Sun 1

Stacy Sun

Paper 2

Philosophy 3

Sept 1, 2019

Distinctive Characteristics of Computer Art

There are various characteristics of computer art that make it different from other forms of art.

According to Dominic Lopes, some of the significant distinctions of computer art are: it has

some unique ability that makes it interact with its audience effectively; the computer is used to

negotiate this form of interaction. The interactivity of computer artworks is achieved by making

use of the computing technology of the computer. In other words, one of the special features of

computer art is computer-based interactivity. The meaning of computer-based interactivity is the

dialogue that takes place between a program in the computer and a human being using it; This is

to say that those batch programs in the background that do not interact with the user do not form

part of computer art for the simple reason that they run without an immediate user who can

interact with them. Lopes notes in “the philosophy of computer art” that there are some basic

characteristics that qualify an item referred to as computer artwork. Some of these characteristics

include; the item must be an art, a computer must be used to run it, it must interact with the user,

and its interactivity ability is achieved because it runs on a computer (Lopes 36).

Several digital works that run on a computer does not form part of computer art. Although

computer art with most digital works, it does not mean that computer art is the same as digital

art. For instance, digital images, texts, and sounds that are not used interactively cannot be said

to be computer artworks. For a better understanding of the term “interactivity,” it should be

 Sun 2

noted that an interactive work of art should prescribe that its displays are generated with the help

of the action taken by its users. In other words, the user must act for the work of art to generate a

display in a prescribed manner. All video games that qualify as works of arts also qualify as

computer arts (Lopes 23). It is because they make use of various inputs like motion control,

button presses, touch screens, and voice-activated controls. In these types of games, auditory and

visual elements are controlled by the players using the different forms of inputs. Such inputs are

also used to apply controller vibrations in providing haptic feedback. In such video games, inputs

are also used to change narrative progression and character development. According to Lopes’

definition, video games qualify to be forms of computer art because; being a game, it is an art, it

is interactive, a computer is used to run it, and its interactivity is achieved because of being run

on a computer (Lopes 40). Some other examples of works that form part of computer arts are

exemplified in; Hisako Yamakawa, Kodama (2005) and Damian Lopes, Project X (1997).

When we say that a work of art should be “prescribed” in its interactivity, we mean that it should

not be generated by means of destruction. For the interactive display to be impacted, the user has

to act, and he or she must act as prescribed in order to appreciate the works of art. The display

should also be changing depending on the actions that the user takes. In other words, there must

be some variability in the display. There are two ways in which the display is made variable:

there can be repeatability in some works of art, for example, Project X and most other computer

artworks are variable in this manner; in other cases some works of art are not repeatable in the

variability, for instance, “Telegarden” is non-repeatable. What makes computer art achievable is

the fact that computers are designed with the ability to compute. Input and output transitions in

the interactivity of computer artworks are accomplished by running computational processes. It

is important to note that those works of art that are interactive but their interactivity does not
 Sun 3

depend on a computer are not computer arts at all. For instance, Chicago’s “cloud gate” is indeed

interactive, but its interactivity is not achieved because of being run on a computer. Therefore,

“cloud gate” is not computer art. Most theatre arts also rely on the interaction of the audience,

but since the interactivity is not computer-based, the theatre productions are not computer arts.

The roles played by the performers and users of computer art form another distinction between it

and other forms of art. The main difference is that in computer art, the user is usually active.

Although the computer artist makes computer artwork, the generation of a display of that

artwork is done by the user; This is quite different from traditional art where the user is

ordinarily passive. Traditionally, the artwork is made by the composer; performance is made by

the performer, and the audience simply appreciates the work done by the performer. According

to Lopes, users and performers play some roles that are similar and others that are different

(Lopes 69). In computer art, both the user and the performer take part in generating the display.

Generally, the performer plays for roles; he or she generates the display, he or she knows the

features that must be included in the display for it to represent the intended work, he or she has

the intention of generating a display with the required features, and part of his or her doing is

attended to by the audience. What makes users not to be performers is that they do not know the

intended features of the display, so they also do not have the intention of incorporating the

required features. The primary roles of the user include; generating the display, exploring the

work, and attending to the work through partly through his or her doing and partly when he or

she is carrying out the first two roles.

In conclusion, interactivity between a work of art and users is an essential difference between

computer art and other forms of art. Another factor that is distinctive about computer art is its

dependence on the computing ability of a computer for it to be interactive with the users.
 Sun 4

Interactivity between a work of art and the user means that the user is actively involved in

displaying the work. Also, the user should be able to alter the display through his or her actions

by making use of various inputs. Works of art that are interactive with the user but do not rely on

a computer are not computer arts. Finally, computer art differs from other forms of art because

its users are active while in other arts, the users are passive.
 Sun 5

Works Cited

Lopes, Dominic. A philosophy of Computer Art. Routledge, 2010.

Hisako Yamakawa, Kodama (2005). https://file.org.br/artist/hisako-k-yamakawa/

Damian Lopes, Project X (1997) http://projectx.damianlopes.com/text.html.