GABOR PAPP
MACHINE/ PROCESS
The computer is a programmable machine that can store, retrieve, and process data. It is also a metamachine, a machine for creating virtual machines. Each time one starts a program on a computer, it is turned into a different virtual machine following different rules. These rules, a series of actions define a process. Processes appear at several levels in the computer. First, text instructions are formalised to define the inner mechanism of a system. These instructions are translated to a program through an interpretation process. Then the generated machine language rules set into motion resulting in a completed piece of software, a virtual machine. This software can also describe rules and artificial entities to follow them.
The work Machine/Process, rooted in the history of conceptual and process artworks, tries to explore the layers of machines and processes being present in a metamachine. The piece is a work of generative art in itself. It employs computational algorithms to create abstract geometric animations in real-time. The result is an animated, living environment created by continuously changing dynamic graphics. Furthermore, it also reveals the invisible, elusive inner working of virtual and real machines through the creation of a community of artificial agents.
