Welcoming Eko33 to ARTXCODE

Jean-Jacques Duclaux, aka Eko33, joins ARTXCODE.

Eko33 has been exploring generative art since the 1990s, initially drawn to it though experimental sound. Since then he has been exploring the artistic potential of various algorithmic systems, embracing the dualities of computational logic and human emotion to create compositions with remarkable detail and spatial depth.

Inspired by the challenges computer-art forebears faced, and the machine-driven entropy they embraced, Eko33 continually integrates the latest technologies into his creative process. The intricately layered abstractions of Terra Incognita and Robotic Scrolls of the Mind are the result of training neural networks on his own hand-drawings before enhancing the outputs with code. Continuing to push the limits of his practice, his recent experiments involve diving even deeper into the latest space of neural networks, feeding their image-making 'hallucinations' directly into p5.js. This complicated fusion of two systems strikes out into entirely new terrain, highlighting the technical finesse and ambition of Eko33's practice as he sets to open doors for alternative approaches to artistic creation with custom code and AI.

Robotic Scrolls of the Mind #5, 2024

Robotic Scrolls of the Mind #3, 2024

As Eko33 joins ARTXCODE, we had the pleasure of speaking with him about his creative practice and career, and the inspirations the underlie his ever-evolving body of work.

You have been working with generative systems since 1999. What initially sparked your interest and pushed you to start creating with code?

Back in 1999, the catalyst, quite unexpectedly, was experimental music. The abstract and boundless nature of this music genre intrigued me. I was fascinated by how sounds without the confines of traditional musical structure could create a landscape of emotion and thoughts. This opened my eyes to the world of digital experimentation. I was, and still am, a very big fan of Pierre Henry, Pierre Schaeffer, Karlheinz Stockhausen, Luc Ferrari and John Cage.

I realized that code, much like experimental music, offered a canvas with limitless possibilities. It wasn't just about creating something visually appealing; it was about exploring the boundaries of what could be expressed through digital means. The thought that I could manipulate pixels and algorithms to evoke emotions and convey ideas was exhilarating. So, I started creating, driven by a curiosity to see how far I could push the boundaries of digital art. It was about breaking rules, trying new things, and seeing what emerged from the chaos of experimentation. This journey has been as much about self-discovery as it has been about artistic expression.

Can you shine a light on what your toolset looked like at the time?

Back in those early days, my toolset was an eclectic mix of software and hardware, reflecting the experimental spirit of my work. A significant part of my toolkit was Max/MSP, a visual programming language for music and multimedia. It was like a sandbox for audio experimentation, allowing me to manipulate and control sounds in ways that traditional instruments or software couldn't. Then there was SuperCollider, a platform for audio synthesis and algorithmic composition that was a gateway to exploring the depths of sound design and musical structure. I then rapidly integrated libraries to create visuals. I remember using NATO.0+55+3d from the Netochka Nezvanova collective alongside adobe flash and macromedia director.

This combination of tools was more than just a means to an end. It was a reflection of my artistic ethos – blending the experimental with the technical, the traditional with the avant-garde. Each tool played a role in shaping my artistic voice, allowing me to explore digital art and music in a way that was uniquely mine.

Can you walk us through your creative process?

My process is deeply rooted in the traditional practice of drawing, often beginning with a flurry of sketches on paper. These drawings are mostly in black and white, serving as the initial expression of my ideas. This stage is crucial as it allows me to visually conceptualize the emotions and themes I want to explore in my art.

Eko33's preliminary hand-drawn sketches

Alongside drawing, I gather a collection of references, ranging from visual stimuli to quotes from books I'm reading. This eclectic mix serves as a wellspring of inspiration, guiding the thematic and aesthetic direction of my work.

Once I have a clear vision of what I want to achieve, I embark on the coding phase. This is where my initial concepts and sketches are translated into digital form. The coding process is very iterative and experimental. It's a phase where technical skill intertwines with artistic vision, culminating in pieces that are true reflections of my initial conceptualizations and artistic intent.

How has your process evolved since you first started working with computers and code?

My artistic process has undergone a significant evolution. In the early days, my approach was primarily centered on honing my technical skills. I was deeply immersed in understanding the capabilities and intricacies of the hardware and software at my disposal. Back then, my process was more spontaneous, less structured. I didn’t start with sketches or a clear conceptual framework. Instead, I often jumped straight into coding, letting the process of exploration guide the outcome of my work.

As I grew as an artist I began to place greater emphasis on the emotional and conceptual aspects of my art. The shift involved integrating more traditional artistic practices, like drawing. These sketches became a crucial step in my process, helping me to visualize and refine my ideas before translating them into the digital medium.

What systems do you currently focus on to create art?

The core of my system revolves around p5.js and Processing. These platforms are central to everything I do, thanks to their incredible versatility and the powerful way they blend coding with visual art. I also love to experiment with a variety of other tools, such as Houdini and Redshift. These are particularly appealing because of their capacity for coding in Vex and Python, offering limitless possibilities in what I can create in a three-dimensional space.

Beyond these, my recent endeavors include integrating more advanced technologies like PyTorch, various machine learning libraries, machine vision, and other AI layers into my art. This expansion adds a new level of complexity and depth to my work, allowing me to experiment with generative art and explore the intersections of AI and creativity.

Are there any in particular that you are most interested in?

From a software perspective, AI has increasingly become a focal point in my art. This isn't just about using AI in a superficial manner; it involves a deep integration of custom-built sensors to collect environmental data, creating unique models that interpret this data in an artistic context. My experiments involve training AI models using my own drawings. The output from these models is then intricately blended into my projects, using machine vision layers and p5.js to create a harmonious blend of traditional art and cutting-edge technology.

Your work has been exhibited in museums, international art fairs, and biennales. How have these experiences shaped the way you create?

What stands out most to me is the human interaction aspect. Observing people as they interact with my work is profoundly enlightening. Watching their reactions, seeing the emotions play across their faces, and noting the nuances of their engagement with the art offers invaluable insights. Hearing how viewers interpret the pieces, what they perceive, and how they relate it to their own experiences adds layers of meaning to my work that I may not have considered during the creation process.

These experiences have undoubtedly shaped the way I create. They emphasize the importance of the viewer's experience and interaction with the art, reminding me that art lives not just in its physical or digital form but also in the experience it creates for the audience.

What led you to Web3?

My venture into the Web3 ecosystem was driven by a blend of curiosity and a desire to understand how this emerging technology could address complex issues like the Byzantine Generals Problem. My fascination with the potential of Web3 to solve such intricate problems was the initial spark that led me down this path.

Before actively creating and minting my own works, I took a supportive role, collecting generative artworks. This was a deliberate choice; it allowed me to immerse myself in the community and understand the nuances of Web3 from the perspective of an enthusiast and collector. By supporting artists whose work I admired, I gained invaluable insights into the ecosystem, the mechanics of NFTs, and the intricacies of blockchain as it pertains to art. This journey from observer and supporter to active participant highlights my belief in thoroughly understanding a medium before attempting to contribute to it, ensuring that my entry into Web3 was thoughtful, informed, and respectful of the existing community and its practices.

Can you speak about the inspirations and process behind your acclaimed series Terra Incognita?

Terra Incognita is more than just a display of digital art; it's a re-envisioning of my artistic expression through a unique collaborative process with an AI model. This AI, which I've custom trained on my own sketches, interprets depictions of urban abstract landscapes and geometrical shapes. The inspiration stems from my desire to see how my artistic sensibilities could be extended and transformed through the lens of artificial intelligence. The project represents a significant chapter in my journey as a generative artist, marking over two decades of exploration in this field.

Terra Incognita #12, 2023

The process involved three key elements: my artistic vision, the bespoke code I crafted, and the AI model attuned to my creative style. It starts with the AI generating images inspired by my drawings, followed by my code to refine them with lines and colors. It's an iterative dialogue, a rhythmic exchange between my vision and the AI's interpretations.

The decision to export these artworks in SVG format and store them on-chain (starting from phase 2) was a deliberate one. It not only allows for the physical recreation of the pieces using pen plotters, paying homage to the roots of generative art, but also delves into the concept of digital permanence and authenticity. Storing these works on-chain symbolizes the evolving relationship between art, technology, and the notion of permanence in our digital era.

Through Terra Incognita, I aim to celebrate and showcase the delicate dance of artist, code, and AI. It's a fusion of the past and future, of handcrafted and algorithmically generated art. It acknowledges the legacy of classical generative art while embracing the new horizons in the fusion of art, technology, and personal expression. All of this is set against the backdrop of AI's growing influence on humanity and the innovative potential of on-chain art preservation.

Terra Incognita #18 / Soulbound Spirits

Terra Incognita #17 / Chromatic Chronicles

What steps did you take to develop the algorithm for Neural Sediments, your 2023 Art Blocks Curated release?

Developing the algorithm for Neural Sediments was a meticulous and thought-provoking process, deeply rooted in my artistic and intellectual pursuits. It involved several key steps, each contributing to the depth and complexity of the final works.

The project is grounded in my fascination with objectivity and the human brain's biases. Inspired by the works of Alberto Burri, František Kupka, and Swiss topography, I aimed to create a series that challenges viewer’s perception. The technical challenge was significant, requiring an in-depth understanding of geometric calculations and an innovative approach to digital rendering. The algorithm needed to be robust enough to handle these complexities while maintaining the aesthetic integrity of each work. I used an algorithm trained on classical masterpieces to select the initial color palettes. This selection was then carefully re-arranged to align with themes of endangered ecosystems, adding another layer of meaning.

Neural Sediments #0, 2023

Neural Sediments #128, 2023

In line with my pursuit of objectivity, the algorithm was designed to subtly integrate and highlight observational biases. This was crucial in achieving the goal of the collection – to serve as a tool for introspection and self-discovery. Finally, the structure of each piece was influenced by brutalist architecture, with a focus on function over form. This was also crucial in encouraging viewers to rediscover themselves, free from cognitive constraints. Overall, the algorithm was not just a technical tool but a bridge between my artistic vision and the final expression. It was a journey that combined art, science, and philosophy to create a series that invites the viewer to delve into their own perceptions and understandings.

Neural Sediments #277, 2023

Your practice has evolved significantly over the years, what are you currently focused on?

Right now I'm focused on exploring the combination of AI and generative art. I started this approach with Terra Incognita, and continued it with Robotic Scrolls of the Mind. It's an evolution of the same algorithm, developing over time.

Here, I see a parallel with Howard Cohen and AARON, where Cohen was not creating anything new, he was just improving AARON over time. I have developed a set of tools that allow for a massive amount of freedom, so I can stop being focused so much on the tools and turn my attention to the creative and conceptual side of things. Painters do not dedicate their life to creating new brushes, they use the brushes for what they are, which is just a tool to express themselves.

Test outputs, 2024

I know you have also been working on a very experimental project, can you talk a bit about that?

I always love experimenting with the cutting edge, so I am working on this new approach to AI which I can best explain as feeding latent space hallucinations into p5.js. Latent space is a compressed, multi-dimensional representation where an AI model, such as a GAN, encodes the essential features of data. It's used throughout the model's operation to generate or manipulate new instances of data.

The GAN model generates novel visual compositions by sampling from its latent space. Latent space is represented as a series of numbers, which I feed into p5.js code. P5.js acts as a rendering engine, transforming these abstract numerical representations from the GAN's latent space into visual outputs. This process allows me to create unique visual compositions that are driven by the GAN's generative capabilities, but rendered through p5.js.

P5.js also provides a coding framework where I can organize and enhance the compositions. So, it's still a mix between AI outputs and handcrafted edits, however the edits are programmatic. I'm not manually going to draw a line, rather the system will automatically edit, add or delete features coming from the GAN model. This approach is distinct from my previous projects like Terra Incognita which encompass a blend, or overlap, between pure AI and code. With this new approach, they don't overlap. Instead, the two systems are connected internally through custom software; one is fed directly into the other, so 100% of the result is coming from the p5.js interface.

Can you give us more insight into your dataset and approach to training AI?

My dataset is constantly evolving. I feed it with my own hand-drawings, but also outputs from my previous projects. So it could be my Neural Sediments project where I started to go heavy on the lines, or it could be some works from Epoch, for example.

I've created more than 45,000 outputs. Out of these 45,000, less than 35 have been minted. Some of the remaining un-minted outputs, I'm feeding back into the model so it can evolve as much as possible. But it's not running entirely in a circle, rather the model generates outputs, I set some aside and re-input the best ones. It's a way to give it some feedback. Drawing from the principles of Cybernetics, its like a back and forth feedback loop where I am in the middle.

Epoch #188, 2021

Epoch #155, 2021

Is your new, experimental approach to AI entirely about pushing the technical limits of your practice, or is there a conceptual underpinning?

When you talk about AI today, most people think about tools like MidJourney or Stable Diffusion, and they understand AI to mean prompting: you type keywords, and it generates a picture. This is the paradigm of generative AI that I wanted to shatter by going in a completely different direction.