I recently taught a short course on worldbuilding to groups of preteens. I started with the first parts of these two videos:
Alex McDowell, RDI, is British production designer and film producer working in narrative media. He is a strong advocate of world building and immersive design and integrates digital technology and traditional design technique in his work. He has created a holistic design process that incorporates ideation, inception, prototyping, and production for tangible story worlds.
Evan (above) goes a bit further and asks questions beyond the scope of my course, but are interesting and important to ponder, at least.
LENNA, an autonomous, computer-run consciousness installation. A custom-written software that types code, compiles it, and generates random backgrounds and typography that are printed on papers via Inkjet. Audiences are asked to observe the monitor screen, cursor movement, keypad tapping, and printer processing as behavioral characteristics of a new sentient being. Prints produced throughout the exhibition are available for purchase at prices named by visiting guests.
LENNA is perhaps the most impressive art I have seen in a very long time. I’ve tried very low-fi versions of the same, but the execution here is flawless.
Something I emphasized to the kids I was teaching was that we all bring ourselves to the worlds others have built for us to explore, and that it’s important to understand that as both consumer and creator. I think that generative art seeks after the deeper meanings behind and beneath our worlds with an efficacy that us human bias machines cannot.
Extra credit: Watch Can an Artificial Intelligence Create Art? on the Idea Channel.