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Computer Art Catalogue, 1972, India

"In contrast with classical machines, which convert energy, the computer processes information. It is a means towards the conception of structural order and at the same time offers itself as an aid to producing aesthetic order. This which evolves from this is known today under the title 'Computer Art'." ~ 'Computer Art' by Herbert W. Franke
Kennedy by Herbert W. Franke

Found this in a catalogue of an art exhibition titled ‘Computer Art’ held at NGMA, New Delhi in 1972 from March 27 to April 21. This is believed to be the first digital art exhibition ever held in India.  The event was a collaboration between Max Mueller Bhavan and IBM India. It was one among the first of such similar events held around the world in between 1967 and 1974.

The catalogue offers three essays: 'Computer Art: Possibilities and Limitations' by Dr. Laxmi P. Sihare (then director of the National Gallery of Modern Art) , 'Computer Art' by Herbert W. Franke and 'the Computer in the service of Art' by S.L. Kapoor (then a system engineer at IBM-India). Lots of information. Information like:
"The first melody composed by a computer dates back to 1956. It is entitled 'Push-Button-Bertha' and was programmed by M.Klein and D.Bolitho on a Dalatron iin the USA. Better known is the 'Illiac Suite' by L.A. Hiller and L.Isaacson, first performed in 1956 at the University of Illinois. The first exhibition of computer drawing took place in 1953 in the Sandford museum, Cherokee,Iowa. It was concerned with the 'Electronic Abstractions' by B.F. Laposky, which he had designed with the help of an analogue-calculating system and had presented on the screen of a cathode-ray-oscillograph. It was only in 1965 that computer drawing from large digital computers was shown in public. "
Information (peppered with sales pitch) like: "In 1971 Indian railways using 14 computers affected a saving of Rs.16 crore through inventory control in a single year."
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The catalogue at compArt database was generously shared with me by Hemant from his research work. Thanks!


A low-res view of the catalogue:
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