From Self-Portraits to Medieval Simulations: Computational Artificial Ecosystems as Multi-Contextual Authoring Tools

In this paper, we examine virtual ecosystems as general-purpose authoring tools for heterogeneity and spontaneity, and discuss the use of such systems as animation drivers in a variety of contexts: from artistic abstract work, to dance choreographies, or even in the simulation of historical spaces. First, we present the background, motivation and summary for the project. Then, we discuss the use of these systems in the artworks Senhora da Graca, xTNZ, Where is Lourenco Marques?, in the dance choreography, Vishnu's Dance of Life and Death, and in the simulation of the population of the medieval village of Mertola. This emphasizes how an artistic practice informs a movement of transition, taking us from the use of artefacts that mostly rely on their traditionally associated eco-narratives to functional tool generators of diversity and heterogeneity. Finally, we close the article to contend that these systems function as utilitarian authoring tools for multi-contextual purposes.