Z-Galaxy - Virtual Sculpture Park
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This pioneering work is part of the workgroup "Z-Galaxy" - a virtual exhibition landscape that opened its doors 2008. It was created by Herbert W. Franke, a pioneer of algorithmic art: his first works go back to 1954 done with an analog computer. This pioneering workgroup of voxel art shows photo documents of the Z-Galaxy, established as a 3D world of the platform "Active Worlds". All architectural structures and synthetic plants in this world were separately developed with the software Mathematica and then embedded in Active Worlds. The art exhibitions showed pictures as well as a sculpture park at the interface between art and mathematics. The Z-Galaxy was documented in a series of photographs. Shown here: an overview looking from the center place to synthetic plants and the "Three Towers" architecture in the back.
Herbert W. Franke (1927-2022) studied physics and philosophy at the University of Vienna; his PhD thesis was in the field of electron optics. He is a pioneer of algorithmic art and was shown in many exhibitions worldwide. He started with an analog computer in 1954. His pioneering electronic abstractions paralleled those of Ben Laposky, leading however to his own personal and varied oeuvre which shows many animated and interactive algorithms on personal computers starting with an apple II and programs to explore the field between mathematics and art. In addition to this, Franke wrote many books and articles on computer art und artists of this genre. One of his books "Computer Graphics - Computer Art" is the earliest comprehensive text on the subject. He also developed a cybernetic art theory and is a co-founder of the Festival “ars electronica” in Linz, Austria.
