Plenary Speaker (Professor Tatsuo Unemi)

Creativity in Evolutionary Arts

Professor Tatsuo Unemi
Department of Information Systems Science, Soka University, Japan

Abstract:
Evolutionary Computing is widely recognized as a powerful tool to develop innovative design not only in industrial fields but also arts and humanity. This talk will introduce challenges toward realization of a computer artist, the machine that creates masterpiece of some kind of artwork, by means of Evolutionary Computing. After an introduction of the author’s experimental practice of automated daily production of audio visual art, the author will briefly mention an overview of the
past researches and activities in computational creativity, and then focus on the design of fitness function for visual arts to judge which piece is better in terms of aesthetic measure.

Biography:
Tatsuo Unemi graduated from Department of Control Engineering, Tokyo Institute of Technology in 1978, received Master’s degree from Department of System Sciences in 1980, and Doctor’s degree in 1994 from the same university. He worked as a research associate from 1981 to 1987 at Tokyo Institute of Technology, as an assistant professor at Nagaoka University of Technology, as an assistant professor at Soka University from 1992, as an associate professor from 1995, and then the current position from 2012. He was also working at Laboratory for International Fuzzy Engineering Research from 1992 to 1995 as a visiting scholar. He was staying at AI Lab., IFI, University of Zurich as a visiting professor from April to September 2000. His research included Natural anguage Processing, Knowledge Engineering, Machine Learning, Genetic Algorithm, Reinforcement Learning, Distributed Autonomous Robot System, and Artificial Life. Current interests include artistic, sociological, and humanities applications of these technologies. He is a member of Japanese Society for Artificial Intelligence, Japanese Cognitive Science Society, Japan Society for Software Science and Technology, Society of Fuzzy Set and Theory in Japan, Society of Instrument and Control
Engineers, International Society of Artificial Life, International Society of the Arts, Sciences and Technology, ACM SIGEVO, ACM SIGCHI, and ACM SIGGRAPH.

Since 2003, he has worked with Swiss-based artist, Daniel Bisig, for new-media art projects. Their works have been exhibited and demonstrated in international events related to new-media arts, such as ARCO 2007 in Madrid, 10th Japan Media Art Festival in Tokyo, Art Escapes 2007 in Valencia, SIGGRAPH 2009 in New Orleans, ISEA 2010 in Dortmund and WRO 2011 in Wrocław. They received three awards, Honorary Mention in Vida 9.0 in 2006 by Flocking Messengers, Excellence Award in 10th Japan Media Art Festival in 2006 by MediaFlies, and Audience Prize in WRO 2011 by Cycles. They were involved in four projects of contemporary ballet by Jiří Kylián in 2008 and 2009 for the stage effects.