Traditional art snobs claim that real art can’t be mechanical. Every bit of it has to be the artist’s choice, with a clear intention behind it, including those messy bits that only humans can make. But that’s just one way of looking at it, focusing only on the creator.

Photography and film were once seen as mere entertainment because they were “too mechanical.” But I think art is all about how it makes you feel. So I’m into Immanuel Kant’s idea of aesthetic judgment, at least a little bit. It’s about the pleasure and excitement you get from looking at art, not just about the art itself. And those feelings should be pure, not based on any ideas or personal interests.

Sure, Kant’s ideas might be a little outdated, but they point to something I’ve noticed while making reactive and interactive art with TouchDesigner. Creating abstract shapes with algorithms and data might not sound very artistic, but the results can be mind-blowing. They’re beautiful in a way that fits Kant’s idea of “pure” art that makes you feel good just by looking at it.

If you’re still not sure about algorithms and art, think about music. It’s based on math, just like algorithms, and combining data is like putting together notes and scales in a song. And even though algorithms are involved, the artist still has the final say, deciding which ones to use and how they work together. It’s like a chess game with almost endless possibilities, and sometimes the best results come from pure chance.

So, yeah, maybe machines can make art after all. But it’s still up to us to decide what we like and what we don’t. That’s the beauty of it.