Jim Andrews

Writer, Artist, Programmer

• Vancouver: (604) 209-1728
• Email: jim@vispo.com
• Site: vispo.com

Selected Work

• Sea of P_o (2024): App-mag (publisher/creator)
• Indicted 2023 (2023): Political cartoons
• Elevate (2023): Interactive visual
• Lorem Ipsum (2023): Videopoem with Adeena Karasick
• Checking In 2 (2023): Videopoem with Adeena Karasick
• Checking In 2 (2023): Aleph Null never-the-same-twice
• Enigma n²⁰²² (2022): Philosophical music and poetry toy
• City on the Other Side of Time (2021): Generated visuals
• NeoNio (2021): Interactive music + sound/visual poetry
• Oppen Do Down (2019): Interactive music
• Checking In (2018): Video poem with Adeena Karasick
• War Pigs (2018): Interactive music
• Jig Sound (2006): Interactive music
• Me and the Random (2018): Essay
• Collaboration with bill bissett (2019): Generative visual poetry
• Alchemical Cosmography (2020): Generative visuals
• American Hitler (2020, JavaScript): Generative visuals
• Time Machine (2020): Generative visuals
• Collaboration with Jim Leftwich (2019): Generative visual poetry
• No New Ideas (2020): Generative graphic novel
• Collaboration with Kirill Azernyy (2021): Generative visuals
• Aleph Null, Graphic Synthesizer (2019, Massy Books, Vancouver). A show of high-res prints of images created with software I wrote called Aleph Null.
• Aleph Null 3.1 (2019, HTML5): online generative, interactive image creation software.
• Aleph Null 3.0 Documentation of Aleph Null 3.0
• Aleph Null 2.0 (2016, HTML5): Interactive instrument of colour music.
• Globebop (2016, HTML5): Google Maps, Street View and Wikipedia app
• Dancer (2016, HTML5): Contracted programming for Steve Dipaola
• Langrid (2014, HTML5): Interactive poem. Click "Wread" for controls.
• dbCinema (2005-2011, Shockwave): langu(im)age processor, graphic synthesizer
• Aleph Null 1.0 (2011, HTML5): JavaScript interactive, generative visual art (and stills)
• A Pen (2007, Shockwave): a software pen that draws visual poems
• First Screening by bpNichol (2007, HTML): recovering lost digital poetry
• On Lionel Kearns (2004, Shockwave): A binary meditation on the work of a fine pioneer.
• Arteroids (2004, Shockwave): Online literary shoot-em-up poetry game.
• The idea of Order at Key West Re-ordered (2004, Shockwave): interactive audio
• Stir Fry Texts (1999-2000, JavaScript): DHTML literary cut-ups
• Enigma n (1998, JavaScript): A philosophical poetry toy.
• Seattle Drift (1997, JavaScript): DHTML problem poem
• The Pen (1997, Flash): Suite of graphical/text/Flash poems.
• Essays on New Media (1995-present)

Selected Interviews and Articles/Reviews About the Work

• Questions about Creativity, Piotr Szreniawski (2020)
• Jamal Russell on the Stir Fry Texts (UC, 2017)
• Ummay Habiba on Seattle Drift and Arteroids (Bangladesh, 2017)
• Leonardo Flores's doctoral thesis on my work (U of Maryland, 2010)
• Manuel Portela on my work (Portugal, 2014)
• Manuel Portela (Portugal, 2011)
• Amanda Michaels on the Stir Fry Texts (USA, 2009)
• Jessica Pressman on the Stir Fry Texts (USA, 2008)
• Steve Ersinghaus on the Stir Fry Texts (USA, 2008)
• Chris Funkhouser. This is the first book-length history of digital poetry. It covers the pre-web period 1959-1995. My work is mentioned several times.
• Kiene Brillenburg Wurth on Nio (Netherlands, 2006)
• Anna Katharina Schaffner on various works (Germany, 2006)
• Noah Wardrip-Fruin on Arteroids and others' works (USA, 2005)
• Karen Wagner on Nio (Denmark, 2005)
• Geof Huth on On Lionel Kearns (USA, 2004)
• Karen Wagner (Denmark) on On Lionel Kearns (2004)
• Braxton Soderman (USA) on Arteroids (2004)
• Nick Montfort (USA) on Arteroids (2003)
• Libération (Paris) on Paris Connection (2003)
• NY Times on Paris Connection and others' works (2003)
• Interview by Roberto Simanowski (Germany) (2002)
• Roberto Simanowski (Germany) on several pieces (2002)
• Frankfurt newspaper (2002, search for 'Jim Andrews')
• New York Times on Nio and others' works (2001)
• Interview with Stanza (UK) on soundtoys.net (2001)
• Interview with Randy Adams (Canada) about Nio (2001)
• Bill Marsh (USA) review of Enigma n (1999)

Huzzahs

• Modus Operandi
  • Mostly I publish on my site vispo.com and other sites. I also publish essays in books and print periodicals. Occassionally I show in galleries and festivals; Arteroids was shown in Los Angeles at Machine Gallery, Hong Kong at the Microwave festival, and Leipzig at D21. ABC Architecture appeared on the cover of Taiwan's Chung Wai literary magazine.
• Print Publications
  • Visual Poetry in Hamilton Arts & Letters
  • Visual Poetry in The Café Review
  • End of Recognition in Explorations in Media Ecology pp.85-90
  • Arteroids is a self-published book about my shoot-em-up online poetry game
  • How to Pleasurably Stop Smoking is a self-published book on how to stop smoking.
  • ABC Architecture is on the cover of Poesia Eletrônica by Jorge Luiz Antonio
  • Silvia Saint 54 in DOC(K)S (France)
  • "Videogames as Literary Devices" in Videogames & Art, U of Chicago Press
  • "Language Explosion" in Gamers, Softskull Press
  • "The <body> of Net Art" in The Capilano Review
  • "Framing 'Off-Screen Romance' by bpNichol" in Open Letter
• Awards
  • Senior Canada Council grant to pursue digital storytelling, 2010.
  • Artist in Residence contract from the Canada Council for Sept-Feb (2002-2003) in Toronto at the Centre for Creative Communications.
  • Canada Council jury member, Electronic Writing, August 2002.
  • Senior Canada Council grant to pursue interactive audio, July 2001.
  • Life-time membership at CFUV-FM, Victoria BC Canada.
• Commission
  • New American Radio & Performing Arts for the Turbulence site (2000).
• Recent Exhibitions
  • Videopoetry 1980-2020 at the Surrey Art Gallery (Vancouver, 2022)
  • Massy Books, Vancouver Canada: Aleph Null, Graphic Synthesizer (solo show of high-res prints). 2019.
  • Surrey Art Gallery, Vancouver Canada: Scenes of Selves, Occasions for Ruses (group show on self-portraiture curated by Jordan Strom). Two videos, self-portraits made with dbCinema.Sept-Dec 2012.
  • Audain Gallery, Vancouver Canada: Where Do We Stop and They Begin? (group show on generative art organized by Arne Eigenfeldt, Ben Bogart, Miles Thorogood and Philippe Pasquier. June 2012.
• Talks/Presentations
  • Capilano U, Vancouver, 2018
  • Capilano U, Vancouver, 2013
  • And Now conference, Paris, 2012. Presented Aleph Null and three scholars (Leo Flores, Giovanna Di Rosario, Mark Marino) delivered papers on Aleph Null.
  • SFU, Vancouver, 2012
  • MLA exhibition of electronic literature, Seattle, 2012
  • Beyond Text, Canterbury, England, 2009
  • dbCinema, The Centre for Digital Media, Vancouver, 2009
  • Jump-Cuts, Victoria B.C, 2007
  • E-Poetry Conference, Paris, 2007
  • Seattle, with Geof Huth, Nico Vassilakis, and Crag Hill, 2007
  • Canadian Game Studies Association conference, Toronto, 2006
  • Keynote at Technological Aesthetics, São Paulo, Brazil, 2006
  • U of Rio de Janeiro, 2006
  • Victoria Independent Film Festival, July 2005
  • trAce (Britain), July 2004
  • Carleton Digital Arts Festival, Sept 2003
  • Empyre, Feb 2003
  • The Rochester Institute of Technology, January 2003.
  • Institute for New Media Studies in Minneapolis, July 2002.
  • Keynote at E-Poetry 2001 conference in Buffalo.
  • Banff New Media Institute, August 2001.
  • Performer in Ottawa for launch of ITAC art section, December 2001.
• Courses in which the work is taught or on recommended reading list
  • Reading Games, Playing Books, Alistair J. Brown, Durham U
  • American Postmodern, Mark Sample, George Mason U
  • Art & Technology, Stephen Wilson, Alex Killough, SF State U
  • Comparative Literature, Charles Bernstein, U of Pennsylvania
  • Composing for the Web, Raymond Oenbring, College of the Bahamas
  • Computation as Expressive Medium, M Mateas, A Mazalek, Georgia Tech
  • Digital Humanities, Paul Schacht, State U of New York
  • Digital Humanities, Amardeep Singh, Lehigh U
  • Digital Literature, Shuen Shing Lee, National Chung Hsing U (Taiwan)
  • Digital Literature, John Zuern, U of Hawaii
  • Digital Literature, Jon Parsons
  • Digital Literature, Allison Muri, U. of Saskatchewan
  • Digital Literature, Jessica Pressman, Yale U
  • Digital Multimedia Poetry, Maria Engberg, Malmö U, Sweden
  • Digital Poetics, Loss Glazier, SUNY, Buffalo
  • Digital Poetry, Chris Funkhouser, NJIT
  • Digital Poetry and Electronic Literature, Aaron Angello, Hood College
  • Digital Poetry, Lori Emerson, U of Boulder
  • Digital Rhetoric, Dànielle Nicole Devoss, Michigan State U
  • Electronic Literature, Aurelea Mahood, Capilano U
  • Electronic Literature, Kathi Inman Berens, U of Bergen
  • Electronic Literature, Dene Grigar, Electronic Literature Org
  • Electronic Literature, Rita Raley, U of California, S.B.
  • Electronic Literature, J Hodge, U of Chicago
  • Electronic Literature, Zach Whalen, Mary Washington U
  • Experimental Writing, Nick Montfort, MIT
  • Fundamentals in Communication Design, Keith Robertson, RMIT
  • Form in Poetry, Charles Bernstein, SUNY
  • History and Future of the Book, Allison Muri, U of Saskatchewan
  • Hypertextual Literature, Vicente Forés, U of Valencia (Spain)
  • Interactive Digital Multimedia, Barbara Lattanzi, Smith College
  • Interactive Multimedia, Judd Morrissey, Art Institute of Chicago
  • Introduction to Multimedia, Denis Sherknies, U of Montréal
  • Kinetic Poetry, Manuel Portela, U of Coimbra, Portugal
  • Lingue e Letterature Moderne, Renata Morresi, Universita Degli Studi Di Macerata
  • Lit & Hypermedia, Shuen Shing Lee, National Chung Hsing U (Taiwan)
  • Media and Representation, Cynthia Lawson, Parsons School of Design
  • Media Theory for the 21st Century, Katherine Hayles, UCLA
  • Modern & Contemporary Poetry, Charles Bernstein, U of Pennsylvania
  • New Media Literatures, Martin Foys, U of Wisconsin
  • New Media Poetry, Stephanie Strickland, Sarah Lawrence College
  • Software Art, School of Creative Media, City U of Hong Kong
  • Theory and Literature of Rhetoric, Ed Lamoureux, Bradley U
  • Prose and its Malcontents, Charles Bernstein, SUNY
  • Studies in Literature, Leonardo Flores, U of Puerto Rico
  • Textual Conditions, Charles Bernstein, U of Pennsylvania
  • The Anthropology of Cyberspace, Brian Schwimmer, U of Manitoba
  • Sound of Poetry, Poetry of Sound, C Bernstein, U of Pennsylvania
  • The Word Made Digital, Nick Montfort, MIT
  • Twentieth Century Poetry, Charles Bernstein, U of Pennsylvania
  • Word and Image, Matthew Kirschenbaum, U of Maryland
  • Writing Through Media, Gary Hink, U of Florida

Education/Teaching

• 2014: Taught a course on Mobile Web Design at Emily Carr.
• 2013: Taught a course on Mobile App Creation at Emily Carr.
• 2012: Taught a course at Emily Carr on mobile app creation.
• 2012: Taught the Web Essentials course to undergrads at Emily Carr.
• 2003-2005: Helped teach Digital Media at U of Victoria.
• 2002: Taught Director at The Centre for Creative Communications in Toronto.
• 1990-92: Studied Computer Science and Mathematics at the U of Victoria.
• 1985: Trained to teach at Montessori schools.
• 1984: B.A. in English and Mathematics, U of Victoria.

Computing

• Computer Languages: Lingo, Javascript, Processing, Delphi, ActionScript.
• Machines: PC, Macs.
• Assorted Software:Sublime Text, DreamWeaver, Phonegap/Cordova, jQuery, jQuery Mobile, Eclipse, Xcode, Word, Visio, FrameMaker, Visio, Office, Open Office, Camtasia, Director, Audacity, Sound Forge, Acid, VB, PhotoShop, Illustrator, Flash, Premiere, ffmpeg

Work History

• 2015 - Present: Freelance programming
  I work with artists on programming projects.
• 2012 - 2014: Sessional Instructor, Emily Carr U of Art & Design
  I taught mobile app creation and web technologies. I taught Phonegap (mobile), Xcode, jQuery Mobile, jQuery, JavaScript, CSS, HTML, and Dreamweaver.
• April 2000 - Present: Artist-Programmer
  I wrote Windows for Shockwave, sell it online, and write grants to do art.
• October 2003 - Dec 2005: Artist-Programmer
  Contract at the U of Victoria in Visual Arts Dept as Programmer.
• Jan 2000 - July 2000: Solutions Architect, Network Commerce, Seattle
  Worked with clients to create specs for design of Web sites; with Dev to ensure feasibility; with Biz Dev concerning pricing information; with Design on site look. Projects ranged from $30,000 to $2,000,000 sites.
• Mar 97 - Jan 2000: Lead Technical Writer, Network Commerce, Seattle
  • Docs on NT/SQL/ASP and UNIX/Oracle/Perl ecommerce technology.
  • Wrote a white paper describing our technology to potential investors.
  • Help files, business proposals, code specs, templates, and graphics.
• Before 1997
  • Freelanced as a Programmer and Technical Writer in Victoria BC.
  • Six-year literary radio show called FINE LINES and, later, ?FRAME? at CFUV-FM heard each week on 15 stations.
  • Wrote grant proposals for CFUV-FM (campus/community station).
  • Tutored University and High school Math and English.
  • Starved. Wrote. Starved. Wrote. Wrote. Ate.

Volunteer

• I host and organize The Group of X, a group of artists and scholars interested in computer art.