Artist Interview: Allen Hirsh
Allen Hirsh is a biophysicist who, over the past decade, has channeled his programming skills into creating a unique form of mathematically generated art. Inspired by the connection between mathematics and the natural world, he explores how mathematical principles can uncover hidden imagery in photographs.
While maintaining an active role in science, his parallel career in fine art has gained significant recognition, with his work juried into over 90 shows and winning 13 awards. His art has been favorably reviewed by The Washington Post and East City Art, and has earned him speaking engagements including at The American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS). The artist is also an active member of art groups such as The Foundry and The Capitol Hill Arts League.
We asked Allen about his art, creative process, and inspirations.
What inspired your transition from biophysics to digital art? Was there a pivotal moment that led you to explore mathematically generated art?
To begin this reply, I haven’t pivoted away from anything. I have two biotechs and I am still fully active as a scientist. My art career is in addition to the science. I taught myself structured coding in the 1990s in response to a request from my artist brother to tackle the fundamental problem of photography: how to expand an image without degrading its quality. Though unable to solve it then, the skills I developed have been invaluable in my scientific work. In the spring and summer of 2012, I began to imagine a unique type of generative art. After two false starts, in the fall of 2012 I developed the system I use now.
What inspires your art? Are there any particular themes or subjects that you enjoy exploring through your artwork?
In 1960 the great physicist Eugene Wigner wrote a famous essay entitled The Unreasonable Effectiveness Of Mathematics In The Natural Sciences. His point was that it is a very deep mystery that one can write a small number of symbols on a piece of paper and by using strict rules of logic ferret out a steam of previously unknown and often amazing facts about the physical world e.g. black holes and lasers. My inspiration was that the mathematics that I used routinely could be used like paint, brush and canvas to create art very similar to hand panted art, and, resonant with Wigner’s assertions, also be capable of doing this by extracting a vast universe of imagery hidden in ordinary photographs.
How has your background as a biophysicist influenced the way you approach your art?
Basically a belief that mathematics is powerful and beautiful and can therefore be an effective tool in the creation of art.
Can you tell us about some of your favorite pieces or an upcoming project?
This is a bit embarrassing. My program is extremely powerful. I can generally complete pixel by pixel spatial transformations in about 30 seconds and pixel by pixel color transformations in 3-15 seconds on 5 million pixel images. I now have an inventory of roughly 140,000 unique images so there are, profoundly, no favorites. I don’t have any solo shows in the pipeline now, just some shows I have been juried into. My ongoing project is to keep delving into increasingly complex mathematical structures to explore my ability to continue to extract beauty from them.
How do you decide the balance between randomness and control in your work?
Every pixel moved and every pixel colored is determined by my equations and the parameters I set for them prior to their acting in a source image. So, technically there is zero randomness.
You’ve spoken about art as a bridge between science and religion. Can you elaborate on how your art navigates these themes?
Art, religion, and science all focus on what is hidden in the world. Science seeks to elucidate the laws of nature, religion seeks to both assert and discover transcendent dimension to human existence. Art both critiques and honors both approaches.
What is a profound childhood memory?
I grew up on a chicken farm turned large landscape nursery. I have a myriad of sharp memories from that. Most are more or less positive while some, centered around my father’s severe manic depression, are quite dark. If I were to choose one at random it could be lying on my back on the back lawn in June surrounded by flowering clover awash with busy bumblebees and waiting for one of the giant blimps from the nearby Lakehurst Naval Air Station to pass directly overhead only a few hundred feet aloft on its way to hunt Soviet submarines.
What else fills your time when you’re not creating art?
Writing scientific papers on the chromatography I have co-invented, pursuing the development of a new broad spectrum ant-microbial I have co-invented, and developing a radical theory of molecular evolution. Reading non-fiction, especially political commentary, spending time with family and friends, looking for new love after my wife’s death three years ago. Raising succulents on my balcony, going to museums and art galleries. Cooking.
What advice would you give to scientists or individuals from technical fields who are considering pursuing a creative path?
The critical thinking you have developed will be very helpful in developing your technical skills and confidence in your creative vision.
