Abstract

How can we build more intuitive, responsive and playful interfaces for performing realtime graphics? How can we create live computational performances which make computational visible, or which educate as well as delight the audience? I made a series of Fantasy IDEs to perform writing live coded visuals to grapple with these questions. The chaotic IDE will unfold slowly over the time of the performance. Starting with a blank screen, windows from the IDE’s windowing system will, one by one, populate the screen each window with a custom shader starting out with. Each window can be made fullscreen to edit the shader code. As the performance goes on, the chatbot, which is a comical take on the current raging trend of including AI based agents in software engineering IDEs. This performance is a culmination of my thesis work at the MIT Media Lab, where I researched under Zach Lieberman to investigate the future of creative code. This hopefully will show how IDEs are valid mediums of creative expression that are often overlooked. Usually for creative coding either IDEs are made as simple as possible (e.g. p5.js editor) to be inviting, or the IDE is completely transformed into node based programming (touch designer) to also be more inviting to non-programmers. Otherwise creative coders who don’t want to use these editors who’s purpose is to be less intimidating have to opt for using IDEs that were made for software engineers. Here I investigate creating an IDE with the sole purpose of being more fun and creative, without having the lift of needing to be inviting to non-programmers.