Harold Cohen: AARON @ Whitney Museum of American Art, New York

Harold Cohen: AARON

Whitney Museum of American Art, New York 

Through May 19, 2024

HAROLD COHEN

AARON KCAT, 2001 

Screenshot. Artificial intelligence software 

Dimensions variable 

Whitney Museum of American Art, New York

Purchase, with funds from the Digital Art Committee 2023.20

© Harold Cohen Trust

HAROLD COHEN

AARON KCAT, 2001 

Screenshot. Artificial intelligence software 

Dimensions variable 

Whitney Museum of American Art, New York

Purchase, with funds from the Digital Art Committee 2023.20

© Harold Cohen Trust

HAROLD COHEN

AARON KCAT, 2001 

Screenshot. Artificial intelligence software 

Dimensions variable 

Whitney Museum of American Art, New York

Purchase, with funds from the Digital Art Committee 2023.20

© Harold Cohen Trust

The Whitney Museum of American Art presents the exhibition Harold Cohen: AARON which examines the evolution of AARON, the first AI artmaking program, which was developed in the late 1960s by artist Harold Cohen. Beginning with AARON’s creation and early years, the exhibition explores the foundational stages of AI and its place in art history. In addition to featuring AARON’s drawings and paintings from the Whitney Museum’s collection, the show highlights the software as the central creative force behind the artworks and demonstrate AARON’s drawing process with pen plotters live in the galleries for the first time since the 1990s. The Whitney is the first and only museum to collect versions of the AARON software from different time periods. Providing an important historical perspective on current AI tools, AARON’s functionality is based on knowledge distilled into rules coded by the artist, which differs from today’s AI image creation tools like DALL-E, Midjourney, and Stable Diffusion, which generate their output from existing images on the basis of a user’s text prompts.

“Harold Cohen’s AARON has iconic status in digital art history, but the recent rise of AI artmaking tools has made it even more relevant. Cohen’s software provides us with a different perspective on image making with AI,” says Christiane Paul, Curator of Digital Art at the Whitney. “What makes AARON so remarkable is that Cohen tried to encode the artistic process and sensibility itself, creating an AI with knowledge of the world that tries to represent it in ever-new freehand line drawings and paintings. Watching AARON’s creations drawn live as they were half a century ago will be a unique experience for viewers.”

Harold Cohen considered creativity a result of dialogue between the program and programmer and viewed AARON as his equal collaborator. The artist built his own pen plotters and painting machines to realize AARON’s outputs in various ways throughout its evolution. In AARON’s early years, Harold Cohen manually added color to black-and-white drawings that AARON made with a pen plotter, generating novel images on paper based on its interpretation of Cohen’s coded commands. Modernized re-creations of Harold Cohen’s early drawing machines, constructed specifically for this exhibition, will be installed in the galleries and draw images from different iterations of the AARON software. There will also be large-scale projections of two versions of the AARON program—one creating figurative outputs, the other generating images of flora.

HAROLD COHEN

AARON KCAT, 2001 

Screenshot. Artificial intelligence software 

Dimensions variable 

Whitney Museum of American Art, New York

Purchase, with funds from the Digital Art Committee 2023.20

© Harold Cohen Trust

HAROLD COHEN

AARON KCAT, 2001 

Screenshot. Artificial intelligence software 

Dimensions variable 

Whitney Museum of American Art, New York

Purchase, with funds from the Digital Art Committee 2023.20

© Harold Cohen Trust

HAROLD COHEN (1928–2016) was a British artist whose innovations at the forefront of technology shaped the field of digital art. Harold Cohen’s artistic practice resulted in his famed creation AARON, the first artificial intelligence software designed to create art independently. After graduating from the Slade School of Fine Art, Harold Cohen had a successful career as a painter, representing the UK at the 1966 Venice Biennale and exhibiting at Documenta III, the Paris Biennale, and the Carnegie International. In 1968, Harold Cohen relocated to the United States as a visiting lecturer at the University of California, San Diego (UCSD), where he remained for almost three decades as a professor, chairman of the Visual Arts Department, and eventually, in 1992, director of the Center for Research in Computing and the Arts. During his time at UCSD, Harold Cohen developed AARON, an evolving artwork to which he would devote the rest of his life, exploring the possibilities of generative artificial intelligence for artmaking. Harold Cohen’s software attracted global attention and was exhibited at major institutions and venues, including the San Francisco Museum of Modern Art, Stedelijk Museum, and Documenta 6. After retiring from UCSD, Harold Cohen continued to work on AARON and produce new artworks in his studio in Encinitas, California. In 2014, Harold Cohen received the ACM SIGGRAPH Distinguished Artist Award for Lifetime Achievement in Digital Art.

Harold Cohen: AARON is organized by Christiane Paul, Curator of Digital Art, with David Lisbon, Curatorial Assistant. The exhibition is organized in collaboration with the Estate of Harold Cohen, which is represented by Gazelli Art House. Modernized re-creations of the plotters were fabricated by Bantam Tools, courtesy Bre Pettis.

WHITNEY MUSEUM OF AMERICAN ART, NEW YORK CITY

whitney.org

HAROLD COHEN: AARON - WHITNEY MUSEUM OF AMERICAN ART 

FEBRUARY 3 - MAY 19, 2024

GoPro Hero4 Black & Silver... & GoPro Hero Digital Video Cameras

GoPro Introduces HERO4 Black & Silver... & HERO

GoPro HERO4 Black

© GoPro, Inc.

GoPro HERO4 is the highest performance line of capture devices the company has ever made.  GoPro HERO4 is available in two editions, GoPro HERO4 Black at $499 (MSRP) and HERO4 Silver at MSRP $399. GoPro's Emmy Award-winning imaging technology combines with enhanced ease-of-use and powerful new features such as 4K30, 2.7K50 and 1080p120 video capture (Black) and built-in touch display convenience (Silver), to make it easier than ever for consumers to self capture and share stunning, professional quality content of their favorite experiences.

GoPro HERO4 Black delivers 2x the performance of its best-selling predecessor GoPro HERO3+ and now captures cinema-quality 4K video at 30 frames per second (fps), 2.7K video at 50fps and 1080p video at a blistering 120fps, virtually eliminating rolling shutter in most scenarios while allowing for time-bending slow motion effects. GoPro HERO4 Black also features an entirely redesigned audio system that captures high fidelity sound with 2x the dynamic range of previous models. Additional enhancements include improved image quality, low light performance, highlight moment tagging and an improved user interface that allows for easier discoverability and access to key features and controls. The HERO4 Black is simply the highest performance GoPro yet.

GoPro HERO4 Silver

© GoPro, Inc.

GoPro HERO4 Silver delivers the same professional image quality as HERO4 Black less some of the higher performance video capture modes including 4K30, 2.7K50 and 1080p120. HERO4 Silver includes a brilliant built-in touch display for those who value convenience and ease-of-use over the no-holds-barred performance of the HERO4 Black.

The new GoPro HERO4 line will be available October 5 on GoPro.com and at select retailers worldwide.

GoPro HERO4 Black - 2x the performance, yet again

The flagship GoPro HERO4 Black builds upon GoPro's Emmy® Award-winning technology to deliver the next level of GoPro image quality, versatility and performance:

- Incredible ultra high definition 4K video at 30fps allows for life-like video capture as well the ability to extract 8.3 megapixel video stills to use as photos

- Faster* high resolution frame rates of 2.7K at 50fps and 1080p at 120fps

- 12MP magazine cover-quality photos at burst speeds of 30 photos per second

- Updated user-interface with improved discoverability and access to key camera controls

- 50% faster Wi-Fi* combined with Bluetooth® delivers enhanced GoPro App performance and improved power management

GoPro HERO4 Silver - Professional quality capture. Touch-display convenience

The GoPro HERO4 Silver sets a new precedent for convenience and ease-of-use with GoPro's first built-in touch display:

- Brilliant built-in touch display allows for easy camera control, shot framing and playback

- Professional quality video capture at 2.7K30, 1080p60 and 720p120

- 12MP magazine cover-quality photos at burst speeds of 30 photos per second

- 50% faster Wi-Fi* combined with Bluetooth® delivers enhanced GoPro App performance and improved power management. 

GoPro HERO4 Black and Silver share powerful 

new features that expand what's possible with a GoPro

Protune, now for photo + video

For those who prefer to take manual control of their GoPro to maximize versatility and performance, we've expanded our professionally minded Protune mode to include Color, Sharpness, ISO Limit, and Exposure controls for both photo and video capture.

New settings for after dark

Whether you're shooting the Milky Way or a campfire hangout, Night Photo and Night Lapse allow you to capture stunning images of ultra low-light scenes with customizable exposure settings of up to 30 seconds.

Mark your best moments

HiLight Tag enables you to mark key moments with the push of an on-camera button while recording, making it easy to find, playback and share your favorite clips in GoPro Studio or with the GoPro App.  You can also HiLight Tag using the mobile GoPro App or the new Smart Remote accessory.

QuikCapture speed and convenience

QuikCapture makes it easy to power on and record with the press of a single button. When enabled, a single press starts video capture, while a press and hold engages Time Lapse photo capture.

High-performance audio

A totally re-designed internal audio system combines with a state of the art microphone to capture clean, high fidelity sound with 2x the dynamic range of previous models.

*Than previous comparable GoPro HERO3+ models

GoPro HERO

© GoPro, Inc.

GoPro HERO - The perfect entry-level GoPro 

GoPro also debuts HERO, the perfect entry-level GoPro. Designed with simplicity in mind and built directly into a rugged, waterproof housing, HERO captures high-quality 1080p video at 30fps and 720p video at 60fps. HERO captures the same immersive, eye-popping footage that's made GoPro one of the best-selling cameras in the world—all in a simplified package with an MSRP of $129.

For more information, visit www.gopro.com

SMMoA Project Room Exhibition Series. An innovative program initiative of the Santa Monica Museum of Art, California

NY/LA - A New, Annual Project Room Exhibition Series at Santa Monica Museum of Art, California

NY/LA is an innovative program initiative of the Santa Monica Museum of Art that diversifies SMMoA’s curatorial voice through an all-new, annual exhibition series. Developed by New York-based independent curator Jeffrey Uslip and SMMoA Deputy Director and curator Lisa Melandri, NY/LA connects emerging contemporary artists on the East and West coasts. NY/LA debut at SMMoA with two exhibitions on view through February 25, 2012: Adam Berg: Endangered Spaces (LA) in Project Room 1 and Georgi Tushev: Strange Attractor (NY) in Project Room 2

NY/LA identifies the intersections of contemporary art that emerge from both coasts and highlight important work from these cultural centers. The annual series will see Uslip and Melandri each select one artist from the East and West coasts, respectively, to show at SMMoA. The series also address current themes and practices of critical debate. Rather than present two artists who share thematic elements or particular artistic congruencies, Uslip and Melandri will select artists whose work represents emerging trends in contemporary art, creating a synergy that would not otherwise be explored.

"Both Los Angeles and New York are known for their innovations, their ability to spark new movements and cultivate new thought and action through art," Lisa Melandri said. "Our goal is to bring the best of both coasts together and elevate the conversation."

Through its bicoastal focus, NY/LA will promote an ongoing dialogue that links contemporary art across the United States. Having each lived and worked on the East and West coasts, Uslip’s and Melandri’s collaboration brings a fresh and original curatorial perspective to this new exhibition series. Uslip’s participation as an independent New York-based curator fulfills SMMoA’s continued objective to broaden its curatorial perspective through collaboration.

"NY/LA is a new program initiative that continues SMMoA’s commitment to innovative artistic practices,"  Jeffrey Uslip said. "By presenting concurrent project room exhibitions with one artist from New York and the other from Los Angeles, our aim is to foster a national dialogue between these two cultural centers."

With NY / LA, SMMoA continues to reshuffle and revitalize its programming.

SANTA MONICA MUSEUM OF ART, Santa Monica, California, USA
Museum's website: www.smmoa.org

Clé internet Nokia 3G CS-15 Modem Nomade

Clé internet 3G Nokia CS-15 

Grâce à la clé 3G Nokia CS-15, il est possible de se connecter rapidement à internet, il suffit de brancher ce modem à large bande au port USB et de connecter l’ordinateur portable au réseau 3G. Cette simple manipulation offre la possibilité de naviguer sur le web, consulter ses e-mails, envoyer des SMS (pour ordinateur Windows uniquement), travailler ou encore envoyer ses photos durant les déplacements.

L’optimisation de l’antenne RF de ce produit permet une excellente performance en mobilité tout en bénéficiant d’une faible valeur DAS et d’une faible consommation d’énergie. Cette clé Nokia 3G CS-15 est dotée d’une connexion rapide à internet 10.2 Mbit/s et d’une vitesse de téléchargement à 5.76 Mbit/s. Des possibilités de mises à jour du logiciel pourront augmenter la vitesse du réseau et assure fiabilité et perfection dans le classement des débits de données.

A lire également : Nokia Point and Find Version Beta

Photo (c) Nokia - Tous droits réservés - La clé Nokia CS-15, sera commercialisée à partir de Juillet 2009 au prix de 99 € - http://www.nokia.com/

Leica et Fujitsu développent un SLR Haut de gamme

Leica Camera et Fujitsu Microelectronics codéveloppent une solution système pour le traitement d’image des appareils numériques SLR haut de gamme Un nouveau système de traitement d’image permettra d’obtenir une qualité d’image excellente, une vitesse d’exécution plus rapide et consommation d’énergie plus faible.

Leica Camera AG (‘Leica’) et Fujitsu Microelectronics Limited (‘FML’) ont anoncé le codéveloppement d’une solution système pour le traitement d’image des appareils photo numériques haut de gamme réflex mono-objectif (SLR), qui équipera la nouvelle génération d’appareils numériques Leica. Leica présentera un prototype numérique SLR équipé du nouveau système de traitement d’image, le LEICA S2, lors de l’exposition Photokina se déroulera du 23 au 28 septembre (Stand 02.1 Hall A001) à Cologne en Allemagne.

Contexte

Le nombre de pixels gérés par les appareils numériques SLR ou les téléphones portables avec appareil photo intégré est en constante hausse, et l’amélioration de la définition reste le principal argument de vente. Par conséquent, les fabricants doivent aujourd’hui répondre à cette double exigence que constitue la réduction de la consommation d’énergie et l’augmentation de la rapidité du traitement d’images. Un véritable défi pour les ingénieurs de conception qui doivent concilier ces exigences contradictoires pour satisfaire les clients. Depuis 2001, FML propose la série Milbeaut pour le traitement d’image des appareils numériques, celle-ci offre une haute définition d’image, une vitesse de traitement rapide et une faible consommation d’énergie. Largement utilisée pour le numérique SLR et même pour les compacts numériques, ainsi que pour les appareils photo des téléphones portables, la série Milbeaut a su anticiper les demandes du marché. La technologie Milbeaut offre, sur une seule puce, une gamme variée de fonctions requises par ce type d’appareils photo, notamment la compression/décompression (codage-décodage de l’image), la réduction de bruit et la gestion des cartes à mémoire. Depuis près d’un siècle, Leica Camera a tout mis en œuvre afin de défendre sa réputation mondiale de fabricant d’appareils numériques. L’entreprise est désormais reconnue pour son expertise technologique d’imagerie attestée par la qualité exceptionnelle de ses produits. Elle est activement engagée dans le développement de la technologie numérique, comme l’a démontré la sortie, en 2006, de son premier appareil numérique silencieux le LEICA M8, enrichissant ainsi la gamme populaire Leica M.

Solution récente

Compte tenu des exigences du marché évoquées ci-dessus, la nouvelle solution système de traitement d’image pour appareils numériques haut de gamme SLR utilise le traitement MAESTRO, basée sur la technologie FML Milbeaut associée à son logiciel de contrôle.

La toute dernière technologie de la série FML Milbeaut présente une amélioration de la gestion d’énergie, qui permet en effet de réduire considérablement la consommation. L’usage combiné de deux CPUs : Fujitsu’s FR-80 et FR-V (architecture VLIW) et d’accélérateurs supplémentaires permet un fonctionnement à haute vitesse. C’est la combinaison des opérations plus rapides tant du logiciel que des puces qui permet d’améliorer la performance du traitement d’image.

Les partenaires Leica et FML ont créé une équipe spécialisée d’ingénieurs en logiciel et électronique dont la mission est de booster l’expertise et les connaissances des deux entreprises. En alliant la puissante technologie Milbeaut de FML pour le traitement d’image au savoir-faire haute définition de Leica, les entreprises sont désormais en mesure de proposer une qualité d’image de pointe.

Stefan Trippe, directeur opérationnel de Leica Camera, a déclaré: « La philosophie de Leica est d’offrir à ses clients une technologie dernier cri; par conséquent, ce partenariat avec Fujitsu Microelectronics va permettre à Leica de conserver sa place de leader en matière de qualité d’image. »

Joji Murakami, vice-président corporate de Fujitsu Microelectronics Limited, a annoncé: « Fujitsu Microelectronics se réjouit de cette opportunité de partenariat avec Leica. La réputation et l’expertise de Leica dans le domaine du traitement d’image LSI vont donné naissance à un appareil numérique SLR haut de gamme véritablement exceptionnel. »

Développements Futurs

Une nouvelle plate-forme issue de cette collaboration a été développée et servira dès lors de base à tous nouveaux projets et à l’élaboration des nouveaux produits Leica, tout en facilitant la conception des futurs circuits de FML. De plus, cette plate-forme toute récente donnera une stabilité au développement des systèmes de traitement d’image futurs.

A propos de Leica Camera AG

A propos de Fujitsu Microelectronics Limited

Les noms des entreprises et des produits mentionnés ci-dessus sont des marques légales ou déposées de leurs propriétaires respectifs. Toute information fournie dans ce communiqué est correcte à sa date de parution et susceptible d’être modifiée sans préavis.

Source: Fujitsu Microelectronics Europe - Communiqué de presse - 24.09.2008

Tamron 28-300mm XR Ultra Zoom + Super Hybrid Mount

Tamron 28-300mm XR Ultra Zoom 

with New Super Hybrid Mount

Super Hybrid Mount Is More Than 70% Lighter 

Compared With Conventional Brass Mount 

In Previous 28-300 Model

The bayonet mount on the new 28-300mm XR Ultra Zoom (model A06) from Tamron uses hybrid materials made of stainless steel and engineering plastic. Tamron originated the SUPER HYBRID MOUNT by developing an innovative injection molding technology to create this entirely new material that achieves remarkable reduction in weight while providing excellent strength-equal to that of the metallic (brass) material conventionally used for the mount portion of a lens.

Some lenses made by Tamron, other independent lens manufacturers, and camera makers use engineering plastic material to produce the lens mount. However, there are cases of damage to the mount when it suffers excessive shock. Therefore, Tamron avoids using engineering plastic for mounts on lenses mainly intended for the professional and serious amateur photographer who requires a heavy-duty mount.

The newly developed SUPER HYBRID MOUNT by Tamron solves this problem. The Super Hybrid Mount is very strong since the engineering plastic material, in which a stainless steel plate is embedded, is injection-molded simultaneously. Furthermore, the stainless steel plate is designed to extend to the flange portion of the mount, which is the important connecting point between the lens and the camera. Tamron's new 28-300mm XR Ultra Zoom is the first lens to incorporate the remarkably strong Super Hybrid Mount.

New Tamron Hybrid Tough Mount

Cut-Away Drawing

Another benefit of this new mount is its weight. The Super Hybrid Mount is more than 70% lighter when compared with the same mount portion made of brass on Tamron's previous 28-300mm zoom lens (model 185D). The weight distinction is so great that you can literally feel the difference when you hold the two mounts in the palm of your hand.

Brass mount in 28-300mm Model 185D

Weight: 27.22 grams (.96 ounces)

Super Hybrid Mount in Model A06

Weight: 7.38 grams (.12 ounces)

The Super Hybrid Mount is one of several reasons why the new Tamron AF28-300mm XR Ultra Zoom is 164.42 grams (5.8 ounces) lighter that the previous model (185D).

TAMRON

www.tamron.com