Ken Knowlton

knowlton_pers00
Born 1931 in Springville NY, USA.
Pseudonymous: Kenneth C. Knowlton

Kenneth Knowlton began working at Bell Labs after earning a Ph.D. in Computer science at MIT in 1962.

As a member of the Computer Techniques Research Department he developed BEFLIX, the first specialized computer animation language, which he used to make experimental films in collaboration with artists including Stan Van der Beek.

In collaboration with Leon Harmon, he developed electronic scanning technologies explored in the Studies in Perception series. He also collaborated with Lillian Schwartz, Laurie Spiegel, and Emmanuel Ghent.

Essay by the artist on his work at Bell Labs.

Web site: http://www.kenknowlton.com
Member of institution(s): Bell Laboratories
Cited in: bit international. [Nove] tendencije - Comput..., Ex Machina - Frühe Computergrafik bis 1979. ..., Die Anfänge der Computerkunst, Computer Art, The Beginnings of Computer Art in the United ..., Apparative Kunst : vom Kaleidoskop z. Computer, Computergraphik Computerkunst, The Summer 1968 in London and Zagreb: Startin..., Film animation by computer, The Digital Computer as a Creative Medium, A Little-Known Story about a Movement, a Maga..., Computers and Automation '67, Computer Graphics and Art - May 76, Visual Intelligence: The First Decade of Comp..., Computer Graphics and Art - May 77, Paragraphs on Computer Art, Past and Present
Programming languages/software used: BEFLIX

EDUCATION

1953 B. of Engineering Physics, Cornell University, . Research Assistant. in Electron microscopy.
1955 M. S. Engineering Physics, Cornell University, . Physics, Math, Biology. Thesis: X-Ray Microscopy with a Modified RCA Electron Microscope.
1962 Ph.D. Communications Sciences, M.I.T., E.E., Computer Science. Thesis: Sentence Parsing with a Self-Organizing Heuristic Program.

PROFESSIONAL

1962-1982 Worked at the BELL TELEPHONE LABORATORIES, Computer Techniques Research Dept. Developed new graphics programming languages BEFLIX, EXPLOR, ATOMS, SPHERES.
1982-1983 Worked at SRI INTERNATIONAL, Computing Research Division.
1983-1986 Worked at NETWORKED PICTURE SYS. & VIA VIDEO, Developed a method for the lossless progressive transmission of color pictures.
1986-1987 Worked at DIGITAL EQUIPMENT CORPORATION, Constructed a library of tools and methods for a new high-resolution color graphics board.
1987-1995 Worked at WANG LABORATORIES. Software Engineering Architect, Developed 10 U.S. Patents.
1996-2000 Worked at NETWAVE/QUICKBUY. Research and Development of tools for Internet browsing and electronic commerce.

COLLABORATIONS

1967 With Stan Vanderbeek. MAN AND HIS WORLD: Made in conjunction with EXPO 67 in Montreal; POEMFIELDs No. 1 through 10: ten films made with Knowlton’s “TARPS” language (Two-D Alphanumeric Raster Picture System, a set of macros based on BEFLIX).

1968-1974 Collaborated With Lillian Schwartz,. 10 films, made mostly with variations of Knowlton’s language EXPLOR (pictures based on EXplicit Patterns, Local Operations and Randomness): PIXILLATION, OLYMPIAD, UFOS, ENIGMA, GOOGOLPLEX (B/W), APOTHEOSIS, AFFINITIES, KINESIS, ALAE, METAMORPHOSIS. These films were shown in 30+ film festivals throughout the 1970’s.

1978 Collaborated with Emmanuel Ghent on the electronic film , BAOBAB. 20 min, combining Ghent’s electronic music and Knowlton’s images produced by the SFERES system showing the progressive growth of a monstrous planetoid object.

EXHBITIONS AND RELATED WORK

1965 Talk “Computer-Produced Movies,” Columbia Engineering Centennial Symposium, New York.
1966 to 1972 Member of the Board of the American Science Film Association.
1967 Gave a talk on “BEFLIX Techniques,” Conf. on Computer Animation, Ed. Development Center, Newton, MA.
1968 Participated in the Cybernetic Serendipity, Institute of Contemporary Arts in London.
1968 Participated in MACHINE SHOW, Museum of Modern Art, New York
1968 Participated in Experiments in Art and Technology SHOW, Brooklyn Museum, Brooklyn, NY
1970 to 1975 Conducted Workshops on BEFLIX & EXPLOR at various Universities. (El Paso, E. Mich U., Syracuse, U of Minn, CUNY).
1971 Visiting Professor of Computer Graphics, Univ. California, Santa Cruz.
1971 to 1975 Won numerous awards for many collaboratively made art films with – L. Schwartz.
1971 ART EX MACHINA (6-artist portfolio) G.Gheerbrant curator,Montreal
1971 COMPUTER ART AND MUSIC EXHIBITION, Univ. of Minnesota.
1972 to 1982 Member of National Committee for Electrical Engineering Films.
1972 NINTH ANNUAL AVANT GARDE FESTIVAL, New York.
1972 OBERLIN COMPUTER ART EXHIBITION, Oberlin, Ohio.
1972 CANADIAN COMPUTER ART EXHIBITION, Montreal, Canada.
1974 INTERNATIONAL COMPUTER ART EXHIBITION, Montreal, Canada.
1974 THE SDL COLLECTION (8-artist trav exhibit) Gheerbrant cur, Montreal,Canada.
1975 to 1977 An ACM National lecturer on computer graphics.
/1975 / IMPRESSIONS, Summit Art Center, Summit, New Jersey.
1975 CANADIAN COMPUTER SHOW ART EXHIBITION, Toronto, Canada.
1975 THE ART & SKILL OF PEOPLE USING COMPUTERS, IBM.
1976 COMPUTER GRAPHICS ART EXHIBITION, NCC, New York.
1978 ART OF THE SPACE ERA, Huntsville Museum of Art, Alabama, USA.
1979 COMPUTER ART EXHIBITION, Westlake Gallery, White Plains, NY.
1979 Year’s Honorary Life Member, Computer Arts Society, London.
1980 onwards SIGGRAPH ART SHOWS (several of the annual SIGGRAPH conferences)
1980 Distinguished Visiting Professor, New Mexico State University.
1980 ART IN / ART OUT – Ukranian Inst of Modern Art, Chicago, Illinois.
1980 U. S. EMBASSY SHOW, Stockholm, Sweden.
1980 BUCKS COUNTY COMMUNITY COLLEGE ARTMOBILE, Bucks County, PA.
1982 COMPUTER ART EXHIBIT AND FESTIVAL, Lehigh Univ, Bethlehem, PA.
1984 COMPUTERS IN ART & DESIGN, RESEARCH & EDUCATION, San Jose, CA.
1987 ARTISTS IN THE COMPUTER AGE, M.I.T. Museum, Cambridge, MA.
1998 LIBERTY ENLIGHTENING THE WORLD, Waterfront Museum, NY Harbor, NY.
1998 SIGGRAPH 25th ANNIVERSARY ART SHOW, Orlando, FL.
1999 SNOW SHOW, Greater Derry Arts Council, Opera House, Derry, NH.
1999 ELECTRONIC RITUALS (7-pers retro), Intermmedia Arts, St Paul MN.
1999 SHARE OUR VISION, Arts Inst Group, Lawrence Heritage St Pk, MA.
2002 CONGLOMERATIONS (Society of American Mosaic Artists), Orangeburg SC.
2008 IMAGING BY NUMBERS, Block Museum of Art, Illinois.

knowlton_pers00
Knowlton
7c977ff1624210783c5b78fa90383c20_l
 
Last change by jana on 12th of May 2011