Computer Art and the Human Response

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Lloyd Sumner

1968

Book

The Library

Description

In 1968, American artist and engineer Lloyd Sumner published Computer Art and Human Response, the first monograph to explore how an artist used computers to create art. The 96-page book includes practical notes on programming, philosophical discussions of the role of control and intention in computer art, and his reflections on his collaborative relationship with the machines, which he refers to as his “friends.”

The book is illustrated with numerous plotter drawings Sumner produced on a Burroughs B5500 computer and Calcomp 565 plotter at the University of Virginia, showing the smooth curves, symmetrical forms, and moiré-based patterns that characterize his work.

Released the same year his work appeared in “Cybernetic Serendipity” at London’s Institute of Contemporary Arts, Computer Art and Human Response marked the start of Sumner’s efforts to commercialize computer art through the sale of prints and catalogues. He used the income from sales of the book to fund a round-the-world bicycle trip—an undertaking conceived in the same independent, adventurous spirit that defined his art.

This copy of the book includes a handwritten dedication from Sumner to a reader from February 1969.