“Making Computer Graphics History Public” by Llach, Gaboury, Kasik, Newton, Smith, et al. …
Conference:
Type(s):
Title:
- Making Computer Graphics History Public
Presenter(s)/Author(s):
Abstract:
1 INTRODUCTION
This panel concentrates on publications in diverse formats, mainly
books and video documentaries, that make public the research about
the history of computer graphics and interactive techniques. Both
of the books presented in the panel have been published recently
by MIT Press, making this a unique opportunity to listen to the
authors: The panel has three presentations by key scholars and
researchers:
1.1 “Image Objects” — Book presentation by
Jacob Gaboury
This talk will introduce my new book on the early history of computer graphics titled Image Objects: An Archaeology of Computer
Graphics (MIT Press, 2021). The book explores the important role
that computer graphics played in the development of computer
science in the second half of the twentieth century, with a focus
on the archives and historical collections of the research program
at the University of Utah from roughly 1965-1980. Adopting an
“object-oriented” approach, I explore five technologies produced
by Utah faculty and alumni that fundamentally reshaped the field
of computer science and helped to transform the computer from a
calculating machine into an interactive medium.
1.2 “A Biography of the Pixel” — Book
presentation by Alvy Ray Smith
The Great Digital Convergence of all media types into one universal
digital medium occurred, with little fanfare, at the recent turn of
the millennium. The bit became the universal medium, and the
pixel—a particular packaging of bits—conquered the world. Henceforward, nearly every picture in the world would be composed
of pixels—cell phone pictures, app interfaces, Mars Rover transmissions, book illustrations, videogames. In A Biography of the
Pixel, Pixar cofounder Alvy Ray Smith argues that the pixel is the
organizing principle of most modern media, and he presents a few
simple but profound ideas that unify the dazzling varieties of digital image making. Alvy’s story of the pixel’s development begins
with Fourier waves, proceeds through Turing machines, and ends
with the first digital movies from Pixar, DreamWorks, and Blue Sky.
Today, almost all the pictures we encounter are digital—mediated
by the pixel and irretrievably separated from their media; museums
and kindergartens are two of the last outposts of the analog. Alvy
explains, engagingly and accessibly, how pictures composed of invisible stuff become visible—that is, how digital pixels convert to
analog display elements. Taking the special case of digital movies to
represent all of Digital Light, and drawing on his decades of work
in the field, Alvy approaches his subject from multiple angles—art,
technology, entertainment, business, and history. A Biography of
the Pixel is aimed at anyone who has watched a video on a cell
phone, played a videogame, or seen a movie.
1.3 “SIGGRAPH @50 History” by Mary
Whitton, Adele Newton, and Dave Kasik
As part of the advanced work for the ACM SIGGRAPH Conference’s
50th anniversary in 2023, the SIGGRAPH History Committee is
conducting interviews a wide range of graphics pioneers. Their personal stories trace how they got involved in computer graphics and
contributed to the Conference’s storied past. Their stories provide
insight into drivers for long careers and capture their passion. The
contributors share stories about graphics, graphics devices, and
applications that drove innovation in engineering, science, industrial design, education, and any field that uses images as part of
its vocabulary. The oral histories complement the other panelists’;
excellent books.
