I wish I could say that the published version of my book Algorithm, Image, Art is a perfect articulation of how I envisioned it. Unfortunately that’s not the case, but fortunately the life of books can entail many iterations. In the first edition of Algorithm, Image, Art, numerous errors were introduced during the editorial process in spite of my forceful objection, yet many of them nevertheless made it into the printed version. These worst part of it was that the problems were identified before going to print, but instead of fixing them, the editor removed the bespoke illustrations that had been prepared for the book as a reprisal. White pages at the beginning of each chapter bear witness to the illustrations’ omission in the first edition of this book, but until now I have not made a formal statement on it. Every text has its flaws, but to print this book in a form I was and am still not satisfied with is one of the most painful things I’ve experienced in my career. I tried. I was given the ultimatum of publishing the book as it was or not at all, so I chose to proceed in spite of the book’s editorial disfigurement.
But luckily a first edition is not the end of the process.
To amend the situation, I will be re-releasing the book in its original version that was not printed. The following version of Algorithm, Image, Art has been updated from the original to remove errata that would have been corrected before the book’s initial publication, had I been given the opportunity for that. The original unpublished preface for the book and a new essay expanding on its premise are included here to give context for this ongoing work investigating the historical discourses behind current forms of algorithmic image production. Updated versions of the illustrations have also been included in this version.
Excerpt from Algorithm, Image, Art, Chapter 1: “Algorithmic Image Production”