{"meta":{"version":"2.1","_links":{"self":{"href":"https://api.vam.ac.uk/v2/object/O239975"},"collection_page":{"href":"https://collections.vam.ac.uk/item/O239975/"}},"images":{"_primary_thumbnail":"https://framemark.vam.ac.uk/collections/2010ED9108/full/!100,100/0/default.jpg","_iiif_image":"https://framemark.vam.ac.uk/collections/2010ED9108/","_alt_iiif_image":[],"imageResolution":"low","_images_meta":[{"assetRef":"2010ED9108","copyright":"© Victoria and Albert Museum, London","sensitiveImage":false}]},"see_also":null},"record":{"systemNumber":"O239975","accessionNumber":"E.964-2008","objectType":"Drawing","titles":[{"title":"20:28","type":"assigned by artist"}],"summaryDescription":"Harold Cohen (b. 1928) studied painting at the Slade School of Fine Art in London. He subsequently moved to the United States and from 1973-1975 he worked at the Laboratory for Artificial Intelligence at Stanford University, where he developed the AARON computer program. Besides instructions on form and colour the program also takes into account what AARON has previously drawn, thus making it highly complex. Over the years AARON was further developed by the artist ('taught by the artist'), making it more and more a complex system. AARON is said to be the first robot in human history to create art, the world's first pure A.I. (artificial intelligence) artist. AARON cannot learn new techniques or imagery on its own - this must be hand-coded by Harold Cohen - but it is capable of producing a practically infinite output of distinct images in its own style.\r\n\r\nMany of the works created by AARON are signed by Harold Cohen. In this case, the \"Aaron\" signature has been created by the computer program itself.","physicalDescription":"This computer-generated black and white plotter contour line drawing depicts 3 figures, one male, two female, with three balls. The male figure is sitting on the ball watching the females while they are apparently dancing. Below is the signature by AARON and the time when the program created the drawing: 8-16-85  20:28.","artistMakerPerson":[{"name":{"text":"Cohen, Harold","id":"A3453"},"association":{"text":"artist","id":"AAT25103"},"note":""}],"artistMakerOrganisations":[],"artistMakerPeople":[],"materials":[{"text":"ink","id":"AAT15012"},{"text":"paper","id":"x30308"}],"techniques":[{"text":"plotter drawing","id":"x43893"},{"text":"computer-generated","id":"x44521"},{"text":"contour drawing","id":"AAT101579"}],"materialsAndTechniques":"Computer-generated black and white plotter contour line drawing on paper, drawn by software AARON","categories":[{"text":"Computer Art","id":"THES49037"},{"text":"Drawings","id":"THES48966"},{"text":"Artificial Intelligence","id":"THES392486"}],"styles":[],"collectionCode":{"text":"PDP","id":"THES48595"},"images":["2010ED9108"],"imageResolution":"low","galleryLocations":[{"current":{"text":"LVLF","id":"THES49656"},"free":"","case":"PATRIC PRINCE WIP","shelf":"","box":""}],"partTypes":[[{"text":"drawings","id":"AAT33973"}]],"contentWarnings":[{"apprise":"","note":""}],"placesOfOrigin":[{"place":{"text":"United States","id":"x29333"},"association":{"text":"made","id":"x28654"},"note":""}],"productionDates":[{"date":{"text":"16th August, 1985","earliest":"1985-08-16","latest":"1985-08-16"},"association":{"text":"made","id":"x28654"},"note":""}],"associatedObjects":[],"creditLine":"Given by the American Friends of the V&A through the generosity of Patric Prince","dimensions":[{"dimension":"Height","value":"28","unit":"cm","qualifier":"","date":{"text":"","earliest":null,"latest":null},"part":"","note":""},{"dimension":"Width","value":"21.2","unit":"cm","qualifier":"","date":{"text":"","earliest":null,"latest":null},"part":"","note":""},{"dimension":"Height","value":"36","unit":"cm","qualifier":"","date":{"text":"","earliest":null,"latest":null},"part":"of mount","note":""},{"dimension":"Width","value":"28","unit":"cm","qualifier":"","date":{"text":"","earliest":null,"latest":null},"part":"of mount","note":""}],"dimensionsNote":"","marksAndInscriptions":[{"content":"'Aaron  8-16-85   20:28'","inscriber":{"name":{"text":"","id":""},"association":{"text":"","id":""}},"date":{"text":"","earliest":null,"latest":null},"description":"","interpretation":"","language":"","medium":"","method":"","position":"","script":"","translation":"","transliteration":"","type":"","note":"Inscription by artist AARON."}],"objectHistory":"","historicalContext":"","briefDescription":"Black and white drawing by AARON, a computer program written by Harold Cohen, '20:28:', by Harold Cohen / AARON, United States, 1985","bibliographicReferences":[{"reference":{"text":"","id":""},"details":"","free":"Beddard, Honor and Dodds, Douglas, 'Digital Pioneers'. In: <u>V&A Pattern - Digital Pioneers</u>. V&A Publishing, London, 2009."},{"reference":{"text":"","id":""},"details":"","free":"Herzogenrath, Wulf and Nierhoff-Wielk, Barbara (eds.). <u>Ex Machina - Early Computer Graphics up to 1979. The Franke collection and other foundations at the Kunsthalle Bremen. For the 80th birthday of Herbert W. Franke.</u>. Exhibition catalogue, Kunsthalle Bremen, Deutscher Kusntverlag, Muenchen 2007, pp. 322-325"}],"production":"made 16th August 1985 at 20:28 hours","productionType":{"text":"","id":""},"contentDescription":"","contentPlaces":[],"associatedPlaces":[],"contentPerson":[],"associatedPerson":[],"contentOrganisations":[],"associatedOrganisations":[],"contentPeople":[],"associatedPeople":[],"contentEvents":[],"associatedEvents":[],"contentOthers":[{"text":"male figure","id":"x43046"},{"text":"female figure","id":"x43298"},{"text":"balls (recreational artifacts)","id":"AAT217875"}],"contentConcepts":[],"contentLiteraryRefs":[],"galleryLabels":[{"text":"Patric Prince: Digital Art Visionary\r\n\r\nHarold Cohen (1928–2016)\r\n20:28\r\n1985\r\nPlotter drawing, drawn using the computer program AARON\r\n\r\nPrince acquired several pieces from Harold Cohen’s AARON series, recognising them as an important, boundary-pushing\r\nworks. Cohen developed AARON, one of the first computer programs to deploy artificial intelligence to make art, while working at Stanford University. He ‘taught’ AARON over the years, and by the mid-80s it was creating sophisticated figurative works.\r\n\r\nGiven by the American Friends of the V&A through the generosity\r\nof Patric D. Prince\r\nMuseum no. E.964-2008","date":{"text":"14/08/2023-15/09/2024","earliest":"2023-08-14","latest":"2024-09-15"}}],"partNumbers":["E.964-2008"],"accessionNumberNum":"964","accessionNumberPrefix":"E","accessionYear":2008,"otherNumbers":[],"copyNumber":"","aspects":["WHOLE"],"assets":[],"recordModificationDate":"2025-04-21","recordCreationDate":"2009-06-08","availableToBook":false}}