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.
Larry 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.