C.STEM

C.STEM is the first Italian event, with international relevance, dedicated to the cultural circulation of generative and procedural systems in the field of experimental digital art.
Italian and foreign artists are invited to the event to try to explain the present situation of software-art both in Italy and abroad, and the role of generative methodologies in visual art and in design.

“The aim of generative aesthetics is the artificial production of probabilities of innovation or deviation from the norm.”
Max Bense, 1965

There is no doubt about the importance of the artistic research for its applications to the society, reason why the possibility to look at the most innovative creative productions, allows us to foresee the potential future sceneries of the relationship between man and technology.

 
Background

«Generative art refers to any art practice where the artist uses a system, such as a set of natural language rules, a computer program, a machine, or other procedural invention, which is set into motion with some degree of autonomy contributing to or resulting in a completed work of art.»
Philip Galanter

“To conceptual art, the idea or concept is the most important aspect of the work
All planning and decision making is done in advance.
Execution becomes a purely mechanical affair.
The idea becomes a rule that generates the art.”
Sol leWitt, 1967

In general, Generative Art is considered as a stylistic current which produces mainly abstract, computer-generated artworks.
It is, actually, more correct to widen this definition by considering it as a strategy for an artistic practice, a certain way of thinking and acting in realizing an artwork.
This approach opens the way to new expressive possibilities, because it is possible to add to the artist's sensibility, also a procedural component, which is able to influence the resulting artwork, in a very surprising way.