Bill Seaman
Department of Art, Art History & Visual Studies, Duke University
Member of the Duke Institute for Brain Sciences
Email: bill.seaman@duke.edu
Website: http://billseaman.com
Biographical Info: Bill Seaman is a media artist and researcher. His work explores a media-oriented poetics through various technological means – “Recombinant Poetics”, and “Recombinant Informatics” – a multi-perspective approach to emergent research and knowledge production. He has worked on many art/science collaborations— poetic installations, and scientific research papers and books. Many of his papers can be found at http://billseaman.com/
Seaman is interested in part in generative systems that enable the user of the system to become “mindfully aware” of their actions as a way to explore meaning-becoming (see Recombinant Poetics book)
He has focused more recently on Neosentience research (see Neosentience / The Benevolence Engine [book] with Otto Rössler). This research looks closely at the body in helping to define new approaches to learning systems and artificial intelligence, from many perspectives.
Seaman has recently become deeply interested in the history of the Biological Research Lab and all of those involved. Last year he visited the Von Foerster archives both in Illinois and in Vienna. He also is particularly interested in Pask’s work as an artist and scientist and has been developing a model for an electrochemical computer, in part inspired by Pask’s early research.
His research also explores the creation of experimental music which often includes generative engines. This includes collaborations with Daniel Howe (Minor Distance); Craig Tattersall – The Seaman and the Tattered Sail — Light Folds; and work with John Supko – S_Traits, which includes research into a “max” based generative audio engine [written by Supko]. This work is currently in process. His work with interactive audio began early on in his installation works.
Seaman teaches at Duke University in the Department of Art, Art History & Visual Studies focusing on a multi-modal approach to Visual and Media Studies. He was active in the creation of a new MFA at Duke in Experimental and Documentary arts, and in the creation of a new PhD in Media Arts and Sciences.
http://fds.duke.edu/db/aas/AAH/faculty/william.seaman
He is a member of DIBS (the Duke Institute for Brain Sciences). http://www.dibs.duke.edu/research/profiles/98-william-seaman
DIBS funded his first year of research into his Insight Engine projects – a collaboration with Todd Berreth, Olivier Perriquet (see description below); and a number of researchers both at Duke and abroad.
Seaman has explored the creative use of computers for three decades.
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