KARMA I - IV       Some Notes Regarding the Works:   KARMA I - IV   Basic Principles:     Trevor Batten     Some Notes Regarding the Works KARMA I - IV:            The works consist of closed ecologies of deterministic automata        which, after a random start, continually re-process their own        numerical and visual output. Within each ecology the automata        differ slightly in colour transformation rule, movement rule and        "footprint" (i.e the visible trace left behind as the automat moves        around the screen space). As they move through their self created        visual environment they modify it but are also themselves controlled        and modified by it.        Between the different works (KARMA I to IV) the automata remain        principally the same but leave different combinations of visible        "footprint".    Metaphors:  By introspectively generating visible form from empty space the programs could be considered to be models of, or metaphors for, the creative process. The way in  which the automata reinterpret the result of their actions to generate new variations in behavior can be considered to be a visual generalization of the Gödel paradox                                 exhibited by formal systems when interpreted as statements regarding themselves.   Alternative Paradigms:                        The works may also be considered as offering alternative paradigms for currently fashionable media hype.   User Friendly:  The programs are extremely simple to operate. There are two operational procedures i.e. "START" and "STOP". During operation the programs do not ask to be                      reconfigured, talked to, played with, kicked or stroked. They are not User Unfriendly -just a little bit reserved!  Interactivity:   Although not prone to conversing with humans, the automata are extremely interactive between themselves. Variation in behavior (subsequent to the random start configuration) is exclusively derived from the image and/or the internal states of the (other) automata. Just because the players won't play with you doesn't mean there  isn't a game going on!      Virtual Reality:   When running, the programs actually generate a Virtual world with Real Interactions taking place within it. This is surely a true "Virtual Reality" in comparison with    the illusionary shadows one is generally asked to fly through in "Virtual Space". Anyhow, didn't Philosophers tell us that Reality (outside a computer) is always  virtual?  Multimedia:  When operating, the programs form an intersection between visual, auditory, mathematical, electronic and conceptual (metaphorical) worlds. Although at present all   processing takes place in the visual/mathematical world the sound could be considered as being produced by an auditory automat reading a self generated (visual)   score. It is highly probable that interpreting the visual image generates auditory structures that are more complex than could be produced without doing so. Maybe                               media are more interesting as generators of information than as carriers of information!  Cyborgs:   The programs do not de-humanize, de-materialize, the human body or hybridize it into cyber-space. However, if one considers the introspective operation to be    concerned with the functioning of the computer's own internal states within its own "silicon" body then the work could be considered to be highly relevant to a  consideration of mind/body interactions. In a mind without body the mind may need to become the body -a body without mind is generally concidered to be dead! Creativity and Context:   Possibly, conceptualized mind/body interactions are more important than we realize. With the increasing dematerialization of information by the computer one may  easily be tempted to forget that medium (and context) play an important role in the creative process. Within the computer the consequence of the physical medium is  virtually reduced to zero. This suggests that the conceptual medium (language/context) must become more significant. 'T aint what you do, it's the way that you do it! Presentation:  Each work requires an Amiga computer to run on. The programs are developed on an Amiga 3000 but should run on any other Amiga. Because the running speed  affects the sound, a fast Amiga (minimal 3000 -preferably 4000) is recommended. If more than one work is being presented then identical machines should be used          for each work. It is also advisable to use an external amplifier and speakers (for each work), as monitor speakers are generally of poor quality.  For presentation a monitor can be used standing on a computer (with the speakers on either side) placed on a simple plinth (or table) which can also be used to hide    the rest of the equipment (i.e. the amplifier plus the mouse and keyboard, which in principle are not required after start up). Alternatively, if video projectors are               available, the images could be projected onto a flat white screen (wall, ceiling or floor) with the speakers mounted appropriately.   The images can be recorded on video but then the real-time (continuous) performance nature of the work is destroyed. In sound saturated environments the work           can be presented without sound. Unfortunately the artist is unable to provide equipment. Costs are therefore dependant on local conditions.  Because the works are real-time programs (under continuous development) which vary each time they are run, any documentation (slides or video) can only give an                                          indication of the type of image which may be produced. T.E.Batten Amsterdam 1996 ÿ