Herstellung von zeichnerischen Darstellungen, Tonfolgen und Texten mit elektronischen Rechenanlagen

From 15th January – 15th February 1966 the Deutsche Rechenzentrum [German Computing Center] Darmstadt presented an exhibition on computer art called “Herstellung von zeichnerischen Darstellungen, Tonfolgen und Texten mit elektronischen Rechenanlagen” [Creation of graphics, tone sequences and text with electronical computer], which featured three different kinds of art: music, text and graphics. Those types were represented by the following artists: Ben Deutschmann (tone sequences), Frieder Nake (computer drawings), Max V. Mathews (computer music) and Gerhard Stickel (generative text).
This exhibition was the first of its kind to receive reactions from the national press, broadcast and TV, for example by the Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung, who published the article “Computer vor den Galerien. Graphik und Gedichte des Elektronengehirns in Darmstadt” [Computer ahead of the galleries. Graphics and poems of the electronic brain in Darmstadt] by Günther Vogt on 09.02.1966 [cf. Klütsch, 2007, p. 142ff].
‘Programm-Information Pl-21 was published to mark the occasion, and made Computer Art known beyond the country’s borders. It was at the same time one of the first publications to be devoted explicitly to Computer Art.’ [Herzogenrath et al., 2007] It included essays by the artists:

• Frieder Nake: Bemerkungen zur Programmierung von Computergrafiken [Remarks on the programming of computer graphics]
• M. V. Mathews and Ben Deutschman: Music from Mathematics
• Gerhard Stickel: Monte-Carlo-Texte

This exhibition is said to be the inspiration for Otto Beckmann to start working with a computer. Bauhaus teacher Georg Muche told him about the event and Beckmann also received a copy of the publication Pl-21 [cf. Oberquelle and Beckmann, 2008].