Net Art Generator

Web-based computer program to collage material from the Net.

A smart artist makes the machine do the work!

The net.art generator is a computer program which collects and recombines material from the Internet to create a new website or a new image. The program requires the user to enter a title which then functions as the search keyword, and to enter a name as the author. The program can easily be used through a WWW interface. The resulting images and websites are stored online in an archive from where they can be downloaded. Since 1999 five different versions of the net.art generator have been realized in collaboration with six programmers: nag_01 to nag_05. A predecessor of the net.art generator has been in use for the project female extension.

Although it would be possible to solve the type of problem which the net.art generators address by using different programmming languages, all the programmers so far have chosen PERL. One reason for this might be that it is quite popular within the hacker scene as it is free software and compatible with other free software. Furthermore, the Comprehensive Perl Archive Network (CPAN) contains a huge number of modules which can be used as basic elements for the net.art generators.

Since 2003 all net.art generator scripts are available under GPL (GNU General Public License) on the project’s homepage: source code  [1]

Series ‘Warhol Flowers’, since 2004

Series ‘Woman’, 2003

[1] Images and text http://net.art-generator.com/