Ken Knowlton
Encyclopedia
In 1963, Knowlton developed the BEFLIX
(Bell Flicks) programming language for bitmap computer-produced movies, created using an IBM 7094 computer and a Stromberg-Carlson
4020 microfilm recorder. Each frame contained eight shades of grey and a resolution of 252 x 184.
Knowlton worked with artists including Michael Noll
, Lillian Schwartz
and Stan VanDerBeek
. He and VanDerBeek created the Poem Field
animations. Knowlton also created another programming language named EXPLOR (EXplicit Patterns, Local Operations and Randomness).
In 1966, Knowlton and Leon Harmon
were experimenting with photomosaic, creating large prints from collections small symbols or images. In Studies in Perception I they created an image of a reclining nude (the dancer Deborah Hay
), by scanning a photograph with a camera and converting the analog voltages to binary numbers which were assigned typographic symbols based on halftone densities. It was printed in The New York Times
on 11 October 1967, and exhibited at one of the earliest computer art exhibitions, The Machine as Seen at the End of the Mechanical Age, held Museum of Modern Art
in New York City
from November 25, 1968 through February 9, 1969.
Knowlton's work had been previously exhibited at Cybernetic Serendipity, an exhibition held at the Institute of Contemporary Arts
in London
from August 2 to October 20, 1968.
BEFLIX
BEFLIX is the name of the first specialised computer animation language, invented by Ken Knowlton at Bell Labs in 1963. The name derives from a combination of Bell Flicks.-External links:*...
(Bell Flicks) programming language for bitmap computer-produced movies, created using an IBM 7094 computer and a Stromberg-Carlson
Stromberg-Carlson
Stromberg-Carlson was a telecommunications equipment and electronics manufacturing company formed in 1894 as a partnership of Alfred Stromberg and Androv Carlson. Along with four other companies, it controlled the United States national supply of telephone equipment until after World War...
4020 microfilm recorder. Each frame contained eight shades of grey and a resolution of 252 x 184.
Knowlton worked with artists including Michael Noll
A. Michael Noll
A. Michael Noll is an American engineer, and professor emeritus at the Annenberg School for Communication at the University of Southern California. He was a very early pioneer in digital computer art and 3D animation and tactile communication.- Biography :Noll has a B.S.E.E...
, Lillian Schwartz
Lillian Schwartz
Lillian F. Schwartz is an American artist who is known for being a creator of 20th century computer-developed art. One notable work she created is Mona Leo, where she morphed the image of a Leonardo da Vinci self-portrait with the Mona Lisa.She made one of the first digitally created films to be...
and Stan VanDerBeek
Stan Vanderbeek
Stan Vanderbeek was an American experimental filmmaker.- Life :VanDerBeek studied art and architecture first at Cooper Union College in New York and then at Black Mountain College in North Carolina, where he met architect Buckminster Fuller, composer John Cage, and choreographer Merce Cunningham...
. He and VanDerBeek created the Poem Field
Poem Field
Poem Field is the name of a series of 8 computer-generated animations by Stan VanDerBeek and Ken Knowlton in 1964-1967. The animations were programmed in a language called Beflix , which was developed by Knowlton....
animations. Knowlton also created another programming language named EXPLOR (EXplicit Patterns, Local Operations and Randomness).
In 1966, Knowlton and Leon Harmon
Leon Harmon
Leon D. Harmon was a cyberneticist who worked at Bell Labs.Harmon started his career as a radio serviceman and electronics hobbyist. In 1950, he went to work as a wireman on the IAS machine at the Institute for Advanced Study, where he worked for Julian Bigelow and encountered John von Neumann...
were experimenting with photomosaic, creating large prints from collections small symbols or images. In Studies in Perception I they created an image of a reclining nude (the dancer Deborah Hay
Deborah Hay
-Life and work:Deborah Hay was born in 1941 in Brooklyn. Her mother was her first dance teacher and directed her training until she was a teenager. Hay moved at age 19 to Downtown, Manhattan in the 1960s, where she continued her training with Merce Cunningham and Mia Slavenska...
), by scanning a photograph with a camera and converting the analog voltages to binary numbers which were assigned typographic symbols based on halftone densities. It was printed in The New York Times
The New York Times
The New York Times is an American daily newspaper founded and continuously published in New York City since 1851. The New York Times has won 106 Pulitzer Prizes, the most of any news organization...
on 11 October 1967, and exhibited at one of the earliest computer art exhibitions, The Machine as Seen at the End of the Mechanical Age, held Museum of Modern Art
Museum of Modern Art
The Museum of Modern Art is an art museum in Midtown Manhattan in New York City, on 53rd Street, between Fifth and Sixth Avenues. It has been important in developing and collecting modernist art, and is often identified as the most influential museum of modern art in the world...
in New York City
New York City
New York is the most populous city in the United States and the center of the New York Metropolitan Area, one of the most populous metropolitan areas in the world. New York exerts a significant impact upon global commerce, finance, media, art, fashion, research, technology, education, and...
from November 25, 1968 through February 9, 1969.
Knowlton's work had been previously exhibited at Cybernetic Serendipity, an exhibition held at the Institute of Contemporary Arts
Institute of Contemporary Arts
The Institute of Contemporary Arts is an artistic and cultural centre on The Mall in London, just off Trafalgar Square. It is located within Nash House, part of Carlton House Terrace, near the Duke of York Steps and Admiralty Arch...
in London
London
London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
from August 2 to October 20, 1968.
External links
- KenKnowlton.com Dr. Knowlton's Personal site: general information, writings etc.
- Knowlton Mosaics Ken Knowlton Artworks
- Ken Knowlton bio, "Bell Labs & the Origins of the Multimedia Artist", 1998
- Portrait of the Artist as a Young Scientist, by Ken Knowlton, Digital Art Guild, 2004
- Still from Poem Fields (1964), by Knowlton & Stan Vanderbeek
- Images of Studies in Perception 1 and Studies in Perception: Gargoyle; image of frame from Poem Field
- Images created with patterns from a printer, by Michael Noll and Ken Knowlton of Bell Labs in New Jersey
- List of works held by the Victoria and Albert Museum
Further reading
- Reichardt, Jasia. Cybernetic Serendipity: the Computer and the Arts. London: Studio international, 1968. New York: Praeger, 1969.
- Hultén, K.G. Pontus. The Machine as Seen at the End of Mechanical Age. New York: Museum of Modern Art, 1968.
- Anderson, S.E., and John Halas. Computer Animation. New York: Hastings House, 1974.