Gerold Weiss

Gerold Weiss was born in 1940 in Vrchlabí, Czechia. He studied mathematics at Technische Universität München and went on to work at Messerschmitt-Bölkow-Blohm (MBB), a pioneering German aerospace company. Weiss was part of the MBB Computer Graphics group alongside artists and engineers including Sylvia Roubaud, Frank Böttger, Aron Warszawski, and Rolf Wölk. This group blended technical expertise and artistic experimentation, supported by MBB’s leadership under Winfried Fischer, who sought to pioneer computer art by exploring the intersection of aerospace engineering and fine art.

In the early 1970s, Weiss collaborated closely with artist Sylvia Roubaud to develop software that transformed her artistic sketches into early computer-generated graphics. Weiss’ software generated algorithmic compositions based on Roubaud’s sketches, resulting in works like _Explosion Geordneter Strukturen I and II_ and Connections of Points by Arc Sequences. These pieces exemplify the early fusion of mathematical precision and abstract visual language in computer art. Weiss’s collaborative algorithmic works were part of MBB’s internal exhibitions in the early 1970s and contributed to the growing recognition of computer-generated art as a serious medium in Europe, including at important events like the _Tendencies 5 _exhibition in Zagreb in 1973. His contributions have been acknowledged through participation in key retrospective exhibitions such as bit international at ZKM Karlsruhe, Ex Machina at Kunsthalle Bremen, and 25 Jahre Computerkunst in Munich. He lives in Germany, with his legacy firmly rooted in the foundational period of computer art.