Google's 'DevArt' Explores Links Between Art, Science

Earlier this week, Google announced a Doodle art competition for kids and on Wednesday, the company said it’s also sponsoring a contest skewed to a slightly older demographic. The company’s “DevArt” competition is a collaboration with London’s Barbican Centre that encourages “developer artists” to submit their work in the hopes of being featured in Barbican’s Digital Revolution exhibit. The exhibition explores the links between science and various arts, ranging from music and architecture to video games.

“In between creating masterpieces like the Sistine Chapel and “Madonna and Child,” Michelangelo dissected cadavers in the hopes of understanding how the human body worked so he could paint it accurately. He’s not the only one: there has long been a connection between science and art. And it’s true today more than ever, as modern artists use technology for inspiration, inventing ways to give life to code, letting it spill from the screen and onto the canvas. We call this “DevArt,” and this summer, we’re teaming up with the Barbican in London and their Digital Revolution exhibition to celebrate DevArt in an interactive gallery. And we want you to be a part of it,” the company said in a Google Blog post.

The Digital Revolution exhibit will run from July 3 to September 14 and the winning entry will be featured alongside works from Karsten Schmidt, Zach Lieberman and the duo Varvara Guljajeva and Mar Canet.

“As part of this exhibition, we’re looking for the next up-and-coming developer artist. This is your opportunity to express your creativity, and to have your work featured in the Barbican and seen by millions of people around the world. To throw your hat in the ring, build a project on the DevArt site and show us what you would create,” the company said.

Google says it’s interested in exploring not just developer art, but also the process by which it is accomplished. The DevArt site will exhibit not only finished products, but each artist’s creative process. Artists interested in participating can submit their projects here.