This project was born from the enthusiasm of Alain Lioret and some other Societie's members for the free software Processing.
The name Alkwarel (if approved by the Society members) pays homage to our ancestorAl Kwarizmi, whence comes the etymology of algorithm and hence of algorist.
In february 2008, the project is still in its early development. However, Processing looks actually like the fittest suppot for a cooperative development, the basic object of our association. It may be used by a large variety of persons, in various configurations. And it can be used to build as well a "studio", a "box of paints" as much larger and ambitious environments, not to say Worlds;
In its first phase, which has just begun, Alkwarel is a studio, a set of graphic creation tools. They are made and use on a cooperative mode.
The largest public, at least those who have access to Internet and are able to use simple graphic functions will be presented on the net with an easy and convivial tool. Even gamelike versions can be elaborated, in the line of what had been experimented in 2007 at Laval Virtual, using Roxame as a platform.
To the artist and graphic designers who understand the logic of programming but wish to spend as little time as possible in basic functions coding, Processing by itself brings a large range of functions. They are extended by libraries ans sustained by a widening community of developer. These functions process 3D and moving imagery as well as still 2D. Executable codes are easily tested and performance appear very good (as far as we have tested to this day).
To the deeply involved developpers, who do not fear (or even take pleasure in) the dire tracks of programming down to the pixel, Processing offers a syntax and a set of basic operations and controls nearly as supple as traditional basic languages as C++.
By the 26th of january 2008, three artists habe contributed. The results will as soon as possible offered to the Society members and then to the public.
By april 28, a first base is delivered, by transcoding of Roxame into Processing. A technical architecture will soon be proposed by Xavier Gouchet.
Alkwarel may look far beyond a simple paint box and even a cooperative studio.
It can aim at becoming a full scale virtual world. Then a vast role game can
develop itself above the toolbox, and become consistent as well as permanent.
The idea has been sketched in a contribution to ICSSEA
2007. Then, any position in the word of art can find its place :
- simple visitors of the studio, like those practicing and learning spaces opened
by local communities, institutions or private persons,
- artists, more amateur or more professional,
- art critics, to evaluate and comment the works,
- mediation structures (museums, galleries...) to communicate about the works
and, why not, to market them,
- new tool makers,
- managers or this new world (the politicians, so to speak).
These roles can be held as well by natural persons (you, Me...) as by "AI" (artificial intelligent beings), like the NPC (non player characters) in role games. Roxame, for instance, or the Bret's dancer, would become such characters. You may think of any other you like, included fancy "academic" models (that exists in the Poser software tools).
As soon as this world begins to reach material dimensions, legal structures will have bo be designed in order to protect, as far as possible and advisable, individual property... at least for those who are not willing to stay in the "free" mode.
To be continued;