Creative coding


Creative coding is a type of computer programming in which the goal is to create something expressive instead of something functional. It is used to create live visuals and for VJing, as well as creating visual art and design, entertainment, art installations, projections and projection mapping, sound art, advertising, product prototypes, and much more.

History

Using programming to create art is a practice that started in the 1960s. In later decades groups such as Compos 68 successfully explored programing for artistic purposes, having their work exhibited in international exhibitions. From the 80s onward expert programmers joined the demoscene, and tested their skills against each other by creating "demos": highly technically competent visual creations.
Recent exhibitions and books, including Dominic Lopes' A Philosophy of Computer Art have sought to examine the integral role of coding in contemporary art beyond that of Human Computer Interface. Criticising Lopes however, Juliff and Cox argue that Lopes continues to privilege interface and user at the expense of the integral condition of code in much computer art. Arguing for a more nuanced appreciation of coding, Juliff and Cox set out contemporary creative coding as the examination of code and intentionality as integral to the users understanding of the work.
Currently there is a renewed interest in the question why programming as a method of producing art hasn't flourished. Google has renewed interest with their Dev Art initiative, but this in turn has elicited strong reactions from a number of creative coders who claim that coining a new term to describe their practice is counterproductive.

List of creative coding software

Although any technology or programming language can potentially be used for creative purposes, certain libraries and frameworks have been specifically crafted to aid in the rapid prototyping and development of creative works. Software toolkits frequently used in this context include:
NameDescriptionOperating systemProgramming languageLicense
CinderLibrary for programming with aesthetic intent, including domains like graphics, audio, video, and computational geometry.Cross-platformC++2-Clause BSD License
Max MSPVisual programming language for music and multimedia.Windows, Mac OSVisual programming languageProprietary
openFrameworksToolkit designed to assist the creative process by providing a simple and intuitive framework for experimentation.Cross-platformC++MIT License
Creative coding framework designed and developed for prototyping and developing robust performant visual and interactive applications.Cross-platformKotlin2-Clause BSD License
p5.jsPlatform that empowers artists, designers, students, and anyone to learn to code and express themselves creatively on the web. Based on the core principles of Processing.Any with a web browserJavaScriptLGPL
ProcessingA flexible software sketchbook and a language for learning how to code within the context of the visual arts.Cross-platformJava or PythonGPL, LGPL
Pure DataPd enables musicians, visual artists, performers, researchers, and developers to create software graphically without writing lines of code.Cross-platformVisual programming languageModified BSD
SuperColliderAn environment and programming language for real-time audio synthesis and algorithmic composition.Cross-platformSuperColliderGPLv3
VvvvHybrid visual/textual live-programming environment for easy prototyping and development. It is designed to facilitate the handling of large media environments with physical interfaces, real-time motion graphics, audio and videoWindowsVisual programming languageProprietary

Hardware use

Creative coding occasionally involves hardware components for inputting data from the environment, producing output or for interacting with participants. Examples of commonly used hardware includes microphones, webcams or depth cameras, motion controllers, single-board microcontrollers, MIDI controllers, projectors, LED strips, printers and plotters.