Today’s interview is with Jeremy Thorp, who will be presenting “Flash in Generative Art and Design” at Flashforward2006 Seattle.

Flashforward: Can you introduce yourself briefly?

JT: Hi. I’m Jeremy Thorp, freelance flash developer, digital artist and all-around decent guy. I’m based out of Vancouver where I’ve been working with and teaching Flash since 1999. I like to make pretty things with computers.

FF: Tell us a bit about your session, and why people will want to attend.

JT: I’m really excited about my session. Having the opportunity to talk to a bunch of people about Generative Art is going to be great — my hope is that the session will spark the creation of a few new GA fanatics in the Flash world. We’re going to see a lot of cool things that are being done with Flash and other technologies by artists around the world, and we’re also going to look at some concepts being harnessed by GA artists that are pretty amazing. Most importantly, I’ll also show and share a lot of source code that people will be able to take home and tinker with and hopefully use to create some interesting things.

FF: Are you using any new features of Flash 8 that you’d like to share?

JT: Where to start? I guess the obvious place is with the BitmapData Class, which is absolutely wonderful. We’ve seen a flood of really exciting things come out of pixel access and I think we’re only just beginning. Honestly I think Flash 8 has been the most exciting version upgrade for the experimental Flash community since we escaped the frame loop.

FF: What projects do you have in the pipeline?

JT: I’m off to Budapest in April to take part in an exhibition for a workshop on evolutionary computation techniques in the creation of creative systems. There are a few new projects that I’m working on that I’d like to show off there, which means there’s a good chance we’ll see a sneak peak at Flashforward as well. On the commercial front, I am working on the coolest project ever, which I can’t talk about right now but might be able to spill a few beans about when I see you in Seattle. On a geek-cred scale of 1-10, it’s an easy 25.

FF: What inspires you these days?

JT: I’ve been reading a lot about the theories that neurobiologists have about how consciousness arises. It’s pretty amazing stuff, and actually some of the first non-fiction that I’ve been able to absorb. Maybe I’m getting old. Also, I’m learning to play the blues, which I think is a really amazing example of a simple system that produces complex results. If I could just re-wire my brain so that I could learn a bit faster…

FF: Care to share what excites you about Flashforward or the Film Festival?

JT: Any time there’s a chance to get together with like minds, it’s exciting. This will be my first Flashforward, so I am interested in seeing and experiencing as much of it as I possibly can.

FF: Any sessions that you’re looking forward to attending?

JT: I’m looking forward to being inspired by Erik Natzke and humbled by Grant Skinner. But to be truthful, I’m looking forward to just about every session. I wish I could split myself into three.

FF: Any parting words to encourage people to attend your session and/or the conference?

JT: My session lives right on the boundary between technology and creativity — so everyone will be able to get something out of it. Plus, I’ll have prizes.

This entry was posted on Friday, January 20th, 2006 at 6:00 am and is filed under Flashforward News, Profiles. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. Responses are currently closed, but you can trackback from your own site.