Professors' musical art based on birds' flocking

Science and music combine to make an experimental form of art in A(rt) Life 2.0, an exhibit on display at the Henry Radford Hope School of Fine Arts until Feb. 4. A reception at the gallery will be held from 7 p.m. to 9 p.m. today.\nLarry Yaeger, a professor in the School of Informatics, and Norbert Herber, a professor in the Department of Telecommunications, collaborated on the project, which uses complicated algorithms of flocking behavior similar to that of birds. The "birds" in the exhibit, which appear as three-dimensional geometric shapes, use Yaeger's algorithm to flock in random ways, though they do follow certain rules to guarantee that they remain as a flock, Yaeger said. Their actions are tied in with musical noises, such that different behaviors result in different sounds. \nFor example, a bird in the center of the flock is accompanied by a short, sharp sound, while a bird on the periphery will be accompanied by a longer, graceful sound. The overall result is a presentation that engages viewers both visually and musically. \n"This doesn't sound like jazz or rock or classical music," Yaeger explained. "We wanted to make interesting and continually innovative music and tie the music together with visualization." \nYaeger said that the algorithm used in A(rt) Life 2.0 is similar to that used in motion pictures. He cited the herds of dinosaurs in Jurassic Park and the flight of bats in an early Batman movie as examples of when this technology has been used. Yaeger and Herber's project differs in that the animation results in innovative musical sounds.\n"I was interested in doing something like this because with systems like the one we're using, there are all kinds of possibilities for new music," Herber said.\nMatt Hoffman, a graduate student in music theory, said that the concept of basing music on mathematical concepts isn't altogether new, though he said he isn't familiar with the specifics of Yaeger and Herber's project.\n"There is a fine line between disorganized sound and music," he said, "but I wouldn't disagree with someone who considers A(rt) Life 2.0 music."\nHerber said what is most exciting is that the music never repeats itself.\n"You can go sit down one day, come back the next day, or a third day, and every time you'll hear something a little different," he said. "You never know from one moment to the next what's going to happen."\nAudience members will be able to meet Yaeger and Herber at the gallery reception and see the exhibit firsthand. While the science behind the work may seem daunting, Yaeger stresses that the art is aesthetically pleasing.\n"This is a fusion of art and science with emphasis on the art," he said.