Mutator
"With a mixture of human creativity and evolutionary systems as embodied in computer software, one can produce extraordinary things that are beyond the human imagination." he comments. "There comes a point when you cross the boundaries of what is familiar. The machine comes back with surprising results.”
William Latham on his software Mutator.
East Gallery, affiliated with Norwich University of the Arts, is the first art venue, globally, to exhibit Mutator VR. The audience is equipped with a HTC Vive VR Headset and given a controller to explore and manipulate the evolution process the software mimics and enhances.
It is an all-enveloping experience, where sight and sound are closed from the external world and focuses only on the artwork before them. This is the introduction to the new face of presenting in the art industry.
The East Gallery is making a name for itself as not only a gallery of high standards, but also a collector or rare and transgressive pieces that make this one of the most eclectic galleries currently in Norwich. With every show, it offers not only entertainment and stimulation but also a visual education.
Mutator was a software developed by Latham, in collaboration with mathematicians and programmers Stephen Todd and Lance Putnam. This exhibition is entrenched in academic inspiration, with the influences of science, archaeology, design and aesthetic combining to create a truly unique experience for the viewer.
This installation allows the theories of Darwin himself to play in front of your eyes, while your hands allows first person control over the practicalities of evolution and genetic and mutations, so you may generate beings not before seen on this earth.
Aesthetically you are able to enjoy these manifestations, while also engaging in the base science at a molecular level to understand their birth and generation.
It's a truly immersive dynamic; through engaging with the foundations of biology and genetics itself we are able to explore the endless infinities of our genetics and understand the endless realms of possibilities offered by DNA. This is a journey of our past; where the creators have poured over the academia of our existence; to present to us in a relatable way, an idea of where we may be going. To say this show makes you feel like a god would be an exact summing up of the experience; it is a heady and addictive one. This is a sole opportunity on our doorstep; to explore the historical records of this amazing man, who have paved and advanced our understanding and interaction with computer artistry.
If you are looking for some more background information on him you can visit his website, a historical record of his achievements.
For anyone who has been stimulated by the intriguing and original notions surrounding this exhibition, it will be on show until January 14th 2017 at the East Gallery, St. Andrews Street, Norwich.
Also there is a symposium being held at the venue on November 23rd where creators Latham and Putnam; along with several other distinguished guests will be speaking on some of the themes surrounding the exhibition.
