Stephen Scrivener

Stephen Scrivener is a British artist born in 1947. He trained in fine art at Leicester Polytechnic and later at the Slade School of Fine Art, University of London, where he joined the Experimental Department. He went on to complete a PhD in Computer and Information Sciences at De Montfort University. Alongside his studio practice, Scrivener spent many years working in computing, teaching computer science and developing systems intended to support artistic and design work. He returned to art and design education in the early 1990s and later held senior academic roles, including Head of Research at Chelsea College of Arts. He is now Emeritus Professor at Chelsea and Visiting Professor at Ravensbourne University London.

Scrivener’s work is driven by an interest in how images emerge from systems rather than from direct composition. Early in his career, he worked experimentally with natural processes such as light and water, before extending these concerns through computation. In the 1970s he developed systems that generated images through predefined rules and procedures, allowing order, chance, repetition, and transformation to shape the outcome. His current work applies generative thinking across different materials and media, with systems guiding process rather than direct composition. He develops bodies of work through structured variation, using repetition and incremental change to explore how images shift within a defined framework.

Pieces from Scrivener’s early computer-generated period are held in the collections of the Victoria and Albert Museum, London, and the British Computer Art Society. His work has been showcased in exhibitions focused on computer and systems-based art, both nationally and internationally. He is represented by Alfa Gallery and works from his studio in London.