V&A Pattern Digital Pioneers

Computers offered the opportunity to explore innovative ways of creating images that would demonstrate a hitherto unexpected purity in their natural patterning, symmetry and order. Many of the earliest computer-generated images were created by people who trained initially in science or mathematics, such as Herbert W.Franke, Frieder Nake and Georg Nees.
As artists became familiar with the new technologies, they began to experiment with writing random variables into their programs, introducing genuine autonomy into the creative process. For some artists, an analytical approach to their work predates the arrival of new technology. From the mid 1970's onwards, Paul Brown's generative art has used tilling and simple systems that are capable of evolving and propagating.
While some artists concentrated on algorithmic works, others saw the potential of computers for three-dimensional design. William Fetter's drawings of human figures were produced for the Boeing Company and established his reputation as a pioneer of computer graphics, while Robert Mallary created some of the first computer-generated sculptural works.

The work and variety of the works included here demonstrate each artist's unique relationship with the computer. The digital pioneer's vision opened up a new field to subsequent generations of artists and designers, and continues to inspire us more than half a century later.