William Seaman, Professor of Art, Art History and Visual Studies

Please note: William has left the "MFA in Experimental and Documentary Arts" group at Duke University; some info here might not be up to date.

Research Description
Seaman's work  often explores an expanded media-oriented poetics through various technological means — Recombinant Poetics. Such  works often explore the combination and recombination of media elements and processes in interactive and generative works of art.  Seaman enfolds image/music/text relations in these works, often creating all of the media elements and articulating the operative media-processes involved. He is self-taught as a musician/composer. Early on he discussed his notion of Structured Improvisation, employing specific fragments of his own improvisations and musical constructions as a compositional method. Initially explored via tape loops and layering processes in the 80's, he now facilitates this  compositional methodology using the computer, in particular using the audio program Ableton Live. He often collaborates with others in terms of his musical output.
 
Media Research - Recombinant Informatics and  Neosentience
Seaman has been interested in meaning production and has explored ideas around computational meta-meaning systems— systems that enable a user to become mindfully aware of how  meaning is arising and changing through their interaction. He is deeply interested in new forms of computation, learning systems, the concept of creating an electrochemical computer, as well as the concept of Computational Creativity – both using the computer as a creative tool,  as well as articulating the future of creative potentials as explored via computational devices – the creativity of creativity. He has won a number of awards including two awards from Ars Electronica in Interactive Art; Intel Research Gift (3 years); Awards in the Visual Arts – Rockefeller Foundation; Fulbright Distinguished American Scholar (Senior Technological Specialist); International German Video Art Prize; NEA Fellowship; Semens’ Stipendium; and Leonardo Award for Excellence, among others. He has been commissioned on a number of occasions including William Forsythe and Ballett Frankfurt (Sleepers Guts) for video/set design; the Museum of Image and Sound - MIS Museum, Sao Paulo, Brazil – Architecture of Association (with Daniel  Howe); Tanz_Performance Köln – Inversion (with Regina van Berkel); Vision Ruhr  — Exchange Fields (with Regina van Berkel); National Gallery  of Canada — Red Dice | Des Chiffré; Greatwoods & Leonard Slatkin,  Guest Conductor Pittsburgh Symphony — Pictures at an Exhibition (video  for live performance); and the Contemporary Art Television Fund  (CAT) – The Water Catalogue.
 
 More recently he has been exploring notions surrounding Recombinant Informatics — a multi-perspective approach to inventive knowledge production. The work - The Insight Engine explores interactive Koestler-like bisociation processes for the exploration of crossing disciplinary boundaries and stimulating unconventional thought in research. This generative experimental search-engine work was funded by the Duke Institute for Brain  Sciences and Bass  Connections – The Brain  and Society. Seaman is currently working on a series of art/science collaborations — poetic installations and scientific research papers. The book Neosentience | The Benevolence Engine with Otto Rössler came out through Intellect Press. It  explores the history as well as the future of AI and Robotics. Ongoing discussions with Rössler and a new book are in the works exploring Rössler's entire research career. Seaman has also collaborated with artist/computer scientist Daniel Howe on multiple works exploring AI and creative writing/multi-media and has completed an album of experimental music with Howe entitled Minor Distance. He has developed a series of new generative works and is undertaking interface research with Matthew Kenny. He has also collaborated with Craig Tattersall from The Boats / The Humble Bee, The Remote Viewer et. al. They have finished a large audio work (over  7 hours) entitled Light Folds (working in part with Ciompi  Quartet at Duke) and are working on a new  album. He also ollaborated with vocalist Marissa Bergmann on a new  series of sonic works - A solo album called f (noir). He is a member of the Duke Institute For Brain Sciences. He co-runs The Emergence Lab with John Supko, Media Arts + Sciences at Duke University. Seaman and Supko's album s_traits exploring AI collaboration was discussed in the top  10 for new  Classical music in the New York Times  in 2012.  Seaman and Supko are currently working on a major new experimental Opera called The Oper& exploring image, music and text relations.
 
Seaman studied at Rhode Island School of Design (Foundations, Video and Sculpture), The San Francisco Art Institute (Scuplture, Performance, Installation), MIT (Master of Science in Visual Studies), and the University of Wales  (at the Center for Advanced Inquiry in Interactive Art) for his PhD. He is currently working on a new book – From  the Architecture of Ideas: The Life and Work of Ranulph Glanville, Cybernetician.
 
Expertise
Generative poetic systems, interactive art, experimental art, music, installation art,  generative computational tools, new forms of computation, recombinant informatics, recombinant poetics

Contact Info:

Office Location:	Smith Whse Bay 11 A289, 114 S. Buchanan Blvd, Durham, NC 27708
Office Phone:	(919) 684-2499
Email Address:
Web Page:	http://www.billseaman.com

Teaching (Spring 2024):

• VMS 198.01, EXPERIMENTAL INTERFACE DESIGN Synopsis

  Smith Wrhs A268, Tu 01:25 PM-03:55 PM

  (also cross-listed as ARTSVIS 198.01, CMAC 198.01, ISS 198.01)

• VMS 575S.01, GENERATIVE MEDIA AUTHORSHIP Synopsis

  Smith Wrhs A268, Th 01:25 PM-03:55 PM

  (also cross-listed as ARTSVIS 575S.01, CMAC 575S.01, ISS 575S.01, MUSIC 575S.01)

• ARTSVIS 130.01, EXPERIMENTAL DRAWING Synopsis

  Smith Wrhs A268, Tu 03:05 PM-05:35 PM

  (also cross-listed as VMS 131.01)

• VMS 510S.01, BODY AS ELECTROCHEMICAL COMP Synopsis

  Smith Wrhs A268, Th 01:40 PM-04:10 PM

  (also cross-listed as ARTSVIS 510S.01, CMAC 666S.01, ISS 666S.01)

Office Hours:

By email appointment

Education:

Ph.D.	University of Wales (United Kingdom)	1999
M.S.	Massachusetts Institute of Technology	1985
B.A.	San Francisco Art Institute	1979

Specialties:

Digital Media, Multimedia Digital Art and Theory;
Installation Art
Expanded Media-Oriented Poetics; Virtual Reality
Contemporary Art (1945 - Present)
Visual Studies/Visual Culture
Media Studies
Computer Arts

Research Interests: Generative Poetic Systems, Interactive Art, Experimental Art, Music, Installation Art, Generative Computational Tools, New Forms of Computation, Recombinant Informatics, Recombinant Poetics

Current projects: "Luminous Hands" with Sonke Johnsen, s_traits with John Supko, f (noir) Eilean [rec.33] (new music release)

Seaman's work often explores an expanded media-oriented poetics through various technological means— Recombinant Poetics. Such works often explore the combination and recombination of media elements and processes in interactive and generative works of art. Seaman enfolds image/music/text relations in these works, often creating all of the media elements and articulating the operative media-processes involved. He is self-taught as a musician/composer. Early on he discussed his notion of Structured Improvisation, employing specific fragments of his own improvisations as a compositional method. Initially explored via tape loops and layering processes in the 80's, he now facilitates this compositional methodology using the computer, in particular using the program Ableton Live. He has been interested in meaning production and has explored ideas around computational meta-meaning systems— systems that enable a user to become mindfully aware of how meaning is arising and changing through their interaction. He is deeply interested in new forms of computation, learning systems, the concept of creating an electrochemical computer, as well as the concept of Computational Creativity – both using the computer as a creative tool, as well as articulating the future of creative potentials as explored via computational devices – The Creativity of Creativity. He has won a number of awards including two awards from Ars Electronica in Interactive Art; Intel Research Gift (3 years); Awards in the Visual Arts – Rockefeller Foundation; Fulbright Distinguished American Scholar (Senior Technological Specialist); International German Video Art Prize; NEA Fellowship; Semens’ Stipendium; and Leonardo Award for Excellence, among others. He has been commissioned on a number of occasions including William Forsythe and Ballett Frankfurt (Sleepers Guts) for video/set design; the Museum of Image and Sound - MIS Museum, Sao Paulo, Brazil – Architecture of Association (with Daniel Howe); Tanz_Performance Köln – Inversion (with Regina van Berkel); Vision Ruhr — Exchange Fields (with Regina van Berkel); National Gallery of Canada — Red Dice | Des Chiffré; Greatwoods & Leonard Slatkin, Guest Conductor Pittsburgh Symphony — Pictures at an Exhibition (video for live performance); and the Contemporary Art Television Fund (CAT) – The Water Catalogue. More recently he has been exploring notions surrounding Recombinant Informatics — a multi-perspective approach to inventive knowledge production. The work The Insight Engine explores interactive Koestler-like bisociation processes for the exploration of crossing disciplinary boundaries and stimulating unconventional thought in research. This generative experimental search-engine work was funded by the Duke Institute for Brain Sciences and Bass Connections – The Brain and Society. Seaman is currently working on a series of art/science collaborations — poetic installations and scientific research papers. The book Neosentience | The Benevolence Engine with Otto Rössler has come out through Intellect Press. Ongoing discussions with Rössler and a new book are in the works. He is also collaborating with artist/computer scientist Daniel Howe on multiple works exploring AI and creative writing/multi-media and has completed an album of experimental music with Howe entitled Minor Distance. He has developed a new generative work and is undertaking interface research with Todd Berreth. He has also collaborated with Craig Tattersall from The Boats / The Humble Bee, The Remote Viewer et. al. They have finished a large audio work (over 7 hours) entitled Light Folds and are working on a new album. He is also collaborating with vocalist Marissa Bergmann on a new series of sonic works. Seaman is a member of the Fitzpatrick Institute for Photonics at Duke and is working on a collaboration with Tuan Vo-Dinh, the Director of the institute, on a project called the Light Data Domain exploring multi-modal sensor transductions and speed of light data transfer. He is a member of the Duke Institute For Brain Sciences. He co-runs The Emergence Lab with John Supko, Media Arts + Sciences at Duke University. Seaman studied at Rhode Island School of Design (Foundations, Video and Sculpture), The San Francisco Art Institute (Scuplture, Performance, Installation), MIT (Master of Science in Visual Studies), and the University of Wales (at the Center for Advanced Inquiry in Interactive Art) for his PhD. He is currently working on a new book – From the Architecture of Ideas: The Life and Work of Ranulph Glanville, Cybernetician.

Areas of Interest:

New forms/uses of computation in the arts and sciences.
Computational Creativity
Generative Aesthetic Systems

Keywords:

Generative Art, • Computational Art, • Interactive Art, • Virtual Reality, • Installation Art, • Generative Tools, • Polysensing, • Neosentience, • Recombinant Poetics, • Recombinant Informatics, • Neosentience Research.

Curriculum Vitae  Bio

Current Ph.D. Students  

• Max Symuleski  
• Sinan Goknur  
• Michael Tauschinger-Dempsey  
• Patric LeMieux  
• Pinar Yoldas  
• Jung Choi  

Recent Publications   (More Publications)   (search)

1. Seaman, W, Continuum Computing, in 50:50 – Scenarios for the Next 50 Years, edited by Talwar, R (2018), Fast Future Publishing
2. Seaman, W, Roy Ascott – Early Interactive Work and Some Cybernetic Relationalities (forthcoming), Cybernetics and Human Knowing: a journal of second order cybernetics, autopoiesis and cyber-semiotics (2018), Imprint Academic
3. Seaman, W, Towards A Dynamic Heterarchical Ecology Of Conversations (forthcoming), Cybernetics and Human Knowing: a journal of second order cybernetics, autopoiesis and cyber-semiotics (2018), Imprint Academic
4. Seaman, W, Emergent Relationality System / The Insight Engine, in Digital Methods and Remote Sensing in Archaeology: Archaeology in the Age of Sensing, edited by Forte, M; Campana, S (2016)
5. Seaman, W, Neosentient Architecture Generator – n_Arch.gen (October, 2015)