Skip to content
Log in Join free
Le Random cover art

Le Random

Le Random

A Visual Arts and Arts podcast

#61 in Visual Arts · 🇦🇪 #112 in Visual Arts · 🇮🇪
Good podcast? Give it some love!

About the show

Le Random is building a digital generative art institution that contextualizes and elevates generative art. We achieve this in two ways. First, we are assembling a historically encompassing, chain-agnostic generative art collection. Second, we publish content that enables the generative art community to understand its past, curate its present and celebrate its future. This includes an Editorials section, our book-length Generative Art Timeline and our multimedia content here and on YouTube. This is the home of Le Random's audio content.

Newest episodes

46: Melanie Lenz—Generativity and Vera Molnár at the V&A with Peter Bauman

47 min

Episode page and full transcript: https://www.lerandom.art/episodes/melanie-lenz-generativity-and-vera-molnar-at-the-va  In this episode, host Peter Bauman (Le Random's editor in chief) speaks with Melanie Lenz, Curator of Digital Art at the V&A, about Vera Molnár and Degrees of Disruption: Vera Molnar and Generative Art, her display at V&A South Kensington, open until May 2027. They follow Molnár's practice per the show's layout. It goes from her early geometric paintings in Paris through the machine imaginaire, her first access to a computer in 1968 and decades of plotter work. Lenz explains how the display draws on the V&A's computer art holdings, including the Computer Arts Society and Patric Prince collections, and why it closes with contemporary artists such as Casey Reas, Harm van den Dorpel, Licia He, William Mapan and Entangled Others. They also discuss how museums show the process behind computer art, the stigma around artists who work with machines, and why Lenz avoids the word "pioneer." Read our editorial, Degrees of Disruption: Vera Molnár at the V&A The display runs at V&A South Kensington until 30 May 2027, free: https://www.vam.ac.uk/exhibitions/degrees-of-disruption-vera-molnar-and-generative-art  Also in this episode: François Molnár, Degrees of Disruption, Groupe de Recherche d'Art Visuel (GRAV), Charles Csuri, Sougwen Chung, John Cage, Cybernetic Serendipity, François Morellet, Gottfried Jäger, Julio Le Parc Read next: Molnár's Paris Listen next: Ep. 17, Digital Curators Series 01—Douglas Dodds on Collecting and Valuing Emerging Technologies, Ep. 5, Timeline Ch 4—Digital Era Pt II (1960s) with Michael Spalter On the Living Timeline: Vera Molnár Develops Her “Machine Imaginaire” (1959), Vera Molnár Begins her Computer Art Phase with the Interruptions Series (1968) Chapters 📖: 00:00 Introduction 01:31 Why Vera Molnár, why now 05:12 Disruption as a way of life 07:31 Paris and the output space 11:25 Rules, art history and the art world 14:39 GRAV,...

45: AI Psychosis Summit—Macy Gettles, Quasimatt and Kevin Esherick with Peter Bauman

57 min

Episode page and full transcript: https://www.lerandom.art/episodes/ai-psychosis-summit-macy-gettles-quasimatt-and-kevin-esherick In this episode, host Peter Bauman (Monk Antony, Le Random's editor in chief) speaks with Macy Gettles, Quasimatt and Kevin Esherick about the community around the AI Psychosis Summit that took place in Downtown NYC, April 30, 2026. They cover the origins of the community, from a memey, joke tweet to a packed Chinatown DIY community gathering. It's a scene where devs make art and artists ship products, where the point is the community rather than any individual art object. They also discuss managing AI euphoria with backlash, slop discourse and whether New York is over as Josh Kline's October article suggested. Read Kevin's Monday Editorial with us, What Was the AI Psychosis Summit?? Also in this episode: Anthropic, Basel Social Club Listen next: Ep. 44, Figure31—Discussing and Demonstrating DEL with Peter Bauman, Ep. 38, 2025 Art in Review with thefunnyguys, Conrad House & Peter Bauman Chapters 📖: 00:00 What was the AI Psychosis Summit? 05:04 Which projects used AI at the Summit? 11:30 Why take no public stance on AI? 16:58 Is cottagecore a rejection of AI? 25:08 Is art about social context or process? 28:03 What does AI psychosis mean? 36:36 How did a joke tweet start the Summit? 38:23 Is New York art over? 46:50 What makes the Shake app scene tech? 53:07 What's next for the Summit?

44: Figure31—Discussing and Demonstrating DEL with Peter Bauman

57 min

Episode page and full transcript: https://www.lerandom.art/episodes/figure31-discussing-and-demonstrating-del In this special video episode, host Peter Bauman (Monk Antony, Le Random's editor in chief) speaks with artist Loucas Braconnier (Figure31). They discuss DEL, a two-year project that began life as a terminal-based C application with a "Grim Reaper" persona before becoming a browser-native work. It consists of globular "bodies for the Ethereum network" rendered in real time as ASCII art. They go over Braconnier's path into blockchain art and his attraction to work that evolves over time, the discipline of building for longevity, and a wider conversation about how AI and new tools shift the artist's focus from technical skill toward conceptual intent. In the second half, Braconnier gives a live demo of the work and a visual walk-through, showing how its entities express network data through behaviors like twirling, meditating, or trying to escape the viewport. Monday's Editorial: Jakob Kudsk Steensen on Non-Human Pathways Also in this episode: Rafaël Rozendaal, Artforum Read next: Rafaël Rozendaal on a Liquid Canvas Listen next: Ep. 45, AI Psychosis Summit—Macy Gettles, quasimatt and Kevin Esherick with Peter Bauman, Ep. 30, Parker Ito—Understanding the World through Images with Peter Bauman Chapters 📖 00:00 Introduction 01:00 What drew Figure31 to Ethereum? 03:00 Why does evolving art need a blockchain? 05:28 What is the inner space of a contract? 09:36 How does DEL depart from Travelers? 15:17 Can on-chain art be repaired later? 18:20 Why did DEL take two years? 22:05 What is a body for the Ethereum network? 25:51 What does the main collection show? 28:56 What lies behind the ASCII characters? 30:39 Is every viewing of DEL the original? 34:33 Why expose a machine's inner workings? 40:08 Should owners be able to retune it? 44:55 Why build a custom site for every work? 50:58 Does AI make technical skill irrelevant? 56:00 Closing Thoughts

Similar podcasts

All episodes

46: Melanie Lenz—Generativity and Vera Molnár at the V&A with Peter Bauman

47 min

Episode page and full transcript: https://www.lerandom.art/episodes/melanie-lenz-generativity-and-vera-molnar-at-the-va  In this episode, host Peter Bauman (Le Random's editor in chief) speaks with Melanie Lenz, Curator of Digital Art at the V&A, about Vera Molnár and Degrees of Disruption: Vera Molnar and Generative Art, her display at V&A South Kensington, open until May 2027. They follow Molnár's practice per the show's layout. It goes from her early geometric paintings in Paris through the machine imaginaire, her first access to a computer in 1968 and decades of plotter work. Lenz explains how the display draws on the V&A's computer art holdings, including the Computer Arts Society and Patric Prince collections, and why it closes with contemporary artists such as Casey Reas, Harm van den Dorpel, Licia He, William Mapan and Entangled Others. They also discuss how museums show the process behind computer art, the stigma around artists who work with machines, and why Lenz avoids the word "pioneer." Read our editorial, Degrees of Disruption: Vera Molnár at the V&A The display runs at V&A South Kensington until 30 May 2027, free: https://www.vam.ac.uk/exhibitions/degrees-of-disruption-vera-molnar-and-generative-art  Also in this episode: François Molnár, Degrees of Disruption, Groupe de Recherche d'Art Visuel (GRAV), Charles Csuri, Sougwen Chung, John Cage, Cybernetic Serendipity, François Morellet, Gottfried Jäger, Julio Le Parc Read next: Molnár's Paris Listen next: Ep. 17, Digital Curators Series 01—Douglas Dodds on Collecting and Valuing Emerging Technologies, Ep. 5, Timeline Ch 4—Digital Era Pt II (1960s) with Michael Spalter On the Living Timeline: Vera Molnár Develops Her “Machine Imaginaire” (1959), Vera Molnár Begins her Computer Art Phase with the Interruptions Series (1968) Chapters 📖: 00:00 Introduction 01:31 Why Vera Molnár, why now 05:12 Disruption as a way of life 07:31 Paris and the output space 11:25 Rules, art history and the art world 14:39 GRAV,...

45: AI Psychosis Summit—Macy Gettles, Quasimatt and Kevin Esherick with Peter Bauman

57 min

Episode page and full transcript: https://www.lerandom.art/episodes/ai-psychosis-summit-macy-gettles-quasimatt-and-kevin-esherick In this episode, host Peter Bauman (Monk Antony, Le Random's editor in chief) speaks with Macy Gettles, Quasimatt and Kevin Esherick about the community around the AI Psychosis Summit that took place in Downtown NYC, April 30, 2026. They cover the origins of the community, from a memey, joke tweet to a packed Chinatown DIY community gathering. It's a scene where devs make art and artists ship products, where the point is the community rather than any individual art object. They also discuss managing AI euphoria with backlash, slop discourse and whether New York is over as Josh Kline's October article suggested. Read Kevin's Monday Editorial with us, What Was the AI Psychosis Summit?? Also in this episode: Anthropic, Basel Social Club Listen next: Ep. 44, Figure31—Discussing and Demonstrating DEL with Peter Bauman, Ep. 38, 2025 Art in Review with thefunnyguys, Conrad House & Peter Bauman Chapters 📖: 00:00 What was the AI Psychosis Summit? 05:04 Which projects used AI at the Summit? 11:30 Why take no public stance on AI? 16:58 Is cottagecore a rejection of AI? 25:08 Is art about social context or process? 28:03 What does AI psychosis mean? 36:36 How did a joke tweet start the Summit? 38:23 Is New York art over? 46:50 What makes the Shake app scene tech? 53:07 What's next for the Summit?

44: Figure31—Discussing and Demonstrating DEL with Peter Bauman

57 min

Episode page and full transcript: https://www.lerandom.art/episodes/figure31-discussing-and-demonstrating-del In this special video episode, host Peter Bauman (Monk Antony, Le Random's editor in chief) speaks with artist Loucas Braconnier (Figure31). They discuss DEL, a two-year project that began life as a terminal-based C application with a "Grim Reaper" persona before becoming a browser-native work. It consists of globular "bodies for the Ethereum network" rendered in real time as ASCII art. They go over Braconnier's path into blockchain art and his attraction to work that evolves over time, the discipline of building for longevity, and a wider conversation about how AI and new tools shift the artist's focus from technical skill toward conceptual intent. In the second half, Braconnier gives a live demo of the work and a visual walk-through, showing how its entities express network data through behaviors like twirling, meditating, or trying to escape the viewport. Monday's Editorial: Jakob Kudsk Steensen on Non-Human Pathways Also in this episode: Rafaël Rozendaal, Artforum Read next: Rafaël Rozendaal on a Liquid Canvas Listen next: Ep. 45, AI Psychosis Summit—Macy Gettles, quasimatt and Kevin Esherick with Peter Bauman, Ep. 30, Parker Ito—Understanding the World through Images with Peter Bauman Chapters 📖 00:00 Introduction 01:00 What drew Figure31 to Ethereum? 03:00 Why does evolving art need a blockchain? 05:28 What is the inner space of a contract? 09:36 How does DEL depart from Travelers? 15:17 Can on-chain art be repaired later? 18:20 Why did DEL take two years? 22:05 What is a body for the Ethereum network? 25:51 What does the main collection show? 28:56 What lies behind the ASCII characters? 30:39 Is every viewing of DEL the original? 34:33 Why expose a machine's inner workings? 40:08 Should owners be able to retune it? 44:55 Why build a custom site for every work? 50:58 Does AI make technical skill irrelevant? 56:00 Closing Thoughts

43: New York Frieze Week—Michael Connor, Regina Harsanyi & Karyn Nakamura with Peter Bauman

47 min

Episode page and full transcript: https://www.lerandom.art/episodes/new-york-frieze-week-michael-connor-regina-harsanyi-and-karyn-nakamura In this episode, host Peter Bauman (Monk Antony, Le Random's editor in chief) speaks with Regina Harsanyi (Associate Curator of Media Arts at the Museum of the Moving Image), Michael Connor, Executive Director of Rhizome, and artist Karyn Nakamura about Frieze Week in New York. In particular the discussion focuses on the week's programs on May 16th, with Rhizome's 7 on 7 at New Museum, as well as MoMI's Open Worlds: An Afternoon of Digital Art Encounters. They cover an anatomy of Frieze Week itself, (art fair, satellite fairs, Whitney Biennial, and all) before zeroing in on what each guest is bringing to the table. Connor traces the sixteen-year arc of 7x7, this year organized around the theme of "Containment." Nakamura discusses her own 7x7 project with Lucas Gelfond, which probes the geometry of meaning inside language models and the possibilities of interpretability research as artistic material. Harsanyi walks through the museum programming in depth. See our "New York Digital Art Guide" Monday's Editorial this week is an essay by Bauman on the relationship between protocol art and worldbuilding: The Cerebral Samba Also in this episode: Josh Kline, Édouard Glissant, Linda Dounia, Rhea Myers, Experiments in Art and Technology (E.A.T.), MIT, Avery Singer, Ken Knowlton, Sarah Friend, Travess Smalley Read next: Reprogramming Sensory Habits, Wendi Yan & Karyn Nakamura on the Artifice of Knowledge Listen next: Ep. 18, Digital Curators Series 02—Regina Harsanyi & Jon Ippolito on Preserving the Digital, Ep. 25, Recapping Digital Art in 2Q 2025 Chapters 📖: 00:00 Introduction 02:16 Why does Frieze Week matter? 07:18 Seven on Seven or MoMI on Saturday? 08:50 Why containment for Seven on Seven? 13:09 Can interpretability become art? 16:17 Can a blockchain be an art material? 18:36 What is Edgar Fabián Frías's Nierika? 20:15 Wha...

42: Strange Rules and Protocol Art at the Venice Biennale—Trevor Paglen & Primavera De Filippi with Peter Bauman

47 min

Episode page and full transcript: https://www.lerandom.art/episodes/strange-rules-and-protocol-art-at-the-venice-biennale In this episode, host Peter Bauman (Monk Antony, Le Random's editor in chief) speaks with artists Trevor Paglen and Primavera De Filippi about Protocol art. The occasion is Strange Rules, the landmark group exhibition co-conceived by Hans Ulrich Obrist, Holly Herndon, and Mat Dryhurst, running at the Palazzo Diedo in Venice for the full duration of the Biennale. The show offers the most institutionally significant framing of protocol art to date, and Paglen and De Filippi represent two of its most distinct vantages. The conversation opens with the question of how each artist situates their practice within the protocol framework. Paglen, long known as a revealer of hidden infrastructures, reflects on a career built between systems observation and systems intervention. He and on how his new work Voyager marks a turn inward, toward consciousness rather than exposure. De Filippi, a longtime Protocol art theorist and one of the few artists to self-define as a protocol artist, walks through her Protocolism Manifesto and the decade-long Plantoid project that preceded it, sharpening a key distinction: the difference between making art on top of a protocol and making the protocol itself as the creative act. Meanwhile, our Monday Editorial with Shohei Fujimoto completes our Venice Biennale coverage for the week. (More to come!) Also in this episode: OpenAI, Sam Altman Read next: Living Aesthetics: A Grammar of Protocol Art and Worldbuilding, Trevor Paglen on Technological Points of View Listen next: Ep. 38, 2025 Art in Review with thefunnyguys, Conrad House & Peter Bauman, Ep. 43, New York Frieze Week—Michael Connor, Regina Harsanyi & Karyn Nakamura with Peter Bauman Chapters 📖: 00:00 Introduction 01:37 Where do their practices meet protocols? 02:47 Why does Hans Haacke matter to Paglen? 04:55 Who counts as a protocol artist? 08:11 What happens when...

41: James Bridle—Questioning Machine Intelligence with Peter Bauman

51 min

Episode page and full transcript: https://www.lerandom.art/episodes/james-bridle-questioning-machine-intelligence In this podcast episode, host Peter Bauman (Monk Antony, Le Random's editor in chief) speaks with artist and writer James Bridle about what we actually mean when we say "intelligence." They discuss whether building our most powerful technologies around such a narrow version of it is a fundamental mistake. They also unpack author Bridle's argument from Ways of Being that intelligence has always been a political construct, and that contemporary AI represents a reduction of a reduction. The conversation moves through the three effects Bridle sees AI concretely producing right now: consolidation of power, environmental destruction, and a spreading ontological crisis. They end by widening to consciousness, ecological thinking, and what a genuinely non-human intelligence might actually require. It is one of the more skeptical conversations Le Random has hosted on AI, and one of the most clarifying. Enjoy! Monday's Editorial: Keiken on the Worldbuilding Lens Also in this episode: James Bridle, Gene Kogan, Hito Steyerl Read next: Hito Steyerl on How It Uses Us Listen next: Ep. 36, Stephanie Dinkins—AI, Memory & Survival with Peter Bauman, Ep. 39, Lawrence Lek—World Entry Points with Peter Bauman Chapters 📖: 00:00 Introduction 01:59 Why is our idea of intelligence biased? 08:01 Boosterism or doomerism? 15:08 Can agentic AI be ecologically smart? 20:05 What can citizens' assemblies teach? 24:35 Are symbionts a third way with AI? 29:53 What actually changes us? 36:14 What are AI's three real effects? 40:58 How do art and ethics meet at Glitch? 45:08 Can mountains and machines be conscious?

40: Kayvon Tehranian & Sebastian Sanchez—Digital Art Post Boom with Peter Bauman

48 min

Episode page and full transcript: https://www.lerandom.art/episodes/kayvon-tehranian-and-sebastian-sanchez-digital-art-post-boom In this special episode, host Peter Bauman (Monk Antony, Le Random's editor in chief) speaks with Kayvon Tehranian (CEO and co-founder of Foundation and Rodeo) and Sebastian Sanchez (formerly Christie's Manager of Digital Art Sales, now independent advisor and curator) about the structural challenges of the digital art market following the 2021 NFT boom. They discuss Foundation's recent sale to Blackdove and how Christie's, Sotheby's, and Rodeo have had to dissolve departments or shut down entirely because growth models built on crypto speculation proved unsustainable. The conversation explores where growth actually stalled and why none of the business models worked. Tehranian and Sanchez discuss what their organizations achieved, what can endure, and the need to rebuild from scratch. In the end, this conversation moves into the lofty topics of digital art becoming independent of volatile crypto cycles, moving into physical displays, and developing self-sufficient institutions built through slow, intentional work by committed participants. Also in this episode: Kayvon Tehranian, Sebastian Sanchez, NODE, Mike Winkelmann (Beeple), Becky Kleiner, Micky Malka, MoMA, Tyler Hobbs, XCOPY Read next: Micky Malka & Becky Kleiner on the Birth of NODE, NODE's 10,000: Fast Art, Slow Looking Listen next: Ep. 27, Reviewing Digital Art in 3Q 2025, Ep. 38, 2025 Art in Review with thefunnyguys, Conrad House & Peter Bauman Chapters 📖: 00:00 Introduction 01:38 Isolated incidents or symptoms? 09:50 What's the business model problem? 14:11 Speculation or art collecting? 19:11 Why are auction houses pulling away? 25:43 What role do institutions play? 30:54 What endures of the anti-establishment? 35:58 Why is physical display a problem? 38:38 Will rooted practices endure? 43:53 How close was it to sustainable? 48:00 Are leaner models the future?

39: Lawrence Lek—World Entry Points with Peter Bauman

1 hr 0 min

Episode page and full transcript: https://www.lerandom.art/episodes/lawrence-lek-world-entry-points In this special podcast episode, host Peter Bauman (Monk Antony, Le Random’s editor in chief) speaks with artist and filmmaker Lawrence Lek about NOX Pavilion at The Bass Museum of Art in Miami, an immersive installation centered on a self-driving car in a “therapy” program for malfunctioning AIs. They unpack Lek’s long-running NOX universe: a speculative rehab center where care can slide into control, and where machine interiority is treated as a technical defect. The conversation moves from the politics of nonhuman rights and legal gray zones (“it depends”) to Lek’s recurring fascination with autonomous creative agency and what it would mean for an AI to make art as a choice that conflicts with its intended function. In the second half, Lek and Bauman widen the lens to world-building: why a world isn’t one thing but multiple entry points, how ideas like Umwelt and worldview shape what any intelligence can perceive, and why Lek increasingly thinks of his simulations as “superficial models”—interfaces to reality rather than claims to foundational truth. Monday’s Le Random Editorial: "Embodying AI at NeurIPS 2025: Creative AI Track" by Luba Elliott and "Ian Cheng on Composing with Systems" by Peter Bauman Also in this episode: Luba Elliott, Ian Cheng, Karl Sims, Sarah Friend Read next: Lawrence Lek on AI Reinventing Place Listen next: Ep. 41, James Bridle—Questioning Machine Intelligence with Peter Bauman, Ep. 31, Ian Goodfellow on Inventing GANs with Peter Bauman (Deep Learning Series 02) On the Living Timeline: Lawrence Lek Wins 2024 Artist Award at Frieze London (2024) Chapters 📖: 00:00 Introduction 07:04 Can AI have nonhuman agency and rights? 13:37 Can AI interiority be repaired? 19:56 Who is to blame in Empty Rider? 27:33 Who is the crash test dummy? 32:09 Why resist empathy for machines? 38:23 Are simulations stories or lifeforms? 44:19 What counts as...

38: 2025 Art in Review with thefunnyguys, Conrad House & Peter Bauman

1 hr 38 min

Episode page and full transcript: https://www.lerandom.art/episodes/2025-art-in-review-with-thefunnyguys-conrad-house-and-peter-bauman In this end-of-year episode, host Peter Bauman (Monk Antony, Le Random's editor in chief) is joined by thefunnyguys (Le Random CEO) and Conrad House (Nemo Cake, former Collection Lead at Le Random) to look back on 2025: its biggest storylines, their favorites of the year and what they’re watching in 2026. They unpack a defining tension of the year: as crypto-native attention and prices stayed weak, institutional and traditional-art adoption of digital art kept accelerating. The conversation moves through platform and ecosystem shifts (VVV’s rise, Verse as gallery infrastructure, Art Blocks nearing the end of AB 500, Fxhash’s next chapter). Next is a discussion of “worlds”—protocol stacks getting richer, more modular, and increasingly entangled with AI, physical spaces and simulation. They close with Le Random highlights (including Raster and a more nimble publishing rhythm), personal favorites of the year, and a forward look at Node Foundation in Palo Alto, Canyon in New York, Colección Solo in Madrid, and Zero 10’s next iteration in Hong Kong. Mentioned: "Ian Goodfellow on Inventing GANs""THE PEOPLE ARE IN THE COMPUTER—PART I" on Alec Radford (most popular piece of 2025)"The Ultraintelligent Machine and Gaberbocchus Common Room" by Jasia Reichardt and Our 100th article"Drifella III: Room for Complexity" - 4,000+ word deep dive on Evil Biscuit's classic"Parker Ito and Evil Biscuit on Possessed Spirits""Standout Artwork of 2025" Also in this episode: Raster, Evil Biscuit, Copper Giloth, Art Basel, Gene Kogan, Ian Goodfellow, Kim Asendorf, Matt DesLauriers, Zach Lieberman, Jan Robert Leegte Listen next: Ep. 27, Reviewing Digital Art in 3Q 2025, Ep. 25, Recapping Digital Art in 2Q 2025 Chapters 📖: 00:00 Introduction 01:27 Is digital art institutionalizing? 04:21 Why do NFTs fade in crypto, rise in art? 07:10 Capitulation or insti...

37: terra0—What the "(Autonomous) Forest" Wants with Peter Bauman

53 min

Episode page and full transcript: https://www.lerandom.art/episodes/terra0-what-the-autonomous-forest-wants In this special episode, host Peter Bauman (Monk Antony, Le Random's editor in chief) speaks with Paul Seidler and Paul Kolling from art collective terra0 about their project Autonomous Forest (2025)⁠. They cover the nearly decade-long journey from ⁠white paper (2016)⁠ as university students to the project's NFT launch in December 2025. The collective shares how the original idea in the white paper mutated with projects like Flowertokens, Premna Deamon and now Autonomous Forest. They also cover why working through German law and smart contracts creates better frameworks than pure speculation, how the project evolved from startup pitches to nonprofit governance, and what it means to build living systems that exist outside economic (and human) exploitation. Monday's Le Random Editorial on "Standout Artwork of 2025" Thursday's Le Random Editorial: "Zero 10 Part 1: Beeple Casts a Spell" by Kevin Buist Also in this episode: Christiane Paul, Holly Herndon, Mat Dryhurst, Philip Galanter, Sasha Stiles, Simon Denny, Sol LeWitt Listen next: Ep. 44, Figure31—Discussing and Demonstrating DEL with Peter Bauman, Ep. 22, Protocol Art & Blockchain Formalism—Mitchell F Chan, Ania Catherine, Dejha Ti, matto & maltefr Chapters: 📖 00:00 Introduction 09:59 How did earlier projects lead here? 17:00 Why remove ecosystems from the market? 21:58 Why do blockchains matter here? 26:01 Is it repeatable? Where does AI fit? 28:59 Are corporations slow AIs? 32:02 Who can speak for rivers and forests? 38:02 What are the roots of protocol art? 40:59 How do artists build worlds? 48:58 What are Guattari's Three Ecologies?

36: Stephanie Dinkins—AI, Memory & Survival with Peter Bauman

52 min

Episode page and full transcript: https://www.lerandom.art/episodes/stephanie-dinkins-ai-memory-and-survival In this episode, host Peter Bauman (Monk Antony, Le Random’s editor in chief) speaks with transdisciplinary artist Stephanie Dinkins about AI as a container for preserving oral history, tradition, and the kinds of community knowledge that rarely make it onto the internet. Dinkins shares how a chance encounter with Bina48 in 2014 reshaped her practice. They discuss how this connects to her push for small, community-driven data that protects nuance and self-definition, especially for Black and Brown communities, against the homogenizing pull of large corporate models. They also cover Not the Only One as a “living archive” of family memory, the politics of access, privacy, and consent, and why Dinkins treats imagination (and hyperstition) as a practical method for building the AI futures we actually want. Monday's editorial (Beeple on Robot Dogs as Canvas): https://www.lerandom.art/editorial/beeple-on-robot-dogs-as-canvas Also in this episode: Kyle McDonald, Ian Cheng Read next: Zero 10 Part 1: Beeple Casts a Spell Listen next: Ep. 35, Beeple—Robot Dogs & Art After the Alien Landing with Peter Bauman, Ep. 41, James Bridle—Questioning Machine Intelligence with Peter Bauman On the Living Timeline: Stephanie Dinkins Creates AI-Powered Chatbot (2014) Chapters 📖: 00:00 Introduction 03:38 Why play and academic freedom? 07:00 How did Bina48 change everything? 12:29 Why small data over big data? 18:33 What is Not The Only One? 24:55 Can AI preserve a family ethos? 31:51 How do you prompt against whitening? 39:03 How do we move beyond fear? 45:40 How are students using AI? 50:25 How do you surf change?

35: Beeple—Robot Dogs & Art After the Alien Landing with Peter Bauman

45 min

Episode page and full transcript: https://www.lerandom.art/episodes/beeple-robot-dogs-and-art-after-the-alien-landing In this very special episode, host Peter Bauman (Monk Antony, Le Random's editor in chief) speaks with artist Beeple (Mike Winkelmann) about a busy year of institutional shows, studio experiments, and what it means for digital art to edge closer to the canon. The artist traces how works like Human One, Diffuse Control, and Transient Bloom at institutions like LACMA, The Shed, Mori Art Museum and Toledo Museum of Art have shifted his sense of digital art’s inevitability. They also discuss why he thinks IRL encounters with screens, robots and installations are “higher fidelity” than years of online discourse. They then cover how his Charleston studio has become a public lab by hosting CryptoPunks nights, video game tournaments, and a Synthetic Theater event. The second part of the conversation mostly covers REGULAR ANIMALS, Beeple's robotic, AI-mediated dog pack for Art Basel’s new Zero 10 digital section. They look at the work as a prototype for long-form generative systems that sense and interpret the world in real time, plus much more! A written version of the conversation now available on our Editorials: https://www.lerandom.art/editorial/beeple-on-robot-dogs-as-canvas Also in this episode: Andy Warhol, Pablo Picasso, Mark Zuckerberg, Elon Musk, Art Basel Miami Beach, Donald Trump, Mat Dryhurst Read next: Zero 10 Part 1: Beeple Casts a Spell, Beeple on Robot Dogs as Canvas, Beeple on Infinite Creation Machines Listen next: Ep. 38, 2025 Art in Review with thefunnyguys, Conrad House & Peter Bauman, Ep. 36, Stephanie Dinkins—AI, Memory & Survival with Peter Bauman On the Living Timeline: Everydays: The First 5000 Days by Beeple (2021), Beeple’s Studio Shows (2025), Zero 10 Debuts at Art Basel Miami Beach (2025) Chapters 📖: 00:00 Introduction 01:45 What changed in Beeple's big year? 03:09 Why embrace digital as its own medium? 06:17 Why open...

34: Anna Ridler & Sofia Crespo—The Natural History of Machine Learning with Peter Bauman (Deep Learning Series 03)

54 min

Episode page and full transcript: https://www.lerandom.art/episodes/anna-ridler-and-sofia-crespo-the-natural-history-of-machine-learning In this episode, host Peter Bauman (Monk Antony, Le Random's editor in chief) speaks with pioneering artist duo Anna Ridler and Sofia Crespo about their long-running collaboration bringing machine learning into dialogue with natural history. They trace their early encounters with deep learning—from memes, browser histories, and speech-to-text to data visualization, encyclopedias, and NeurIPS Creativity Workshops—and how both arrived at AI through questions of classification and what it means to “understand” the world. They also discuss fusing natural history and machine learning across their five collaborative projects (including Anna Atkins–inspired cyanotypes, Argentine “artificial memories” and the rain-marked Clematis tiles), working only with their own datasets in the middle of AI copyright debates, rethinking collage and photography in an era of generative models, and what might come next after winning Arab Bank Switzerland’s Artist of the Year prize. Monday's Editorial: Holly Herndon & Mat Dryhurst on Artificial Psychedelia: https://www.lerandom.art/editorial/holly-herndon-mat-dryhurst-on-artificial-psychedelia Also in this episode: Luba Elliott, Mario Klingemann Listen next: Ep. 26, "Infinite Images" in Conversation—Erick Calderon, Sofia Crespo & Tyler Hobbs, Ep. 23, Discussing Digital Art in 1Q 2025 On the Living Timeline: The Shell Record by Anna Ridler (2021) Chapters 📖: 00:00 Introduction 02:21 How did Anna find deep learning? 03:30 How did Sofia start with AI? 07:34 Why pair natural history and ML? 10:28 How did posthuman ideas emerge? 12:32 How did the NeurIPS workshop begin? 13:32 Artist or technologist? 15:42 What was Sofia's path into art? 20:59 Why talk to researchers during COVID? 22:03 How did Anna and Sofia meet? 26:09 What was their first collaboration? 34:50 Why 83 seeds from a vanishing mountain? 38...

33: Dr Mimi Nguyen—Disruptive Innovation in Contemporary Art with Peter Bauman

37 min

Episode page and full transcript: https://www.lerandom.art/episodes/dr-mimi-nguyen-disruptive-innovation-in-contemporary-art In this episode, host Peter Bauman (Monk Antony, Le Random's editor in chief) speaks with one of the most impactful forces in contemporary art, gallerist and curator Dr. Mimi Nguyen. They discuss Nguyen's path from statistics and design engineering into art and NFTs, opening galleries in London and New York, and a whirlwind year across Paris Photo, Art Basel Miami Beach’s new Zero 10 digital section, and the global fair circuit. They also cover the gap between crypto prices and on-the-ground energy, liquidity and taste, museums as signals, the technical realities of showing digital art, and what sustainable, future-ready gallery models might look like. Monday's Editorial with Karl Sims & Alexander Mordvintsev: https://www.lerandom.art/editorial/karl-sims-alexander-mordvintsev-on-merging-technology-and-biology Also in this episode: Lu Yang, Simon Denny, Andreas Gysin, Anna Ridler, Jeff Davis, Lauren Lee McCarthy, Leander Herzog, Mario Klingemann, Matt DesLauriers, Sofia Crespo Listen next: Ep. 38, 2025 Art in Review with thefunnyguys, Conrad House & Peter Bauman, Ep. 25, Recapping Digital Art in 2Q 2025 Chapters 📖: 00:00 Introduction 01:38 How did Mimi pivot into art? 06:09 Sentiment or reality in digital art? 10:33 Is the ecosystem sustainable? 14:01 What do institutions signal? 15:09 How big was Mimi's year? 16:48 What did a busy year teach her? 21:50 What is a gallery for now? 22:58 How do you show digital art well? 27:28 How will galleries adjust to new tech? 30:28 How does she choose artists? 32:53 Why does energy persist in a downturn? 33:55 Do gallery models need rethinking? 37:12 Closing Thoughts

32: Maya Man & Ann Hirsch—Ironic Sincerity and Online Gender Performativity Extremes with Peter Bauman

48 min

Episode page and full transcript: https://www.lerandom.art/episodes/maya-man-and-ann-hirsch In this long-anticipated episode, host Peter Bauman (Monk Antony, Le Random's editor in chief) speaks with one of the most exciting duos in contemporary digital culture, Ann Hirsch and Maya Man. They cover their collaborative projects, Ugly Bitches and Little Darlings, which explore online gender performativity. We discuss the works in relation to the so-called "vibe shift" of the 2020s. The artists also discuss how their work, often using GANs and other AI technologies, counteracts the "girl boss" rhetoric of early 2020s NFT projects by presenting a more flawed, nuanced, and sincere depiction of both femininity and masculinity. They detail how UB uses intentionally distorted AI dolls to comment on female failure, while LD employs shinier AI imagery to critique the "hustle grind gain success" male influencer culture. Finally, the conversation touches upon their admiration for, and points of departure from, the "Gay NFT" or Avant Schizocollage scene, with the artists expressing an interest in "ironic sincerity" in their work. Monday's Editorial with Jess Tucker: https://www.lerandom.art/editorial/jess-tucker-on-longing-for-a-face Also in this episode: Feral File Read next: Maya Man on Generative Meaning Listen next: Ep. 28, Jared Madere on Yeche Lange, VVV & the Solana Avant Scene's Impact—with Peter Bauman & Conrad House, Ep. 27, Reviewing Digital Art in 3Q 2025 On the Living Timeline: One Of Us Is Real And It’s Not You at Galerie Yeche Lange (2025) Chapters 📖: 00:00 Introduction 01:46 How did Ann and Maya meet? 02:41 Why did they make it together? 04:35 What's wrong with women-centric NFTs? 06:06 Why reject the idealization of women? 06:54 What is the vibe shift? 18:01 Why not 'all women are beautiful'? 19:30 How did they train the AI? 25:10 What is Solana's 'gay NFT' scene? 30:35 Why is this hard to capture in code? 31:33 What does HashLips actually do? 33:22 Sinc...

31: Ian Goodfellow on Inventing GANs with Peter Bauman (Deep Learning Series 02)

1 hr 24 min

Episode page and full transcript: https://www.lerandom.art/episodes/ian-goodfellow-on-inventing-gans In this extra special episode, host Peter Bauman (Monk Antony, Le Random's editor in chief) speaks with prominent AI researcher Ian Goodfellow about the legendary origins of GANs, their unexpected success and indelible impact on both twenty-first-century image making and AI research. This episode contains Peter and Ian's full conversation and serves as a companion to Monday's written interview, which covered the first half of the discussion only. Monday's editorial: https://www.lerandom.art/editorial/ian-goodfellow-on-inventing-gans Also in this episode: Alec Radford, Mario Klingemann, NeurIPS, Remi Denton, Pablo Picasso, Andrew Ng, Andy Warhol, Lawrence Lek, Mat Dryhurst Read next: Ian Goodfellow on Inventing GANs Listen next: Ep. 24, Tom White & Gene Kogan on the Birth of GAN Art (Deep Learning Series 01), Ep. 34, Anna Ridler & Sofia Crespo—The Natural History of Machine Learning with Peter Bauman (Deep Learning Series 03) On the Living Timeline: Ian Goodfellow Introduces GANs (2014) Chapters 📖: 00:00 Introduction 03:28 What are GANs and how do they work? 06:10 What happened at the Montreal party? 10:49 Did the first GAN really work first try? 19:34 Why did GANs last so long? 21:20 When did LAPGAN and DCGAN take off? 23:52 Is generative modeling the culmination? 26:09 Can GANs be creative or just mimic? 29:28 Who is creative when a GAN is a brush? 37:12 Can an AI be a fully autonomous artist? 41:48 Did GANs lead to text-to-image? 42:18 How did generative models become media? 51:28 Which advances led to StyleGAN? 57:50 Are engineers artists? 1:02:24 Were GANs used as Goodfellow expected? 1:06:48 Did GANs start the push for scale? 1:11:29 Can anyone predict when AGI arrives? 1:19:12 Do all neural nets converge on reality? 1:23:47 Closing Thoughts

30: Parker Ito—Understanding the World through Images with Peter Bauman

1 hr 3 min

Episode page and full transcript: https://www.lerandom.art/episodes/parker-ito-understanding-the-world-through-images In this episode, host Peter Bauman (Monk Antony, Le Random's editor in chief) talks with Parker Ito about the multidisciplinary artist's path from late net art/post-Internet and “zombie formalism” to Solana’s artist-led avant scene. They dig into painterly, memetic, trait-rich collections, subtle “post-AI” tooling, ETH vs. Solana cultures, blind mints and scale. Plus why this moment rekindles faith in a new avant-garde. Monday's editorial: https://www.lerandom.art/editorial/claudia-hart-on-land-of-the-dead Friday's bonus editorial: www.lerandom.art/editorial/parker-ito-and-evil-biscuit-on-possessed-spirits Also in this episode: Evil Biscuit, Claudia Hart, Mark Zuckerberg, Regina Harsanyi, SFMOMA, Verse Read next: Parker Ito and Evil Biscuit on Possessed Spirits, Evil Biscuit on card nft 2, Destruction & Rebirth Listen next: Ep. 27, Reviewing Digital Art in 3Q 2025, Ep. 28, Jared Madere on Yeche Lange, VVV & the Solana Avant Scene's Impact—with Peter Bauman & Conrad House Chapters 📖: 00:00:00 Introduction 00:02:00 Can Silicon Valley sustain an art scene? 00:06:36 Why does Parker's work fit differently? 00:09:29 Is Solana avant or backward-looking? 00:12:21 ETH generative or Solana post-AI? 00:24:48 What are the market worries? 00:30:52 Are NFTs raw expression? 00:39:20 What roots Parker's continuous work? 00:48:23 Are internet ideals now cynical? 00:50:01 Why does Drilady matter to Parker? 00:56:08 Why is the scene fighting itself? 00:59:50 Where does Drilady stand? 01:01:52 What do people get wrong about NFTs? 01:03:10 Closing Thoughts

29: London Digital Art Guide: Writers' Roundtable

42 min

Episode page and full transcript: https://www.lerandom.art/episodes/london-digital-art-guide-writers-roundtable After releasing our London Digital Art Guide, a curated guide to London's digital art and culture, Peter Bauman (Monk Antony, Le Random's editor in chief) is joined by the wonderful contributors who made the piece possible: Hannah Redler-Hawes, ‍Robert Alice, ‍Clara Che Wei Peh & ‍Abigail Miller. The panel unpacks London’s vibrant, intimate and collaborative digital art scene, from hidden gems and neighborhood walks to institutions, curators, and the city’s evolving role in global digital culture. See the London Digital Art Guide: https://www.lerandom.art/editorial/london-digital-art-guide See the Art Walk Map: https://www.google.com/maps/d/viewer?mid=1HpxjgPXiYhjJNhkX9wUYxIzFX8ysmM4&usp=sharing It highlights the must-see galleries, neighborhoods and artists that shape the city’s renowned scene. Also in this episode: Tate, MoMA, Serpentine, Goldsmiths, Luba Elliott, Alexandra Daisy Ginsberg, Douglas Dodds, Google, Kevin McCoy, Matt DesLauriers Listen next: Ep. 17, Digital Curators Series 01—Douglas Dodds on Collecting and Valuing Emerging Technologies, Ep. 46, Melanie Lenz—Generativity and Vera Molnár at the V&A with Peter Bauman On the Living Timeline: Taschen Releases On NFTs by Robert Alice (2024) Chapters 📖: 00:00 Introduction 01:52 What does the London guide aim to do? 07:14 How do you plan a London trip? 14:18 Which galleries and museums to visit? 21:05 Which London artists should you know? 24:19 What's the ideal digital art itinerary? 28:16 Why the Science Museum's games? 30:29 What's the best art date in London? 32:18 Do institutions accept blockchain art? 34:10 What holds conservation back? 37:07 What limits museum curators? 41:41 Closing Thoughts

28: Jared Madere on Yeche Lange, VVV & the Solana Avant Scene's Impact—with Peter Bauman & Conrad House

1 hr 45 min

Episode page and full transcript: https://www.lerandom.art/episodes/jared-madere-on-yeche-lange-vvv-and-the-solana-avant-scenes-impact In this episode, host Peter Bauman (Monk Antony, Le Random's editor in chief) and Conrad House (Nemo Cake, former Collection Lead at Le Random) sit down with artist/curator Jared Madere (Yeche Lange, VVV) to trace his early Whitney break and the rise of the Solana avant scene. They unpack on-chain transparency, Drifella’s meme-native collage, and how new online collectors are shifting power and reimagining culture in real time. Also in this episode: Evil Biscuit, Harm van den Dorpel, Simon Denny, Marcel Duchamp, Super Metal Bosch, Jenny Holzer, Little Swag World Read next: Jared Madere and fairybaby on VVV and the World as Material Listen next: Ep. 27, Reviewing Digital Art in 3Q 2025, Ep. 38, 2025 Art in Review with thefunnyguys, Conrad House & Peter Bauman Chapters 📖: 00:00:00 Introduction 00:01:44 Why talk about failure and transparency? 00:03:45 How did Jared's career begin? 00:10:11 What did Smithson's Glue Pour reveal? 00:14:08 Can digital galleries beat white cubes? 00:17:22 How did Covid decentralize culture? 00:19:02 What does collage say about media? 00:22:48 How do you bridge two worlds? 00:29:33 What was the Darja Bajagić controversy? 00:34:50 Is the gallery too sterile? 00:35:56 Why show Biscuit and Drifella? 00:37:34 What has VVV changed? 00:40:41 Are NFTs a form of portraiture? 00:42:13 Solana perversion or ETH minimalism? 00:44:13 Why does Drifella matter? 00:46:32 What are the Wretched Worm videos? 00:49:09 Who controls culture now? 00:52:20 Why are galleries closing? 00:56:14 What's the appeal beyond irony? 00:59:43 What's Drifella's structural genius? 01:05:28 What's wrong with the gallery model? 01:11:23 How do ambassadors build new audiences? 01:12:48 Who are the future collectors? 01:13:36 How do you build something cool enough? 01:15:24 Is Drifella procedural art? 01:16:06 How did Yeche start with 1/1s? 0...

27: Reviewing Digital Art in 3Q 2025

1 hr 23 min

Episode page and full transcript: https://www.lerandom.art/episodes/reviewing-digital-art-in-3q-2025 In this Le Random third quarter round-up, Peter Bauman (Monk Antony, Le Random's editor in chief) sits down with thefunnyguys (Le Random co-founder & CEO) and Conrad House (Nemo Cake, former Collection Lead at Le Random) to reflect on the biggest shifts in digital art this past quarter. They discuss how Toledo Museum of Art’s Infinite Images exhibition signaled a new era of institutional support for digital art and how MoMA’s debut of Sasha Stiles’s A Living Poem brought art and emerging technologies into a major museum lobby. They debate the fallout from Christie’s restructuring its digital art department, share insights on the launch of Raster, thefunnyguys' new artist-profile aggregator and marketplace, and dive deep into the rise of the Solana Avant scene on VVV — from Parker Ito’s and Biscuit’s schizocollage aesthetic to the generational shift it represents. Plus market sentiment, favorites of the quarter and much, much more. Also in this episode: Drifella III, Art Blocks, Copper Giloth, Evil Biscuit, fxhash, Hic et Nunc (HEN), David Hockney, DEAFBEEF, Harm van den Dorpel, Minne Atairu Listen next: Ep. 38, 2025 Art in Review with thefunnyguys, Conrad House & Peter Bauman, Ep. 25, Recapping Digital Art in 2Q 2025 On the Living Timeline: “Thinking Machines: Art and Design in the Computer Age, 1959–1989” at MoMA (2017), Sasha Stiles at MoMA (2025) Chapters 📖: 00:00:00 Introduction 00:01:36 What did Infinite Images signal? 00:04:13 What did Sasha Stiles bring to MoMA? 00:08:54 What does Christie's restructure mean? 00:15:46 Why did Raster grab so much attention? 00:23:00 What's rising in Solana's avant scene? 00:40:29 Is it just number go up? 00:54:16 How did Le Random collect in Q3? 00:56:17 How can Le Random be more resilient? 00:59:50 What did our editorials explore? 01:01:26 What were our Q3 favorites? 01:01:57 Best group shows and releases? 01:05:40 Best s...

26: "Infinite Images" in Conversation—Erick Calderon, Sofia Crespo & Tyler Hobbs

42 min

Episode page and full transcript: https://www.lerandom.art/episodes/infinite-images-in-conversation-erick-calderon-sofia-crespo-and-tyler-hobbs In this Le Random podcast, special Exhibition Discussion edition, Peter Bauman (Monk Antony, Le Random's editor in chief) speaks to three exhibiting artists of Infinite Images at the Toledo Museum of Art. Those artists are Erick Calderon (Snowfro), founder of Art Blocks, Sofia Crespo from Entangled Others and Tyler Hobbs. Also in this episode: Anni Albers, Chromie Squiggle, Feileacan McCormick, Electric Dreams, LACMA, Max Bill, QQL, Andrej Karpathy, Anna Ridler, Art Basel Read next: Snowfro and Ciphrd on a Symbiotic Relationship, Tyler Hobbs on Algorithmic Aesthetics Listen next: Ep. 14, Timeline Ch 10—On-Chain Era (2020s) with Erick Calderon, Lauren Lee McCarthy, Itzel Yard & Rafael Lozano-Hemmer, Ep. 34, Anna Ridler & Sofia Crespo—The Natural History of Machine Learning with Peter Bauman (Deep Learning Series 03) On the Living Timeline: Chromie Squiggle by Snowfro (2020), Tyler Hobbs Starts Writing About Generative Art (2014), Progress by Tyler Hobbs at Galerîa dos Topos Léon, Mexico (2018) Chapters 📖: 00:00 Introduction 01:20 What stood out in the exhibition? 02:24 How broad is generativity? 07:43 Which histories influence them? 10:39 How do they reach new audiences? 14:11 How do they collaborate? 17:06 Figuration or abstraction? 19:36 Where do generative systems meet AI? 27:02 How are software and art evolving? 34:42 How real is institutional interest? 38:23 How to navigate US funding cuts? 40:26 How do we engage new audiences?

25: Recapping Digital Art in 2Q 2025

55 min

Episode page and full transcript: https://www.lerandom.art/episodes/recapping-digital-art-in-2q-2025 In this conversation, the Le Random team reflects on 2025's noteworthy second quarter in digital art. Host Peter Bauman (Monk Antony, Le Random's editor in chief) is joined by thefunnyguys (CEO) and Conrad House (Nemo Cake, former Collection Lead at Le Random). Also in this episode: Rhizome, Art Basel, William Mapan, Jan Robert Leegte, Anna Ridler, Sofia Crespo, Tom White, Peter Beyls, Rachel Rossin, NODE Listen next: Ep. 38, 2025 Art in Review with thefunnyguys, Conrad House & Peter Bauman, Ep. 23, Discussing Digital Art in 1Q 2025 Chapters 📖: 00:00 Introduction 01:38 Why are new digital art spaces opening? 06:18 Is New York digital art's new hub? 10:50 Which Q2 events stood out? 27:17 What were Q2's best exhibitions? 32:58 Which artworks and projects stood out? 42:59 What did Le Random acquire? 48:00 Which editorials did we love most? 51:42 What are we looking forward to?

24: Tom White & Gene Kogan on the Birth of GAN Art (Deep Learning Series 01)

44 min

Episode page and full transcript: https://www.lerandom.art/episodes/tom-white-and-gene-kogan-on-the-birth-of-gan-art This is Part I of our Deep Learning Series where Peter Bauman (Monk Antony, Le Random's editor in chief) speaks with the most relevant figures in deep learning art. In this first installment, Peter speaks with two of the earliest artists to engage with the intersection of art and deep generative models, Tom White (dribnet) and Gene Kogan. They explore the artistic, philosophical and cultural implications of GANs and deep generative models, drawing on the artists' early experiences and perspectives in the field . The conversation touches on the origins of their interest in GANs, the evolution of AI and its perception, critiques of AI art, the nature of machine representations, and the connection between AI and decentralization. Also in this episode: John Maeda, MIT, Alec Radford, Joanna Zylinska, Karl Sims, Casey Reas, Golan Levin, Harold Cohen, Ian Goodfellow, Kyle McDonald Read next: Reprogramming Sensory Habits Listen next: Ep. 13, Timeline Ch 9—AI Era (2010s) with Tyler Hobbs, Helena Sarin, Rhea Myers & Gene Kogan, Ep. 31, Ian Goodfellow on Inventing GANs with Peter Bauman (Deep Learning Series 02) On the Living Timeline: Color of words by Gene Kogan (2011), Gene Kogan Creates BrainDrops, Long-Form AI Art Platform (2021) Chapters 📖: 00:00 Introduction 01:50 What first excited them about GANs? 04:04 How did Gene come to machine learning? 08:55 How did AI Twitter take off? 12:04 Why make AI tools accessible? 17:56 How did views of computation change? 21:54 How does the art world critique AI? 27:42 What is Tom's algorithmic gaze? 34:00 What is art by AI for AI? 37:49 Can AI be decentralized? 40:33 What did Tom make early on at MIT? 43:13 Final Thoughts

23: Discussing Digital Art in 1Q 2025

1 hr 18 min

Episode page and full transcript: https://www.lerandom.art/episodes/discussing-digital-art-in-1q-2025 In this conversation, the Le Random team reflects on a noteworthy start to 2025 in digital art. Host Peter Bauman (Monk Antony, Le Random's editor in chief) is joined by thefunnyguys (CEO) and Conrad House (Nemo Cake, former Collection Lead at Le Random). Also in this episode: Kim Asendorf, OpenAI, Mario Klingemann, Sam Spratt, Mat Dryhurst, Tom White, Leander Herzog, Alec Radford, Avery Singer, Tina Rivers Ryan Listen next: Ep. 20, Recapping 2024 and Projecting 2025 in Digital Art, Ep. 38, 2025 Art in Review with thefunnyguys, Conrad House & Peter Bauman Chapters 📖: 00:00:00 Introduction 00:01:27 Is AI art just plagiarism? 00:04:29 What does fair use mean for AI art? 00:06:53 How are artists using AI tools? 00:08:12 Can new models redistribute value? 00:11:00 Where did AI really come from? 00:14:09 Who holds the power in AI? 00:17:34 Why did AI agents fall short? 00:21:43 Are functional AI agents any better? 00:27:15 Should we stop saying NFT? 00:33:09 What did Sam Spratt's case reveal? 00:40:48 What brought Manolo back? 00:46:49 What is protocol art? 00:51:06 What were Q1's best exhibitions? 00:55:55 What were our Q1 favorites?

22: Protocol Art & Blockchain Formalism—Mitchell F Chan, Ania Catherine, Dejha Ti, matto & maltefr

1 hr 4 min

Episode page and full transcript: https://www.lerandom.art/episodes/protocol-art-and-blockchain-formalism In this episode of the Le Random podcast, host Peter Bauman (Monk Antony, Le Random's editor in chief) coordinates a discussion on coordination. He is joined by very special guests Mitchell F Chan, Operator's Ania Catherine and Dejha Ti, matto from Material Protocol Arts and maltefr.The conversation explores both the contrasts and connections between these seemingly opposing emerging camps, reaching at the very heart of why artists choose to work on Ethereum—straight from the protocol's leading thinkers and practitioners. Also in this episode: Mat Dryhurst, Jackson Pollock, Human Unreadable, Rhea Myers, Gerhard Richter, Nam June Paik, Art Blocks, Joanna Zylinska, Donna Haraway, Jack Burnham Read next: Operator on Human Unreadable, Operator Profiles Rebecca Allen Listen next: Ep. 23, Discussing Digital Art in 1Q 2025, Ep. 20, Recapping 2024 and Projecting 2025 in Digital Art On the Living Timeline: On View by Operator (2019)

21: Digital Curators Series 03—Val Ravaglia on Displaying the Digital

54 min

Episode page and full transcript: https://www.lerandom.art/episodes/digital-curators-series-03-val-ravaglia-on-displaying-the-digital In Part 3 of our Digital Curators Series, host Peter Bauman (Monk Antony, Le Random's editor in chief) interviews Tate Modern's Val Ravaglia, a display specialist and the curator of Electric Dreams, Tate's major historical digital art exhibition which runs until June 1, 2025. Ravaglia is Curator, Displays & International Art at Tate Modern. Her curatorial work has focused on display for over twelve years. In addition to curating Le Random's exhibition of the year, Electric Dreams, Ravaglia assisted on Tate’s complete collection rehang in 2016. The conversation covers the complexities of digital art display from a major museum perspective. Links: Also in this episode: Samia Halaby, Regina Harsanyi, Douglas Dodds, Carlos Cruz-Diez, Christiane Paul, Harold Cohen, Sol LeWitt, Tina Rivers Ryan, Tyler Hobbs Read next: Val Ravaglia on Electric Dreams Listen next: Ep. 18, Digital Curators Series 02—Regina Harsanyi & Jon Ippolito on Preserving the Digital, Ep. 17, Digital Curators Series 01—Douglas Dodds on Collecting and Valuing Emerging Technologies On the Living Timeline: Tate’s Electric Dreams (2024) Chapters 📖: 00:00 Introduction 01:43 How did Electric Dreams land? 06:12 What does display mean at Tate Modern? 16:57 What makes collection displays hard? 21:17 How is displaying digital art different? 31:35 What made Electric Dreams so complex? 41:59 What are best practices for digital art? 45:57 What advice for artists and exhibitors? 50:32 Closing Thoughts

20: Recapping 2024 and Projecting 2025 in Digital Art

1 hr 29 min

Episode page and full transcript: https://www.lerandom.art/episodes/recapping-2024-and-projecting-2025-in-digital-art In this conversation, the Le Random team reflects on a whirlwind 2024 in digital art and looks ahead to 2025. Host Peter Bauman (Monk Antony, Le Random's editor in chief) is joined by thefunnyguys (CEO) and Conrad House (Nemo Cake, former Collection Lead at Le Random). Also in this episode: Art Basel, Tate, Travess Smalley, Vuk Ćosić, Erik Swahn, Kazumasa Teshigawara (qubibi), Michael Kozlowski, Hic et Nunc (HEN), Marcel Schwittlick, Frieze Listen next: Ep. 23, Discussing Digital Art in 1Q 2025, Ep. 38, 2025 Art in Review with thefunnyguys, Conrad House & Peter Bauman Chapters 📖: 00:00:00 Introduction Host Peter Bauman introduces the podcast, the guests, and the agenda: reflecting on 2024 and discussing the outlook for 2025. 00:01:23 Why did the big platforms pivot? Discussion on the major themes of 2024, focusing on digital art platforms like fxhash, Foundation, Art Blocks, and their pivots or expansions. 00:02:40 What do artist tokens mean for artists? Exploration of the fxhash artist token economy and its implications for artists and collectors. 00:03:27 How are platforms like Rodeo adapting? Conrad House talks about Rodeo's onboarding process and how platforms are adapting to market conditions. 00:06:26 Market slump or museum moment? Peter Bauman discusses the dual themes of market struggles and institutional acceptance of digital art in 2024. 00:09:42 Does museum acclaim help the market? Thefunnyguys and Conrad House reflect on the institutional acclaim for digital art and its impact on the market. 00:11:03 Are collectors getting more discerning? Discussion on the maturing digital art market and the growing sophistication of collectors. 00:14:27 What were 2024's best exhibitions? We share our favorite exhibitions of 2024, including Electric Dreams and Electric Op. 00:22:52 What were 2024's best projects? We discuss our favorite projects fro...

19: "Electric Dreams" in Conversation—Rebecca Allen, Analívia Cordeiro & Eduardo Kac

1 hr 8 min

Episode page and full transcript: https://www.lerandom.art/episodes/electric-dreams-in-conversation-rebecca-allen-analivia-cordeiro-and-eduardo-kac In this special Le Random artist conversation, hosted by Peter Bauman (Monk Antony, Le Random's editor in chief), we turn our attention to one of the most exciting shows of the year, Tate Modern's Electric Dreams. Peter is joined by three extraordinary exhibiting artists that exemplify the aims of the show: Rebecca Allen, Analívia Cordeiro & Eduardo Kac. Conrad House (Nemo Cake, former Collection Lead at Le Random) co-hosts the talk. "One of Tate Modern’s most ambitious exhibitions to date," Electric Dreams is a major historical exhibition on the roots of new media expression celebrating "the early innovators of optical, kinetic, programmed and digital art." The artists reflect on their pioneering contributions to the major show, while sharing firsthand their experiences with the historical challenges and overdue recognition of digital art. Read from the show's curator, Val Ravaglia, with Peter. Also in this episode: Bauhaus, Cybernetic Serendipity, Ed Catmull, Electric Op, Girl Lifts Skirt, Jasia Reichardt, LACMA, MoMA, Refik Anadol Read next: Analívia Cordeiro on Perpetual Motion, Operator Profiles Rebecca Allen Listen next: Ep. 16, "Electric Op" in Conversation—Cory Arcangel, Joan Heemskerk, Tali Hinkis & Rafael Lozano-Hemmer, Ep. 21, Digital Curators Series 03—Val Ravaglia on Displaying the Digital On the Living Timeline: Arteônica by Waldemar Cordeiro (1972), M 3x3 by Analívia Cordeiro (1973), Modélisation d’un visage by Rebecca Allen (1986)

18: Digital Curators Series 02—Regina Harsanyi & Jon Ippolito on Preserving the Digital

1 hr 19 min

Episode page and full transcript: https://www.lerandom.art/episodes/digital-curators-series-02 In this conversation, Peter Bauman (Monk Antony, Le Random's editor in chief) interviews Regina Harsanyi and Jon Ippolito, two digital curators and experts in digital art's preservation. Harsanyi is the Associate Curator of Media Arts at the Museum of the Moving Image and an independent advisor on preventive conservation for variable media arts. Ippolito is a new media artist, writer and former curator at the Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum. He is also a professor of new media at the University of Maine, where he founded the Graduate Digital Curation Program. The conversation covers the complexities of digital art preservation, especially concerning blockchain and AI-based works. Links: https://transfergallery.com/data-trust/ https://dweb.grayarea.org https://DigitalCuration.UMaine.edu Also in this episode: Dan Flavin, Nam June Paik, Holly Herndon, Allan Kaprow, Donald Judd, Google, Auriea Harvey, Casey Reas, Christiane Paul, Cory Arcangel Listen next: Ep. 43, New York Frieze Week—Michael Connor, Regina Harsanyi & Karyn Nakamura with Peter Bauman, Ep. 21, Digital Curators Series 03—Val Ravaglia on Displaying the Digital On the Living Timeline: TV Buddha and TV Garden by Nam June Paik (1974) Chapters 📖: 00:00:00 Introduction 00:01:47 What does preservation really cost? 00:05:22 Why is preservation an industry problem? 00:10:49 What is variable media? 00:14:19 Whose intent guides preservation? 00:27:09 What standards should museums set? 00:38:27 Is blockchain robust enough for storage? 00:43:12 Who holds copyright on blockchain art? 00:54:27 How do you preserve digital art? 01:03:59 What makes up digital conservation? 01:13:37 Where can collectors and artists learn?

17: Digital Curators Series 01—Douglas Dodds on Collecting and Valuing Emerging Technologies

48 min

Episode page and full transcript: https://www.lerandom.art/episodes/digital-curators-series-01 In this conversation, Peter Bauman (Editor-in-Chief at Le Random) interviews Douglas Dodds, a longtime Senior Digital Curator at the Victoria and Albert Museum (V&A) and a pivotal figure in the institutional collecting of new media art.The discussion covers the challenges of collecting digital art, including sourcing, preserving and showcasing these works in a museum context. Dodds shares particularly valuable insights into the acquisition process, from identifying valuable pieces to navigating relationships with artists and galleries. He also reflects on the unique historical significance of the V&A's collection, which spans early computer-generated works to contemporary digital media, emphasizing the importance of context in building a cohesive and enduring collection. They also discuss the role of donations, the complex value of digital art beyond financial metrics and the delicate relationship between institutions and new digital mediums like NFTs. We get a museum perspective on the concerns of our community. Also in this episode: Casey Reas, Ernest Edmonds, Computer Arts Society, Lillian Schwartz, Manfred Mohr, SIGGRAPH, Tate, Vera Molnár, Digital Art Museum (DAM) Read next: Casey Reas on the History of Generative Art - Part 1, Casey Reas on the History of Generative Art - Part 2 Listen next: Ep. 46, Melanie Lenz—Generativity and Vera Molnár at the V&A with Peter Bauman, Ep. 21, Digital Curators Series 03—Val Ravaglia on Displaying the Digital Chapters 📖: 00:00 Introduction to Le Random Digital Curators Series 01:35 Challenges in Collecting Digital Art 03:31 Identifying Worthwhile Artworks and Preservation Issues 05:14 Process of Identifying Digital Art to Collect 09:17 V&A's Goals and Unique Collection Aspects 14:54 Sourcing Digital Artworks and Building Relationships 20:55 Donations vs. Purchases in Acquisitions 26:03 Value of Digital Art for Museums 34:00 Fin...

16: "Electric Op" in Conversation—Cory Arcangel, Joan Heemskerk, Tali Hinkis & Rafael Lozano-Hemmer

53 min

Episode page and full transcript: https://www.lerandom.art/episodes/electric-op-in-conversation In this special Le Random artist discussion—hosted by Peter Bauman (Monk Antony, Le Random's editor in chief)—we cover the upcoming Electric Op exhibition at Buffalo AKG. Our guests include four of the most influential voices in digital expression over the past two-three decades: Cory Arcangel, Joan Heemskerk, Tali Hinkis, and Rafael Lozano-Hemmer. Joining Peter is co-host Conrad House (Nemo Cake, former Collection Lead at Le Random). Each artist reflects on their unique practices and contributions to the Electric Op show, which bridges op art and digital media. We explore how their art interacts with technology’s aesthetic, cultural and historical dimensions. Also in this episode: MoMA, Barbara London, The Responsive Eye, LoVid, Bridget Riley, Tate, Artforum, Bruce Nauman, Carlos Cruz-Diez, JODI Read next: Joan Heemskerk on Quantum Web4 Listen next: Ep. 14, Timeline Ch 10—On-Chain Era (2020s) with Erick Calderon, Lauren Lee McCarthy, Itzel Yard & Rafael Lozano-Hemmer, Ep. 19, "Electric Dreams" in Conversation—Rebecca Allen, Analívia Cordeiro & Eduardo Kac On the Living Timeline: Super Mario Clouds by Cory Arcangel (2002), Cory Arcangel Begins His Photoshop Gradients (2007), Unstable Presence by Rafael Lozano-Hemmer at SFMOMA (2021)

15: Dr. Nancy Perloff on Experiments in Art and Technology (E.A.T.)

48 min

Episode page and full transcript: https://www.lerandom.art/episodes/dr-nancy-perloff-on-experiments-in-art-and-technology-e-a-t In this Le Random discussion we are so pleased to speak to a scholar of art history in Dr. Nancy Perloff from the Getty Research Institute. She joins Le Random's editor-in-chief Peter Bauman. Perloff recently curated Sensing the Future: Experiments in Art and Technology (E.A.T.), showing at the Getty Center as part of PST Art. The pair explores E.A.T.’s influential role in merging art, technology and engineering, a movement founded in 1966 by Bell Labs engineer Billy Klüver and artists like Robert Rauschenberg and John Cage. Dr. Perloff shares insights on E.A.T.’s success, including as an early digital art network, as well as its collaborations between artists and engineers (mostly from Bell Labs). This included performances like Nine Evenings: Theatre and Engineering and immersive experiences at the 1970 Osaka World Expo’s Pepsi Pavilion. They touch on curatorial challenges, EAT’s experimental nature, its role in building interdisciplinary networks, and its lasting, yet underappreciated, impact on art and technology. Also in this episode: Fluxus, Lucinda Childs, Merce Cunningham, Fujiko Nakaya, Grant Taylor, Lucy Lippard, MoMA, Barbara Rose, Deborah Hay, George Maciunas Listen next: Ep. 5, Timeline Ch 4—Digital Era Pt II (1960s) with Michael Spalter, Ep. 3, Timeline Ch 3—Analog Era (1950s) with Georg Bak

14: Timeline Ch 10—On-Chain Era (2020s) with Erick Calderon, Lauren Lee McCarthy, Itzel Yard & Rafael Lozano-Hemmer

1 hr 2 min

Episode page and full transcript: https://www.lerandom.art/episodes/timeline-chapter-10-on-chain-era-2020s In this Le Random Generative Art Timeline Artist Discussion, hosts Peter Bauman (Monk Antony, Le Random's editor in chief), Conrad House (Nemo Cake, former Collection Lead at Le Random) and thefunnyguys welcome four of this decade's most prominent voices and builders: Lauren Lee McCarthy, Erick Calderon, Itzel Yard and Rafael Lozano-Hemmer. The artists explore themes like the rise of AI, NFTs, and the increased institutional interest in digital art, proposing names for the decade such as the "Normalization Era" or "Digital Dramaturgy Era."McCarthy and Lozano-Hemmer discuss the dual nature of technology, highlighting both its empowering and its potentially oppressive aspects, while stressing the importance of community and critical engagement.Erick Calderon and Itzel Yard emphasize the positive communal and creative impacts of digital platforms like Art Blocks and the significance of making art accessible through modern technology.We conclude with reflections on the growing acceptance of digital art by institutions, the importance of preserving digital art, and the powerful role of art in understanding and navigating contemporary life. Also in this episode: Tina Rivers Ryan, Marcel Duchamp, Ars Electronica, MoMA, Casey Reas, Chromie Squiggle, LACMA Read next: Snowfro and Ciphrd on a Symbiotic Relationship, Casey Reas, Lauren Lee McCarthy & Chandler McWilliams on Expanding Software, Lauren Lee McCarthy on Software Values Listen next: Ep. 26, "Infinite Images" in Conversation—Erick Calderon, Sofia Crespo & Tyler Hobbs, Ep. 16, "Electric Op" in Conversation—Cory Arcangel, Joan Heemskerk, Tali Hinkis & Rafael Lozano-Hemmer On the Living Timeline: Timeline Chapter 10, Chromie Squiggle by Snowfro (2020), Dreaming at Dusk by Itzel Yard (Ix Shells) (2021), Lauren Lee McCarthy Creates p5.js (2013) Chapters 📖: 00:00:00 Introduction 00:01:58 What's next for the Time...

13: Timeline Ch 9—AI Era (2010s) with Tyler Hobbs, Helena Sarin, Rhea Myers & Gene Kogan

50 min

Episode page and full transcript: https://www.lerandom.art/episodes/timeline-chapter-9-ai-era-2010s-with-tyler-hobbs-helena-sarin-and-rhea-myers This is Le Random's discussion following the release of Chapter 9 of our Generative Art Timeline, which covered the decade of the 2010s. Peter Bauman (Monk Antony, Le Random's editor in chief) is joined by co-founder thefunnyguys and Conrad House (Nemo Cake, former Collection Lead at Le Random). Our guests today are some of the artists and thinkers who lived art history in the 2010s. They are Tyler Hobbs, Helena Sarin, Rhea Myers, and Gene Kogan. Join us as we discuss digital expression in a decade of major trends such as AI's rise and the invention of NFTs. Also in this episode: Casey Reas, John Cage, Sol LeWitt, Jason Bailey, Marcel Duchamp, Mario Klingemann Read next: Rhea Myers on Code as Cultural Material, Tyler Hobbs on Algorithmic Aesthetics Listen next: Ep. 24, Tom White & Gene Kogan on the Birth of GAN Art (Deep Learning Series 01), Ep. 26, "Infinite Images" in Conversation—Erick Calderon, Sofia Crespo & Tyler Hobbs On the Living Timeline: Timeline Chapter 9, Color of words by Gene Kogan (2011), Gene Kogan Creates BrainDrops, Long-Form AI Art Platform (2021), Inferno by Helena Sarin (2019)

12: Interview with Frieder Nake

41 min

Episode page and full transcript: https://www.lerandom.art/episodes/interview-with-frieder-nake Algorithmic and digital art founder Frieder Nake joined Peter Bauman (Monk Antony) to continue their chat after the release of "Frieder Nake on 'Machinic' Miracles" at Le Random Editorials. Also in this episode: Frieder Nake, Max Bense, Gerhard Richter, Leonardo da Vinci, A. Michael Noll, Georg Nees Listen next: Ep. 6, Timeline Ch 5—Artist-Programmer Era (1970s) with Joan Truckenbrod, Hans Dehlinger & Anika Meier, Ep. 5, Timeline Ch 4—Digital Era Pt II (1960s) with Michael Spalter On the Living Timeline: “compArt ER 56 series” and “Random Polygon Move” Signal Frieder Nake’s Entrance into Computer Art (1963), computer grafik by Georg Nees and Frieder Nake at Galerie Wendelin Niedlich in Stuttgart (Germany) (1965), 13/9/65 Nr. 2 (“Hommage à Paul Klee”) by Frieder Nake (1965) Chapters 📖: 00:00 Introduction to Frieder Nake and his contributions to digital art 02:32 Computers and the concept of quality vs quantity 03:26 Quantity turning into quality 05:31 Pattern recognition and discovery of new quality 07:07 Connection to Max Bense's Generative Aesthetics 09:13 Intuition versus machine randomness 12:15 Creativity, emotion and the role of intuition 24:53 AI and human choices in art 38:23 Alienation and creativity in artistic expression

11: Timeline Ch 8—Tooling Era (2000s) with Christiane Paul, Casey Reas, Christa Sommerer & Golan Levin

1 hr 3 min

Episode page and full transcript: https://www.lerandom.art/episodes/timeline-chapter-8-tooling-era-2000s In our chat, "Art & Code in the 2000s," from May 14, 2024, a panel of the decade's leading figures joins ⁠Peter Bauman⁠ (Monk Antony, Le Random's editor in chief), ⁠Conrad House⁠ (Nemo Cake, former Collection Lead at Le Random) and thefunnyguys from Le Random. They share their diverse perspectives on the 2000s in coded and generative art, reflecting on what made the decade unique as well as what we may have lost and are searching for today. Speakers include: ⁠Christiane Paul, Casey Reas, Christa Sommerer & Golan Levin Also in this episode: Casey Reas, Christa Sommerer, Christiane Paul, Golan Levin, Ars Electronica, John Maeda, Harold Cohen, Christopher Langton, Karsten Schmidt (Toxi), Laurent Mignonneau Read next: Casey Reas, Lauren Lee McCarthy & Chandler McWilliams on Expanding Software, Casey Reas on the History of Generative Art - Part 2, Casey Reas on the History of Generative Art - Part 1 Listen next: Ep. 0, Elevating the Generative Art Space (Launch Episode) with Casey Reas, ciphrd, Anne Spalter, Anika Meier & Georg Bak, Ep. 10, Timeline Ch 7—Net Era (1990s) with Auriea Harvey, Joshua Davis, LIA, Scott Draves & Vuk Ćosić On the Living Timeline: Timeline Chapter 8, Casey Reas and Ben Fry Initiate Processing Project (2001), Inaugural Exhibition at bitforms: Casey Reas’s first commercial gallery showing (2001), Golan Levin and Casey Reas, The Art of Code at Bitforms, New York (2002)

10: Timeline Ch 7—Net Era (1990s) with Auriea Harvey, Joshua Davis, LIA, Scott Draves & Vuk Ćosić

1 hr 17 min

Episode page and full transcript: https://www.lerandom.art/episodes/timeline-chapter-7-net-era-1990s In our chat, "Pioneering Digital Expression in the '90s," from April 10, 2024, a panel of legends joins ⁠Peter Bauman⁠ (Monk Antony, Le Random's editor in chief), ⁠Conrad House (Nemo Cake, former Collection Lead at Le Random) and thefunnyguys⁠. They share their diverse perspectives on the 1990s as pioneers of an often overlooked decade. It's only overlooked because of its recency, as the impact the decade had can still be seen all around today, including AI and Internet-related art. The parallels between artists getting started on the Internet in the '90s and artists beginning with blockchain and AI today are stark. Enjoy one of Le Random's most enriching conversations yet. Speakers include: Auriea Harvey, Joshua Davis, LIA, Scott Draves, Vuk Ćosić Also in this episode: Auriea Harvey, Joshua Davis, LIA, Scott Draves, Vuk Ćosić, Macromedia, Ars Electronica, Harold Cohen, Karl Sims, Adobe Read next: The memoir of a net.art memoir! Listen next: Ep. 1, Timeline Ch 1—Pre-Modern Era with Marius Watz, Ep. 11, Timeline Ch 8: Tooling Era (2000s) with Christiane Paul, Casey Reas, Christa Sommerer & Golan Levin On the Living Timeline: Timeline Chapter 7, skinonskinonskin by Auriea Harvey and Michaël Samyn (1999), Auriea Harvey at MOMI (2024), Joshua Davis releases ps0.praystation.v0 (1998) Chapters 📖: 00:00:00 Introduction to the Le Random discussion 00:05:03 What was net art like in the '90s? 00:17:14 How did they start coding Flash art? 00:27:25 How was Electric Sheep made? 00:31:56 How do evolution and ML shape art? 00:44:00 Why did local scenes matter? 00:49:19 Did a global audience free artists? 00:56:54 How did Flash free artists? 00:58:39 How did the avant-garde shape them? 00:59:43 What did the early web teach them? 01:01:10 Flash or Director? 01:02:40 Why switch to Flash? 01:04:04 Why did vectors matter in Flash? 01:06:36 Why move on to Processing? 01:08:53 How...

09: One Year of Le Random

58 min

Episode page and full transcript: https://www.lerandom.art/episodes/one-year-of-le-random  The Le Random team met up to celebrate a year since our public launch. thefunnyguys, Zack Taylor, Peter Bauman and Conrad House discuss: -One year of LR: Our favorite collected pieces 36 Points by Sage Jensen & seeds of seeds by Entangled OthersPolygona Nervosa by Golan LevinRGB Elementary Cellular Automaton #1 by ciphrdMondrian by Herbert W. Franke-One year of LR: Our favorite editorial pieces Demystifying Generative Aesthetics by PeterDemystifying Generative Art by PeterAGH on Glorifying the Computer by PeterIl(Lumina)ting Marfa by Nathaniel SternZach Lieberman on the Resonance of Generative Art by Peter-One year of LR: Our favorite moments -Our current thoughts on the market -Questions from the audience Also in this episode: Zach Lieberman, Piet Mondrian, Highlight, Bright Moments, Herbert W. Franke, Nathaniel Stern, Sage Jenson, Art Blocks, AGH, Casey Reas Listen next: Ep. 0, Elevating the Generative Art Space (Launch Episode) with Casey Reas, ciphrd, Anne Spalter, Anika Meier & Georg Bak, Ep. 38, 2025 Art in Review with thefunnyguys, Conrad House & Peter Bauman On the Living Timeline: Zach Lieberman releases OpenFrameworks v0.01 (2005)

08: Timeline Ch 6—Personal Computer Era (1980s) with Mark Wilson, Copper Giloth, Dan Sandin, David Em, William Latham, Stephen Todd, Darcy Gerbarg & Geoff Davis

1 hr 25 min

Episode page and full transcript: https://www.lerandom.art/episodes/timeline-chapter-6-personal-computer-era-1980s  In our chat, "Pioneers of '80s Art & Innovation," from February 7, 2024, a panel of icons joins Peter Bauman (Monk Antony, Le Random's editor in chief) and Conrad House (Nemo Cake, former Collection Lead at Le Random). They share their diverse perspectives on the 1980s in digital and generative art, reflecting the decade's richness and complexity. Speakers include: Mark Wilson, Copper Giloth, Dan Sandin, David Em, William Latham, Stephen Todd, Darcy Gerbarg + Geoff Davis Also in this episode: Copper Giloth, Dan Sandin, Darcy Gerbarg, David Em, Geoff Davis, Mark Wilson, Stephen Todd, William Latham, SIGGRAPH, IBM Read next: Copper Giloth on Video Games to Video Art, Jane Veeder on Loving Change, Travess Smalley Profiles Mark Wilson Listen next: Ep. 6, Timeline Ch 5—Artist-Programmer Era (1970s) with Joan Truckenbrod, Hans Dehlinger & Anika Meier, Ep. 11, Timeline Ch 8: Tooling Era (2000s) with Christiane Paul, Casey Reas, Christa Sommerer & Golan Levin On the Living Timeline: Timeline Chapter 6, Dan Sandin Creates the Sandin Image Processor (1971), Spiral 5 PTL by Dan Sandin, Tom DeFanti and Mimi Shevitz (1980), Cruz-Neira, Sandin and DeFanti Begin Developing “CAVE” (1991) Chapters 📖: 00:00:00 Introduction 00:01:53 What defined the 1980s? 00:02:28 What was Darcy Gerbarg's 1980s like? 00:06:34 How did Copper Giloth get started? 00:09:02 How did Mark Wilson find computers? 00:14:51 How did David Em meet the computer? 00:20:48 What did Latham do at IBM? 00:24:48 How did Todd and Latham work together? 01:00:00 What were early PCs like for artists? 01:01:11 How did artists move to PCs? 01:02:59 How did PCs change in the '80s? 01:04:20 How did gender bias shape the '80s? 01:06:19 How did CG portray women's bodies? 01:08:36 How did the artist community grow? 01:10:17 How has generative art evolved? 01:13:45 What was Chicago's game scene like? 01:17:03...

07: Celebrating Genuary with Piter Pasma

52 min

Episode page and full transcript: https://www.lerandom.art/episodes/celebrating-genuary-with-piter-pasma  On February 1, 2024, Le Random collaborated with Joyn to host and present a community celebration of Genuary. Genuary is a generative art month, during which artists create daily pieces according to 31 carefully selected prompts. We invited some very special artists as guests, including the organizer of the event itself, Piter Pasma. We asked the artists about their experience participating in Genuary 2024 and more. The talk is in conjunction with an article Peter Bauman (Monk Antony) wrote on Joyn.xyz, where he curated and shared his thoughts on his 10 favorite Genuary prompts. Hosts: Aleksandra Art (Joyn), Peter Bauman⁠ (Content at Le Random), thefunnyguys (Co-Founder of Le Random), Conrad House (Nemo Cake, Collecting at Le Random) and Andrea (Crown & Palette at Joyn) Arists: Piter Pasma, Ella, Darien Brito, Ahmad Moussa Also in this episode: Ahmad Moussa, Darien Brito, Piter Pasma, thefunnyguys, fxhash, Harvey Rayner, Melissa Wiederrecht Listen next: Ep. 9, One Year of Le Random, Ep. 38, 2025 Art in Review with thefunnyguys, Conrad House & Peter Bauman

06: Timeline Ch 5—Artist-Programmer Era (1970s) with Joan Truckenbrod, Hans Dehlinger & Anika Meier

1 hr 4 min

Episode page and full transcript: https://www.lerandom.art/episodes/timeline-chapter-5-artist-programmer-era-1970s  Generative Art in the 1970s and Today Join hosts Peter Bauman (⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Monk Antony⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠, Le Random's editor in chief), Anika Meier (formerly Expanded Art; currently Second Guess) and Conrad House (⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Nemo Cake⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠, former Collection Lead at Le Random), as they welcome generative art legends Joan Truckenbrod and Hans Dehlinger to discuss the 1970s in generative art. The episode is released to celebrate Chapter 5 of our Generative Art Timeline, covering the decade of the '70s. Also in this episode: Herbert W. Franke, Frieder Nake, Apple, Max Bense, LACMA, Ruth Leavitt, Ars Electronica, Bauhaus, Cybernetic Serendipity, Sonia Landy Sheridan Read next: Gottfried Jäger on a New Kind of Being Listen next: Ep. 0, Elevating the Generative Art Space (Launch Episode) with Casey Reas, ciphrd, Anne Spalter, Anika Meier & Georg Bak, Ep. 11, Timeline Ch 8: Tooling Era (2000s) with Christiane Paul, Casey Reas, Christa Sommerer & Golan Levin On the Living Timeline: Joan Truckenbrod Makes Coded Algorithmic Drawings (1975), Sociotecture, Joan Truckenbrod (1991), Frieder Nake Wins 2025 ACM SIGGRAPH Distinguished Artist Award for Lifetime Achievement in Digital Art (2025), Coded: Art Enters the Computer Age, 1952-1982 at LACMA (2023)

05: Timeline Ch 4—Digital Era Pt II (1960s) with Michael Spalter

1 hr 16 min

Episode page and full transcript: https://www.lerandom.art/episodes/timeline-chapter-4-digital-era-pt-ii-1960s-with-michael-spalter  The Le Random team of ⁠⁠⁠thefunnyguys⁠⁠⁠, Peter Bauman (⁠⁠⁠Monk Antony⁠⁠⁠) and Conrad House (⁠⁠⁠Nemo Cake⁠⁠⁠) spoke to special guest and celebrated collector ⁠⁠⁠Michael Spalter about the dense history of the 1960s in generative art⁠, the Early Digital Era. This episode corresponds with: ⁠⁠⁠Generative Art Timeline: Chapter 4⁠⁠ 10 Significant Early Digital Era Moments (Covered in the talk)⁠ 1961: New Tendencies and Fluxus Begin 1963: Nake begins making computer art + 1965: Homage a Paul Klee 1965: First computer art exhibits (Computergrafik (Feb), Computer-Generated Pictures, and computer grafik (Nov)) 1966: CTG and generative systems 1966: 9 Evenings and E.A.T. Forms 1967: Sol LeWitt “Paragraphs on Conceptual Art” + 1969 Wall Drawings 1967: Charles Csuri’s early work  1968: Cybernetic Serendipity  1968-9: Major international art and technology exhibitions:  1968: The machine as seen… (USA) 1969: Tendencies 4 (Europe) 10. 1968: Molnar’s Interruptions: her first computer art Also in this episode: Michael Spalter, Anne Spalter, Vera Molnár, New Tendencies, A. Michael Noll, François Molnár, Hiroshi Kawano, Frieder Nake, Paul Klee, Fluxus Listen next: Ep. 3, Timeline Ch 3—Analog Era (1950s) with Georg Bak, Ep. 4, Timeline Ch 4—Digital Era Pt I (1960s) with Dr A Michael Noll

04: Timeline Ch 4—Digital Era Pt I (1960s) with Dr A Michael Noll

1 hr 0 min

Episode page and full transcript: https://www.lerandom.art/episodes/timeline-chapter-4-digital-era-pt-i-1960s-with-dr-a-michael-noll  Peter Bauman (Monk Antony) speaks to the legendary computer artist Dr A Michael Noll about his time at Bell Labs, creating arguably the first digital computer art, North America's first computer art exhibit and much more! Also in this episode: A. Michael Noll, Ken Knowlton, Nam June Paik, Jasia Reichardt, Stan VanDerBeek, Piet Mondrian, Patterns by 7090, IBM, AT&T, John R. Pierce Read next: A. Michael Noll on When It All Started Listen next: Ep. 5, Timeline Ch 4—Digital Era Pt II (1960s) with Michael Spalter, Ep. 3, Timeline Ch 3—Analog Era (1950s) with Georg Bak On the Living Timeline: Timeline Chapter 4, A. Michael Noll Creates some of the First Creative Graphics with a Digital Computer; Terms Phrase “Programmer-Artist” (1962), “Gaussian Quadratic” by A. Michael Noll (1963), “Computer Composition with Lines” by A. Michael Noll (1964)

03: Timeline Ch 3—Analog Era (1950s) with Georg Bak

1 hr 4 min

Episode page and full transcript: https://www.lerandom.art/episodes/timeline-chapter-3-analog-era-1950s-with-georg-bak  The Le Random team of ⁠⁠thefunnyguys⁠⁠, Peter Bauman (⁠⁠Monk Antony⁠⁠) and Conrad House (⁠⁠Nemo Cake⁠⁠) spoke to special guest and acclaimed expert Georg Bak ⁠about the foundational significance of the 1950s in generative art history: The Analog Era. This episode corresponds with: ⁠⁠Generative Art Timeline: Chapter 3⁠ 10 Significant Modern Era Moments (Covered in the talk)⁠ 1951: MIT and the US Navy First Demonstrate the Whirlwind Computer ( + 1954: Whirlwind and SAGE Initiatives by US Military Funding Spark Computing Innovations) 1952: Love-Letters by Christopher Strachey + 1959: Theo Lutz produces Stochastic Texts 1952: Abstronic by Mary Ellen Bute + Electronic Abstractions by Ben Laposky 1952: Birth of Neo-Dada + John Cage’s Theater Piece No. 1 + 1957: Allan Kaprow Begins Making ‘Environments’ + 1950: Happenings 1953: Grace Murray Hopper Invents Programming Languages 1954: Victor Vasarely’s Yellow Manifesto Lays Generative Art's Conceptual Foundation 1956: CYSP by Nicolas Schöffer 1957: John Backus Releases FORTRAN 1957: Max Mathews Develops MUSIC I 1958: John Whitney Makes First Computer Animation for Film Vertigo Also in this episode: Georg Bak, thefunnyguys, Max Bense, Abraham Moles, Grace Hopper, Frieder Nake, Georg Nees, Vera Molnár, IBM, Noam Chomsky Read next: Jason Bailey, Georg Bak & Kate Vass on the Art Form of Our Generation Listen next: Ep. 0, Elevating the Generative Art Space (Launch Episode) with Casey Reas, ciphrd, Anne Spalter, Anika Meier & Georg Bak, Ep. 2, Timeline Ch 2—Modern Era with Kate Vass

02: Timeline Ch 2—Modern Era with Kate Vass

58 min

Episode page and full transcript: https://www.lerandom.art/episodes/timeline-chapter-2-modern-era-with-kate-vass  The Le Random team of ⁠thefunnyguys⁠, Peter Bauman (⁠Monk Antony⁠) and Conrad House (⁠Nemo Cake⁠) spoke to special guest and acclaimed gallerist Kate Vass about a whirlwind ⁠one hundred years of generative art history (1850-1949)⁠,the Modern Era. This episode corresponds with: ⁠Generative Art Timeline: Chapter 2 10 Significant Modern Era Moments (Covered in the talk)⁠ The Great Exhibition of London Lights Early Spark of the Arts & Crafts Movement (1851) Modern art Begins: Manet’s Work Rejected by Paris Salon (1863) + Cézanne’s Mont Sainte-Victoire Series (1870-1906) Les Demoiselles d’Avignon by Picasso kicks off Cubism (1907) The Ten Biggest, No 7 by Hilma af Klint (1907) Tatlin and Rodchenko Found Constructivism and Malevich Stages the 0.10 Exhibition with Black Square. (1915) Walter Gropius Founds Bauhaus (1919) Marcel Duchamp and Man Ray Create Rotary Glass Plates (1920) Gunta Stölzl Named Director of Bauhaus Weaving Workshop (1927) Birth of digital computing: Konrad Zuse Completes the Z3 (1941) + ENIAC (1945) 10. Cybernetics Is Born: Norbert Wiener's Cybernetics + Claude Shannon’s "A Mathematical Theory of Communication.” (1948) Also in this episode: Kate Vass, thefunnyguys, Kazimir Malevich, Wassily Kandinsky, Victor Vasarely, Henry van de Velde, Josef Albers, László Moholy-Nagy, Georg Bak, Harvey Rayner Read next: Jason Bailey, Georg Bak & Kate Vass on the Art Form of Our Generation, Kate Vass on Rethinking Art Collecting Listen next: Ep. 3, Timeline Ch 3—Analog Era (1950s) with Georg Bak, Ep. 5, Timeline Ch 4—Digital Era Pt II (1960s) with Michael Spalter On the Living Timeline: Automat und Mensch at Kate Vass Galerie (2019), Dear Machine, paint for me at Kate Vass Galerie (2022), Walter Gropius founds Bauhaus (1919)

01: Timeline Ch 1—Pre-Modern Era with Marius Watz

46 min

Episode page and full transcript: https://www.lerandom.art/episodes/timeline-chapter-1-pre-modern-era-with-marius-watz  The Le Random team of thefunnyguys, Peter Bauman (Monk Antony) and Conrad House (Nemo Cake) spoke to special guest Marius Watz about the ancient roots of generative art, the Pre-Modern Era. This episode corresponds with: Generative Art Timeline: Chapter 1Article: Timeline Chapter 1's Ten Top Moments 10 Significant Pre-Modern Era Moments (Covered in the talk) Blombos Cave Drawing (70,000 BCE)I Ching Introduces Binary Concept (1,000 BCE) Euclid’s Elements (300 BCE) Al-Khwārizmī’s Writes Concerning the Hindu Art of Reckoning (820 CE)Albrecht Dürer Creates Engraving Melencolia I (1515)Gottfried Leibniz Pioneers Computational Thinking (1666)Johann Philip Kirnberger’s Musical Dice game (1757)Joseph-Marie Jacquard Invents the Jacquard Loom (1804)Nicéphore Niépce Produces First Permanent Photograph (1826)Ada Lovelace Becomes First Computer Programmer (1843) Also in this episode: Joshua Davis, Marius Watz, thefunnyguys, Ada Lovelace, I Ching, Gottfried Leibniz, Albrecht Dürer, Euclid, Hans Dehlinger, Vera Molnár Listen next: Ep. 10, Timeline Ch 7—Net Era (1990s) with Auriea Harvey, Joshua Davis, LIA, Scott Draves & Vuk Ćosić, Ep. 3, Timeline Ch 3—Analog Era (1950s) with Georg Bak On the Living Timeline: Joshua Davis releases ps0.praystation.v0 (1998), Marius Watz Begins generator.x Project (2005)

00: Elevating the Generative Art Space (Launch Episode) with Casey Reas, ciphrd, Anne Spalter, Anika Meier & Georg Bak

52 min

Episode page and full transcript: https://www.lerandom.art/episodes/elevating-the-generative-art-space  Originally Aired June 28, 2023, this episode features Casey Reas, ciphrd, Anne Spalter, Anika Meier and Georg Bak. We celebrate the full-launch of Le Random's website. Also in this episode: Zack Taylor, Herbert W. Franke, thefunnyguys, Michael Spalter, Feral File, Art Basel, Cybernetic Serendipity, Art Blocks, fxhash, Alexander Mordvintsev Read next: Gottfried Jäger on a New Kind of Being, Snowfro and Ciphrd on a Symbiotic Relationship, Casey Reas, Lauren Lee McCarthy & Chandler McWilliams on Expanding Software Listen next: Ep. 6, Timeline Ch 5—Artist-Programmer Era (1970s) with Joan Truckenbrod, Hans Dehlinger & Anika Meier, Ep. 11, Timeline Ch 8: Tooling Era (2000s) with Christiane Paul, Casey Reas, Christa Sommerer & Golan Levin On the Living Timeline: RGB Elementary Cellular Automaton by ciphrd (2021), Casey Reas and Ben Fry Initiate Processing Project (2001), Inaugural Exhibition at bitforms: Casey Reas’s first commercial gallery showing (2001)

–

0 ratings from members

5
4
3
2
1

Rate this podcast

Log in to rate and review the shows you listen to.

No reviews yet — be the first member to rate "Le Random".

This podcast, its content and its artwork are not owned by, affiliated with, or endorsed by Castquire.

Keep listening

Discover more podcasts like this.

Browse podcasts See the charts

Up next

  1. Nothing queued. Use + Queue on any episode to line it up.

0:00 0:00

Cookies

We set only what the site needs to sign you in and remember your theme. No advertising, no analytics. Read more.