It’s All About Perspective

Making A Case for Generative Art

Meghan Harris, MPH

Posit::conf(2023)

September 20th, 2023 | 2023-09-20

A snapchat picture of me showing my baby bump at 37 weeks

• I was very pregnant and ready to pop.

• I gave birth to a beautiful baby.

• Went on maternity leave for 6 months and I know it sounds fake, but…

A shot of me coding in R Studio while watching a baby monitor

• I actually found time to code on leave.

• But I had a rule for myself

• to only code if it was for fun stuff like art…

Some artwork I made on maternity leave

• By the end of my leave

• I was amazed at how coding art like this

• helped with the practical data science skills I needed when I returned to work

• I want to give a tiny glimpse into how that was possible

Disclaimer

• I want to give a disclaimer
• it’s OK if you don’t know how to make generative art.
• It’s OK if you don’t even like art.
• It’s OK if you don’t know much about data science.
• My hope is that you treat this talk like a “choose-your-own-adventure”.
• Just like those old goosebumps books…
• I’m not the only old person in here who remembers those right?
• They kinda looked like this…

@KazeKomboArt

So whether you’re here for the art {pause}

@KazeKomboArt

or the data science… {pause}

@KazeKomboArt

…or just learning, {pause}

• I’m hoping there will be something for you to take away from this today.

• Aren’t these pictures awesome?! - My awesome husband made these characters for me!

• I love them

• So let’s get started….

What are we Talking About Today?

• What is Generative Art?

So, a quick run-down of our time today…

What are we Talking About Today?

• What is Generative Art?

• How Can we Make Generative Art in R or Python?

What are we Talking About Today?

• What is Generative Art?

• How Can we Make Generative Art in R or Python?

• Benefits of Creating Generative Art

What are we Talking About Today?

• What is Generative Art?

• How Can we Make Generative Art in R or Python?

• Benefits of Creating Generative Art

• What is Data Science?

What are we Talking About Today?

• What is Generative Art?

• How Can we Make Generative Art in R or Python?

• Benefits of Creating Generative Art

• What is Data Science?

• Examples of How Generative Art Translates into Data Science

What are we Talking About Today?

• What is Generative Art?

• How Can we Make Generative Art in R or Python?

• Benefits of Creating Generative Art

• What is Data Science?

• Examples of How Generative Art Translates into Data Science

• Final Thoughts

What is Generative Art?

So I want to pose a question to you all, you don’t have to answer me out loud, but just think for a second, what do you think generative art is?

• Is it opening up a digital sketchpad and physically drawing on a screen?
• Or creating outputs from AI art platforms like Dall-E or Lensa?

I couldn’t find an official definition for you all, so I’m making one right here, right now.

What is Generative Art?

In this room today, Generative Art is defined as:

Artwork created through a program in any language or interface.

As long as a program executes the generation of the art…
…it can be considered generative art.

Now this is vague and general, and yes. that’s on Purpose

• Because I can guarantee you, that there are multiple definitions of generative art floating around in this room right now.

• I’m also assuming that at least 1 of you is thinking of AI art.

• And I just want to say We are not talking about AI art today

• and i do have two statements regarding that…

What is Generative Art?

While all AI Art is generative art…

…All generative art IS NOT AI art

&

While some generative art is randomly calculated by the computer…

…Some generative art is intentional and deliberately calculated by a human

What do I mean by that?
Hopefully I can show you when we talk about
How we can make it in R or Python

How Can we Make Generative Art
in R or Python?

• Safe to say we have some “data” people in here and that some of you have probably created data visualizations with R or Python.
• If you know how to make visuals in R or Python, you’re already so close to making generative art…

How Can we Make Generative Art in R or Python?

Making generative art might not be as hard as you think…

You just need ✨data✨ and to

Think outside the grid 📊 of your favorite graphical software/package

Now…

• I’m going to be real with ya’ll, I don’t have enough time here to truly explain in depth how to make complicated art with code

• I mean, Posit, Jenny, Hadley, ya’ll got my e-mail, I can help with the art workshop next year if ya’ll want, I’m just saying, but for right now

• All of the code examples for the art you’ll see today is on this talk’s github repo

• so you all can listen to me attempt to give a crash course right now,

• but after the dust is settled and you’re back home, know that these resources are available to you to digest later.

• Because we are about to Zoom

How Can we Make Generative Art in R or Python?

Some “Primitive” Graphical Tools🛠

R Packages

• ggplot2
• Base R w/ plot() or grid
• r2D3
• lattice

Python Libraries

• plotnine
• pillow (PIL)
• matplotlib
• turtle

If it lets you plot data, it will let you make art…

• When first creating art

• It’s helpful: picking a data visualization tool that you’re comfortable with

• For me, that’s ggplot2 in R

• But you can choose whatever language and graphical tool you’d like.

• The main point is: if a tool lets you plot data, it will let you make art.

• The challenge comes in: when you need to understand how data translates into a visual.

• Without fail, whenever I do a talk like this, there’s always somebody who says…

How Can we Make Generative Art in R or Python?

“I don’t understand how you get the data to put into [ insert your graphical tool of choice here ]”

And I get it. It can be tricky, so let’s stop for a minute and Imagine that we want to draw a line on a piece paper, like, in the real world…

How Can we Make Generative Art in R or Python?

• If someone is physically able to pick up a pen and use it

• We might assume it’s easy for them to draw a single line on a paper

• We can argue that maybe a perfectly straight line might be hard right?…

How Can we Make Generative Art in R or Python?

• So let’s use graph paper instead
• Now this may be way easier for people b/c we have a visual guide of grid lines,
• But if you stop and think…where have we probably seen a grid like this before?
• Possibly in your favorite visualization tools
• for me, it’s ggplot2.
• The grid lines reminds me of the coordinate system all ggplots are created on…

How Can we Make Generative Art in R or Python?

• So knowing this..
• we can set values to every mark we make on the paper…
• Just like a coordinate system in your favorite graphical tool would.
• We have 4 coordinate points in this line, each with an x and y value
• Where we have 4 values from 1 to 4 on the X axis horizontally
• and a constant value of 1 on the y axis repeated 4 times to make a straight horizontal line.
• Now this may seem overly simple, but this is all it takes to create generative art.
• The trick here is that you need to understand the relationship between the visuals you want, the data you need and the coordinate system you set.
• Let’s look at this in more detail in Python..

How Can we Make Generative Art in R or Python?

A Simple Example (In Python)

#====================================================#
# Library Load-in-------------------------------------
from plotnine import *
import pandas as pd

# Image Options---------------------------------------
#Set the color
orange_hex = "#FFBB58"

#Set the width
chonk = 10

# Data Creation----------------------------------------
line = pd.DataFrame({"x" : list(range(0,5)),
                     "y" : 1,
                     "color" : orange_hex,
                     "size" : chonk})

# Plot Creation----------------------------------------
orange_line = (ggplot(line, aes("x", "y"))+
               geom_path(color = line.loc[:,"color"],
                         size = line.loc[:,"size"])+
               coord_equal(ylim = (0,3), xlim = (0,4)))

#View the plot
print(orange_line)

• There can be different approaches to our last example, but here’s one way in python.
• Now don’t get too bogged down in the specifics of the code,
• We just want to focus on the process here
• First you load in your libraries you need

How Can we Make Generative Art in R or Python?

A Simple Example (In Python)

#====================================================#
# Library Load-in-------------------------------------
from plotnine import *
import pandas as pd

# Image Options---------------------------------------
#Set the color
orange_hex = "#FFBB58"

#Set the width
chonk = 10

# Data Creation----------------------------------------
line = pd.DataFrame({"x" : list(range(0,5)),
                     "y" : 1,
                     "color" : orange_hex,
                     "size" : chonk})

# Plot Creation----------------------------------------
orange_line = (ggplot(line, aes("x", "y"))+
               geom_path(color = line.loc[:,"color"],
                         size = line.loc[:,"size"])+
               coord_equal(ylim = (0,3), xlim = (0,4)))

#View the plot
print(orange_line)

• then you can do some prep for your data.
• Here, we’re storing values in objects for the color and size of our line

How Can we Make Generative Art in R or Python?

A Simple Example (In Python)

#====================================================#
# Library Load-in-------------------------------------
from plotnine import *
import pandas as pd

# Image Options---------------------------------------
#Set the color
orange_hex = "#FFBB58"

#Set the width
chonk = 10

# Data Creation----------------------------------------
line = pd.DataFrame({"x" : list(range(0,5)),
                     "y" : 1,
                     "color" : orange_hex,
                     "size" : chonk})

# Plot Creation----------------------------------------
orange_line = (ggplot(line, aes("x", "y"))+
               geom_path(color = line.loc[:,"color"],
                         size = line.loc[:,"size"])+
               coord_equal(ylim = (0,3), xlim = (0,4)))

#View the plot
print(orange_line)

• Next, the Most important step is creating the data frame
• here its a pandas dataframe with x and y coordinates, and values for our color and size of our line

How Can we Make Generative Art in R or Python?

A Simple Example (In Python)

#====================================================#
# Library Load-in-------------------------------------
from plotnine import *
import pandas as pd

# Image Options---------------------------------------
#Set the color
orange_hex = "#FFBB58"

#Set the width
chonk = 10

# Data Creation----------------------------------------
line = pd.DataFrame({"x" : list(range(0,5)),
                     "y" : 1,
                     "color" : orange_hex,
                     "size" : chonk})

# Plot Creation----------------------------------------
orange_line = (ggplot(line, aes("x", "y"))+
               geom_path(color = line.loc[:,"color"],
                         size = line.loc[:,"size"])+
               coord_equal(ylim = (0,3), xlim = (0,4)))

#View the plot
print(orange_line)

• Finally, we feed this dataframe into the set of ggplot fxs at the bottom to create the plot
• And after we print it, we get the image on the right
• This was a simple example, so let’s step it up a bit in R

How Can we Make Generative Art in R or Python?

A More Complicated Example (In R)

# Library Load-ins---------------------------------
library(ggplot2); library(dplyr); library(artpack)

# Let's make: a "cityscape" with a sky, moon, and buildings

# Data for the sky---------------------
df_sky <- 
  tibble(x = 0,
         xend = 4,
         y = seq(0,3, length = 100),
         yend = y,
         color = art_pals("sunnyside", 100),
         linewidth = 10
  )

# Plot Creation-----------------------
df_sky |>
  ggplot(aes(x, y, xend = xend, yend = yend)) +
  theme_void() +
  coord_cartesian(expand = FALSE, 
                  xlim = c(0,4),
                  ylim = c(0,3)) +
  geom_segment(color = df_sky$color,
               linewidth = df_sky$linewidth) 


#...

• Again, we’re not focusing on the code, per se,
• but we just want to observe the general relationship going on between the data and the visual
• Again, we start with your packages (say them)
• and an idea of what to make - cityscape, sky, moon, and buildings
• First I decide to make the sky in the background, so..
• I make a data frame with numbers that when mapped on the ggplot will look like horizontal lines filling the page
• i also add variables for the color and size of the lines
• and when this data frame is plotted with the geom_segment fx we’ve added to our ggplot, we get this beautiful gradient on the right.

How Can we Make Generative Art in R or Python?

A More Complicated Example (In R)

# Data for the moon----------------------------------------------
df_moon <- tibble(
  x = 2,
  y = 1.5,
  size = 100,
  fill = "#f0e4bb",
  color = "#000000"
)

# Plot Creation--------------------------------------------------
df_sky |>
  ggplot(aes(x,y, xend = xend, yend = yend)) +
  theme_void() +
  coord_cartesian(xlim = c(0,4), ylim = c(0,3),
                  expand = FALSE) +
  geom_segment(color = df_sky$color, 
               linewidth = df_sky$linewidth) +
  geom_point(data = df_moon, aes(x,y),
             color = df_moon$color,
             fill = df_moon$fill,
             size = df_moon$size,
             shape = 21,
             stroke = .5,
             inherit.aes = FALSE)


#...

• Next, let’s say we want to have a BIG, simple moon.
• so again, we make another data frame that only has data for one single point..
• It also has a big numeric value for it’s size and some color options
• We then add this dataframe into the plot with the geom_point fx at the bottom
• and that creates our image on the right

How Can we Make Generative Art in R or Python?

A More Complicated Example (In R)

# Data for the buildings--------------------------------
df_buildings <- tibble(
  x = 0:4,
  xend = x,
  y = 0,
  yend = sample(seq(.5,2, l = 10), 5, replace = TRUE),
  color = "#000000",linewidth = 60
)

# Plot Creation------------------------------------------
df_sky |>
  ggplot(aes(x,y, xend = xend, yend = yend)) +
  theme_void() +
  coord_cartesian(xlim = c(0,4), ylim = c(0,3),
                  expand = FALSE) +
  geom_segment(color = df_sky$color,
               linewidth = df_sky$linewidth) +
  geom_point(data = df_moon, aes(x,y),
             color = df_moon$color,
             fill = df_moon$fill,
             size = df_moon$size,
             shape = 21,
             stroke = .5,
             inherit.aes = FALSE) +
  geom_segment(data = df_buildings,
               color = df_buildings$color,
               linewidth = df_buildings$linewidth)

• Finally, we make one last data frame for some basic buildings
• This time the dataframe with have numbers that will plot chunky vertical lines
• we can also get a lil’ spicy and throw in a sample function to randomize the heights of our buildings.
• and Like all the other layers, we tack it on to the ggplot with geom_segment fx shown at the bottom
• and then we get the image on right, Now, I know that was really quick, but the main thing I was you to take from this is that…

How Can we Make Generative Art in R or Python?

The concept of translating data into visuals is the same no matter how simple or complex a piece is…

The hard part is usually the programming or the math🤢

• If you hate math like I do, that’s OK, you can still make art.
• I also hope you all took note of how “intentional” alot of the process can be
• While there’s some artists out there that rely heavily on automated systems, or finetuning AI prompts
• There are some of us out here spending hours exploring and creating art with code in this manner.

So now that everyone is up to speed about what generative art is, and you have some idea of how it can be made, let’s quickly touch on some of the benefits of making art like this

Benefits of Creating
Generative Art

• Theres lots of benefits to making art like this.
• The Most important for me is how fun and therapeutic it can be.
• Another big one though is just “learning” in general. And it got me to thinking about something…

Benefits of Creating Generative Art

People may learn better when they are doing something they enjoy 🤯

If you enjoy creating art…you might learn some things 🤔

• I have an idea that.. first next click

after - I’m not trying to be funny, I can’t just stand up here and say this is a proven fact.

- the best I can do is give you personal examples of my experience with creating generative art…

Benefits of Creating Generative Art

The Obvious 🎨

• Improved Data Visualization Skills

• An example I love to use.. my tidy Tuesday submissions..
  
• weekly data viz challenge we have?
  
• Used to be super popular on Twitter before it became a hellsite..
  
• This was my first submission…and you couldn’t tell me NOTHING.
  
• So proud I figured out a lollipop chart

Benefits of Creating Generative Art

The Obvious 🎨

• Improved Data Visualization Skills

This was my work after about 2 months of creating generative art…

Benefits of Creating Generative Art

The Obvious 🎨

• Improved Data Visualization Skills

And my most recent tidy tuesday I did this year… obviously, i developed knowledge of how to make things more aesthetically pleasing, and how to hack my tool of choice for some cool results.

Benefits of Creating Generative Art

The Abstract 🧠

• Mathematical/Logical Reasoning

Now There were some more abstract examples…
- like mathematical/logical reasoning
- yeahhh… Imagine how PISSED I was when I found out math was involved to make art.. - But the truth is that Art can require you to know about patterns, numeric sequences, and general logic.. that logic is what makes it possible to go from a grid of points like this…

Benefits of Creating Generative Art

The Abstract 🧠

• Mathematical/Logical Reasoning

To a grid with skipped patterns like this…

Benefits of Creating Generative Art

The Abstract 🧠

• Mathematical/Logical Reasoning

To a finished piece of art like this, without having to manually create the data for every single pixel shown here.

Benefits of Creating Generative Art

The Unexpected 😲

• The Community

• Making generative art gave me another reason to interact with people and share what I was doing…
• funny enough, in this tweet i made last year
• I was Talking with others about how I wanted to create an art package
• but i was admitting that I was afraid to
• because I didn’t having a formal developer background, and didn’t feel smart enough
• Which is now hilarious to me because, another unexpected benefit was..

Benefits of Creating Generative Art

The Unexpected 😲

• Package Development - {artpack}

• My first ever package!
• Data-centric Rtistry Toolkit
• Early development, but things are coming
• Now available on CRAN 🎉

• Package Development!
• Not so much the package, but the courage to learn package development
• Had a mental block with doing package development until i changed the motivation behind doing it into something that I loved like art.

What is Data Science?

Now that I’ve gushed about how much I love and benefited from generative art,

let’s switch gears and quickly remind ourselves of what data science is…

What is Data Science?

In this room today, Data Science is defined as…

A field that uses statistics, computing, methods, and processes to extract or derive knowledge and insights from data.

We’ll focus on the technical methods and processes (coding) for the remainder of this talk…

Examples of How Generative Art Translates into Data Science

• Now that we’re all on the same page about what data science is
• let’s get into examples
• Now, I have tons of examples but I’ll only focus on three main concepts..
• How this will work:
• Present the concept, then give an example of its use in an art scenario and data science scenario

Examples of How Generative Art Translates into Data Science

Iteration♻️

• Mastering this in Art and Data Science can be a HUGE feat

• Important concept in both art and Data Science.

• A lot of scenarios in both fields, where we’d want to do the same thing over and over.

• We can’t deny that iteration really tends to take people into the next level of skill, because it allows you to do so much with less.

Examples of How Generative Art Translates into Data Science - Iteration♻️

Art Scenario

Task:

• Want to create a lot of copies of a shape
  
• Each shape has a different color, size, and position on the coordinate system

Data Sci Scenario

Task:

• Want to summarize, label, and save multiple processed data sets all at once

“So while on maternity leave, I had a task in a art scenario that required…”
“Back at work, I had a task in a Data Science Scenario”
- They look a little different, but these are both problems of iteration

Examples of How Generative Art Translates into Data Science - Iteration♻️

Approach:

• Isolate the problem….

Art Scenario

Data Sci Scenario

In the art scenario:
- Isolation looked like figuring out the data. What are the numbers that will plot the shape I want
In the DS scenario:
- Hopefully your data is clean and good so isolation looks like just getting your processes to run on at least one data frame, at least once without issues.

Examples of How Generative Art Translates into Data Science - Iteration♻️

Solution:

• Use your preferred method of iteration to create a generalized workflow.

Art Scenario

Data Sci Scenario

Solution is the same in both scenarios:
- Once you’ve isolated the problem, the challenge is to just successfully introduce iteration

• I will point out that my preferred method is using purrr functions in R.
• But whether you’re using Purrr in R, or for loops in Python,
• all that matters is that you are doing what you need to, in a way that works for you
  

Ok, so if we’re doing iterations, naturally, what comes next is development

Examples of How Generative Art Translates into Data Science

Development 📦

• Learning and honing in on development skills can take you to new levels✨.
  
  

• In Generative Art, this promotes cleaner and robust workflows and more complex operations
  
  

• In Data Science, it does the same, but it’s invaluable

Development is HIGHLY desirable in Data Science:
- because it allows you to take more advantage of the “open-source” paradigm we have within our community by creating programs for yourself, internally for your organization, and others.

Examples of How Generative Art Translates into Data Science - Development 📦

Art Scenario

Task:

• Create a function that spits out a color palette based on input choices.

Data Sci Scenario

Task:

• Want to create a function that left joins a table of existing data to another data frame.

“So while on maternity leave, I had a task in a art scenario that required…”
“Back at work, I had a task in a Data Science Scenario”

So these are two different things, but the process for tackling both is very similar
art scenario:
- I wanted to reduce code bloat, so just stop copy and pasting things over and over

data science scenario:
- At work, a fx stopped working in our internal pacakge, so I needed to make a new one

Examples of How Generative Art Translates into Data Science - Development 📦

Approach:

• Isolate: How do we handle the input?, how is it moving through the function? What is coming out?

Art Scenario

Data Sci Scenario

• No matter the scenario, the approach is the same
• You have to go through a iterative process of debugging and development
• to try to create a function that is ideally efficient and runs as intended.

Examples of How Generative Art Translates into Data Science - Development 📦

Solution:

• Use your (hopefully) working function and reduce code bloat

Art Scenario

art_pals("pal_2",50)

*Returns 50 calculated colors based on `pal_2`*

Data Sci Scenario

map_ae(df_main, ae_term)

*Returns a joined data frame*
*with data from `df_main` and `df_ae`*

“So the solution is simple, just use…”

- Whether you are doing art or data science, or using R or python, the goal of creating functions are the same
- We just wish to do a specific task..
- in an isolated environment..
- for a consistent output or result.
- Also, Creating functions is really the gateway into a slippery slope of other crucial development things like unit testing and package maintenance.

Examples of How Generative Art Translates into Data Science

Communication 💬

• It’s debatable if you need communication for art
  
  

• In Data Science, you NEED to communicate or else 💀

“Ok, so my last concept I have here in communication”
- maybe for art: explaining art methods, collaborating w/ others…
- Even tho it’s not required for art, I did get to practice this skill out a bit on maternity leave

Examples of How Generative Art Translates into Data Science - Communication 💬

Art Scenario

Task:

• Need help developing unit test suites for art functions…

Data Sci Scenario

Task:

• Need to perform a data request for a stakeholder…

“So while on maternity leave, I had a task in a art scenario that required…”
“Back at work, I had a task in a Data Science Scenario”

Comparing these scenarios are interesting b/c

art scenario:
I am the SME that needs programming help

data sci scenario:
I am the Programmer that helps the SME by giving them data

both of These scenarios:
- Required communicating in different ways, but they had that same need of getting everyone on the same page.

Examples of How Generative Art Translates into Data Science - Communication 💬

Approach:

• Identify what matters…

Art Scenario

“What I am functionally trying to do without the context of the art?”

Data Sci Scenario

“What external context or details about the data am I missing?”

So the approach to this in both scenarios: Identifying what matters

“So this meant asking myself…”

Examples of How Generative Art Translates into Data Science - Communication 💬

Solution:

• Take the right course of action to get the desired result…

Art Scenario

Create a reprex with the reprex package

# Some function that I can't get to work as expected----
reprex::reprex(
  {
  # UPPERCASES don't work
  is.color("BLUE")
  # lowercases do
  is.color("blue")
  }
)

Data Sci Scenario

Looks a little different, but is really similar:
art scenario:
- Solution was: take the art “context” out of my question and identify what i wanted to do programmatically - Perfect opportunity for me to practice making reprexes (Reproducible Examples)

- I did so With the reprex package available in R

DS scenario:
- If you’re tasked with completing a request and - You’re getting too bogged down in the programming - It’s a good idea to stop and ask yourself if you are missing any external contextual info - and if so, step away from the console and talk to your SME

Final Thoughts

Final Thoughts

This was a tiny introduction into the concept of one type of generative art

This was personal: Generative Art was MY motivation to learn and do more

Doing something I loved made programming/data science digestible

• For those of you interested in generative art, I hope this talk gives you the push to open up your favorite IDE and try it out.
• For those of you that are not interested, I encourage you all to consider integrating a hobby or interest into your learning journeys
• Managers and leads at work, could you make room in your team’s scheduling to allow for personal development that looks like this? -> click next

• Are you willing to let go of the belief that learning only looks like courses and textbooks?
• Regardless of what you do after this talk, I want you to think about how different learning approaches may work for you.
• If you’re currently having trouble understanding something
• Try to embrace learning in a low-stress environment fueled only by your interests.
• It may be hard, but try to let go of the notion that data science or programming can only be for profit or practical insights.
• Remember that we can conquer these beautiful but abstract challenges by transforming them ->

• into passions that we love.
• And if you’re struggling with that fact, that’s OK.
• Just give it some time and remember that it’s all about perspective.