Robert Seidel

Describe your field. Why are you interested in Computer Art/ Computer Graphics and what (event, need, idea, hope, obstacle) caused your involvement? Summarize your line of development (the essence of your input to the field) in relation to concurrent technology.

I'm interested in organic relationships between nature, memory and emotions to their digital counterparts, in a more a less abstract manifestation.

Does the computer allow you to think visually about some topic or process in new ways? How has this influenced your work? Describe your ultimate accomplishment.

Computers fascinated me from my early years for giving me complete freedom to work procedurally, going back and forth allowing infinite complex collages. My ultimate accomplishment is _grau, a very emotional piece, creating believable patterns and motions in a non-realistic 3d environment.

Has the field of computer art and graphics progressed in the ways that you expected? What has surprised you? What do you like about its progress and what do you wish had happened differently? What do you think the future holds for visual computing in science/art? Please make some predictions or wish lists for the near- and long-term future.

I'm always a little disappointed, that the time of unique, surprising software for the masses seems to be over. Commercial software is driven by capitalistic greed, only including new functionality, when it's absolutely necessary. I was told, that developers trying to push a new idea in a big company get no reward after a positive, fresh feature, so they stick to the usual. I hope this changes again, there is so much to make the bridge between brain and screen an comfortable one.

Describe your dream environment for enhancing your project ideas. What are your preferred tools for creating and how do they work? What tools (hardware/software) you have used initially had the strongest impact on your work?

I'm dreaming of a completely procedural system, that allows me using modules from 2D, 3D, math, databases, scientific viz, ? well everything. For now, this is a really bumpy road, dealing with software bugs, importers and kind programmers spending their free time on my projects.

Describe how you think specific advancements in technology, (such as wireframe, hidden line removal, scanner, laser, HTML, Java applets, or any other advancement), determined the way the approaches to creating art/graphics evolved?

It's still too cluttered, sacrificing a lot of possibilities for speed ? which also creates new kinds of expression as a result, but free forming all kinds of data is my ultimate dream, that would allow to step beyond the media first time, just presenting the thoughts themselves.

How would you characterize the milestones (every ten years) in the development of computer technology? Which ones were most influential in art/graphics?

I found the introduction of tablets a huge step into creating artwork in a more natural way, also the growing number of input and output devices is really amazing, making creation and presentation more satisfying. The new graphic boards are also a good thing, but sadly most of the time only for gamers, leaving all artist tools in the dust.

Which persons would you indicate as the pioneers in the particular areas/stages in which decade?

There are too many people, who have had fantastic idea for software, hardware, artworks or new ways combining everything together. I just hope that the greed resulting in software patents and DRM won't stop us from finally establishing a unique and respected art form.