them as personal favorites. Collaborating with the Whitney Museum of American Art on this exhibition and providing plotters that actively produce art generated by Harold Cohen’s AI AARON stands as an honor and a privilege for Pettis.
AI’s Pioneering Journey: The Whitney Museum’s AARON Focus
The Whitney Museum of American Art’s exhibition revolves around AARON, the earliest AI software for artistic creation and one of the most enduring contemporary art endeavors. Conceived by Harold Cohen at the University of California San Diego in the late 1960s, AARON continued to evolve until his passing in 2016. AARON’s diverse manifestations encompass software that propels plotting and painting machines, as well as software for displaying images on screens and projectors. The Whitney Museum, as the sole repository of various iterations of AARON software from different eras, will proudly showcase artworks produced by AARON, shedding light on its drawing process in real-time, an experience last witnessed in the 1990s. The exhibition will also present the museum’s collection of AARON’s paintings and drawings, alongside two versions of the screen-based and drawing software, providing a comprehensive perspective on AI’s foundations and its role in contemporary artistry.
Bantam Tools ArtFrame: Transforming Imagination Into Reality
Two Bantam Tools ArtFrame machines will take center stage during the exhibition, breathing life into the images generated by AARON’s software. A curated selection of these drawings will grace the gallery walls, enriching the experience for museum-goers who will witness an ever-evolving exhibit with each visit. These new drawings, crafted in real-time, will captivate viewers with their dynamic creation process.
Unearthing the Algorithm: AARON’s Resurrection
Resurrecting the technology posed its share of challenges. When the Harold Cohen Foundation team attempted to extract AARON’s source code data from magnetic tapes, they encountered an unexpected void. It was Paul Cohen, Harold Cohen’s son and a computer scientist, who bridged the gap, leveraging his expertise to reconstruct the elusive wandering line algorithm and resurrect the Maze software’s foundations from Harold Cohen’s meticulously kept notebooks. Bantam Tools then harnessed Paul’s reconstruction of the Maze code to generate the tool paths that animate the pen, infusing life into these remarkable works. These drawings, drawn in real-time, will captivate museum visitors, particularly those observing the smaller of the two Bantam Tools ArtFrame plotters.
AARON’s Digital Renaissance: A Collaborative Endeavor
During the 1990s, Harold Cohen joined forces with renowned American computer scientist, author, and futurist Ray Kurzweil to introduce a screensaver version of AARON known as KCAT. Drawing from the source code for KCAT acquired by the Whitney Museum, Bantam Tools breathed new life into the larger drawings, accomplished on the grander of the two Bantam Tools ArtFrame machines showcased within the gallery. The meticulous translation of code to suit modern pen plotters, coupled with a thorough exploration of marker and paper selection to adhere to Harold Cohen’s artistic approach, was carried out with great care. Historic speeds were tuned to perfection, ensuring an authentic revival of Cohen’s artistry.
AARON’s Enduring Relevance: A Vision Realized
“AARON holds an iconic status in the annals of digital art history, and the surge of AI artmaking tools in recent years only underscores its significance,” remarked Christiane Paul, curator of Digital Art at the Whitney. The gratitude extends to Bre Pettis and the Bantam Tools team for their unwavering commitment to bringing AARON’s art plotters to life. Witnessing these software-generated creations come to life, mirroring events from half a century ago, promises a truly exceptional experience for all who step into the gallery.
Conclusion:
The introduction of Bantam Tools’ ArtFrame system at the Whitney Museum, coupled with the resurgence of Harold Cohen’s AI AARON, signifies a significant advancement in the intersection of AI and art. This innovative collaboration not only showcases the potential of AI-generated art but also underscores its enduring relevance in the contemporary art landscape. The ability to bring historic AI art to life with modern technology is a testament to the evolving market for AI-driven creative tools and their integration into the art world. This development could inspire further exploration and adoption of AI art systems in the market, bridging the gap between traditional and digital art forms.
