Evolving Portraits

Genetic Programing to Evolve Portraits

A conceptual piece that evolves a related family of abstract portrait painters. Portraits are created by Darwinian evolution using the programming technique called Genetic Programming. Using the painting of Darwin by John Collier as the creative spark (the evolutionary resemblance test they survive by), portraits slowly evolve over a month of constant computer time in this art programming experiment to cajole a computer to become creative on its own (see paper). The mathematical genes were not specifically created for the portrait painting task, but were our genes any different -- surely not originally created for writing computer programs or making art.

Can you bring the ghost (creativity) out of the machine (the computer) using the ghost of Darwin (his namesake techniques and portrait).

Touring exhibition: MIT Museum & Cambridge University's King Art Centre

Programming, concepts and art: Steve DiPaola

Web: Main Site

Paper

darwin portraits : All these abstract portraits (selected from 100's) evolved from the Darwin sitter image (1) and are alive and are related (one family tree).