CM Seminar – “Forty-Four Esolangs: The Art of Esoteric Code”

Presented by: Daniel Temkin

Description: Software art is widely accepted, but can programming languages themselves be art? The new book Forty-Four Esolangs makes this argument, collecting work by a single artist who poses code as prayer to the Greek gods, patterns of empty folders, or typed in tandem by two programmers, the rhythm and synchrony of their typing determining commands. Temkin will share projects from the book in the context of thirty plus years of esolangs, showing the poetic possibilities of this medium.

Bio: Daniel Temkin makes photographic and computational art exploring logic and human irrationality. He began interviewing other esolangers and code artists in 2011, creating the blog esoteric.codes. ZKM exhibited the blog and commissioned videos of Temkin explaining esolang history for their Open Codes show in 2018–19. Esoteric.codes earned an ArtsWriters.org grant and a residency at New Museum’s NEW INC, the first museum-led cultural incubator. Temkin has written about esolangs for Hyperallergic and Leonardo, and his aesthetic theory of the form was published by Digital Humanities Quarterly. You can see his work at danieltemkin.com.

Hosted by: Professor TBD

When: Monday, October 20 from 12:30PM to 1:30PM

Location: 

IN-PERSON @ UCSC Main Campus, E2-280.

Viewing room @ SVC 3212. 

LUNCH WILL BE PROVIDED AT BOTH LOCATIONS! Faculty and students are highly encouraged to attend.

Zoom info: 

https://ucsc.zoom.us/j/94577724433?pwd=VgUIkuCxez84skpyuxydEDxbdSfc5k.1

Meeting ID: 945 7772 4433

Passcode: 545175