25/03/2021

Event focuses on creative programming in Brazil.

With increasingly sophisticated programming language platforms, visual artists are swapping the traditional paintbrush for code when creating their works. It is for this audience that Processing Community Day 2021 (PCD) was conceived, which will be held virtually between April 11th and 17th. Supported by IMPA and Visgraf (the institute's Computer Graphics Laboratory), the event aims to promote creative programming in Brazil.

Lectures and workshops will present different ways of using Processing, a platform from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) used especially by designers and artists who use technology in their work. The program is already available. Registration is free and must be done on the event website.

“The PCD aims to engage new members and those interested in the creative programming community, demystifying this area for designers and visual artists, who are not usually so familiar with these tools. In addition to solidifying existing relationships within the community, which is already quite large,” explains Barbara Castro, professor at PUC-Rio and one of the event organizers.

The MIT platform has enthusiasts worldwide. The idea is that the 3rd Brazilian edition of the event will have a wider reach here. “In previous editions, the PCD celebration took place individually, in some centers of the country. This year, we managed to get the support of about 30 institutions, including many universities, which increases the reach of the event among students and researchers interested in computational creativity,” believes the organizer.

A graduate in visual communication from PUC-Rio, Barbara also attended Visgraf during her academic career. There, she developed her programming skills, says the designer, who was co-supervised by Luiz Velho, lead researcher at the IMPA computer lab, during her Master's degree in Fine Arts at the Federal University of Rio de Janeiro (UFRJ). “I learned to program based on my creative needs. Luiz Velho was able to teach me the concepts as I encountered them. It was truly a free learning process. It was incredible,” she recalls.

At the beginning of her doctoral studies, also at UFRJ, Barbara created AMBOS&&, a creative studio that combines design, art, technology, and education for use in exhibitions, interactive installations, data visualizations, workshops, and lectures. The company has already partnered with Visgraf on several projects, such as "Imaginary , " exhibited at the 2017 Mathematics Festival, and "Geometry and Imagination , " which was part of the 2018 International Congress of Mathematicians (ICM).

For the first time organizing the PCD, Claudio Esperança, professor of Systems Engineering at COPPE/UFRJ and Design at the School of Fine Arts of UFRJ, is excited about the event's potential reach. “There are many people involved throughout Brazil, and we have the support of the Processing Foundation and several design labs. The idea is to work with artists with advanced visual ideas. It's a great 'melting pot' , very good for renewing oneself and breaking away from the monotony.”