Electric Sheep
Electric Sheep is a collaborative volunteer computing project that uses a genetic algorithm to animate and evolve fractal flames. The generated animations are downloaded to networked computers and displayed as a screensaver. Created by programmer and software artist Scott Draves in 1999, the project harnesses the idle processing power of hundreds of thousands of computers to form a distributed render farm.
As users watch the screensaver, they can vote on their favorite animations. These votes act as the fitness function for the genetic algorithm, allowing the network to "breed" the most popular designs into new, evolving animations. Operating at the intersection of artificial life, generative art, and distributed computing, the project is widely recognized as a pioneering work of digital art. It has been exhibited at major museums including Prix Ars Electronica and the MoMA.
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