lacma-2026: lead-forward events + $50k budget + bio/culture rewrites

+20 -19

grants/lacma-2026/LACMA-2026-APPLICATION-DRAFT.md

··· 30 30 31 31 AC has three interlocking layers: a bare-metal operating system that boots directly into art software, a custom programming language (KidLisp) for generative art, and a social network for publishing interactive programs called "pieces." The second scene has feedstock: Windows 10 end-of-life has stranded ~240 million x86_64 laptops, and ~62 million tonnes of e-waste pile up each year. Strip away the consumer OS and those machines become a planetary population of half-built instruments waiting for a kernel. 32 32 33 - **AC Native** is the kernel. A Linux boot runs a custom C runtime as PID 1 on x86_64 UEFI laptops — no desktop, no compositor, no browser. Graphics via DRM, input via raw evdev, audio via ALSA at 192 kHz with 32-voice polyphony. Per-seat cost lands near $50 — two orders of magnitude below Princeton's PLOrk laptop-orchestra model. A built-in `code` command drops into a native terminal running Anthropic's Claude Code — the only bare-metal creative OS we know of with an AI coding partner built in. The default piece is *notepat*, an 8,466-line polyphonic instrument with eight waveforms, sample recording, and MIDI; twenty other pieces ship alongside it. 33 + **AC Native** is the kernel. A Linux boot runs a custom C runtime as PID 1 on x86_64 UEFI laptops, with no desktop, compositor, or browser. Graphics via DRM, input via raw evdev, audio via ALSA at 192 kHz with 32-voice polyphony. Per-seat cost lands near $50, two orders of magnitude below Princeton's PLOrk laptop-orchestra model. A built-in `code` command drops into a native terminal running Anthropic's Claude Code, the only bare-metal creative OS we know of with an AI coding partner built in. The default piece is *notepat*, an 8,466-line polyphonic instrument with eight waveforms, sample recording, and MIDI. Twenty more pieces ship alongside, including chat and paint. 34 34 35 - **KidLisp** is a minimal Lisp for generative art — 118 functions, accessible to non-programmers, expressive enough for complex compositions. 17,000+ KidLisp programs already live on the platform. Programs can be minted as on-chain "keeps" on Tezos, establishing provenance without requiring artists to touch blockchain infrastructure. 35 + **KidLisp** is a minimal Lisp for generative art, with 118 functions. It is accessible to non-programmers yet expressive enough for complex compositions, and 17,000+ programs already live on the platform. Programs can be minted as on-chain "keeps" on Tezos, establishing provenance without requiring artists to touch blockchain infrastructure. 36 36 37 - **The Network** hosts 371 built-in pieces, 265 user-published, and 2,800+ registered handles. Every piece is URL-addressable and QR-shareable; real-time multiplayer runs through WebSocket and UDP. 37 + **The Network** hosts 371 built-in pieces, 265 user-published, and 2,800+ registered handles. People draw, chat, and play together in real time; every piece is URL-addressable and QR-shareable. 38 38 39 39 During the grant period we propose to develop AC Native into a distributable creative instrument and public installation: 40 40 41 - 1. **Portable Instruments** — USB-bootable AC Native drives preloaded with curated pieces for visitors to take home. 42 - 2. **KidLisp Workshops** — Hands-on sessions writing programs that run on AC Native in real time, code to sound and image with no intermediary. 43 - 3. **Public Installation** — Multiple AC Native stations at LACMA where visitors encounter creative computing as an instrument-like interaction. 44 - 4. **Open Documentation** — Complete build pipeline, hardware compatibility guide, and curriculum, published openly so other institutions can replicate. 41 + 1. **Portable Instruments.** USB-bootable AC Native drives preloaded with curated pieces for visitors to take home. 42 + 2. **KidLisp Workshops.** Hands-on sessions where participants write programs that run on AC Native in real time, from code to sound and image. 43 + 3. **Public Installation.** Multiple AC Native stations at LACMA where visitors encounter creative computing as an instrument-like interaction. 44 + 4. **Open Documentation.** Complete build pipeline, hardware compatibility guide, and curriculum, published openly so other institutions can replicate. 45 45 46 - This is not a product. It is an argument: the personal computer is still a site of artistic invention — and the new scene has just begun. 46 + This is not a product. It is an argument: the personal computer is still a site of artistic invention, and the new scene has just begun. 47 47 48 48 --- 49 49 50 50 ## Artist Bio (short) 51 51 52 - Jeffrey Alan Scudder (b. 1989, Assonet, MA) is an artist based in Los Angeles, working across stretched canvas, custom software, and live performance. Yale School of Art MFA (2013). He is the creator of Aesthetic Computer, Whistlegraph, and No Paint; his open-source tools *No Paint* (2020) and *notepat* (2024) each reached the front page of Hacker News. Work is held in the collections of KADIST (San Francisco) and SMK — National Gallery of Denmark. He is currently Author in Residence at UCLA, working with Casey Reas, and hosts biweekly NELA Computer Club demos at Plot.Place in Chinatown, Los Angeles. 52 + Jeffrey Alan Scudder is an artist, educator, and technologist based in Los Angeles. He loves building instruments and tools for other artists to use, and keeps a live and active practice across performance painting, software writing, and teaching. He holds an MFA from the Yale School of Art (2013) and a BFA from Ringling College of Art and Design (2011). He has taught at UCLA, Parsons School of Design, and Southern Oregon University, and is currently Author in Residence at UCLA Social Software with Casey Reas and Lauren Lee McCarthy. He is the creator of Aesthetic Computer, Whistlegraph, and No Paint, and his open-source tools *No Paint* and *notepat* each reached the front page of Hacker News. His work is held in the collections of KADIST (San Francisco) and SMK, the National Gallery of Denmark. He hosts biweekly NELA Computer Club demos at Plot.Place in Chinatown, Los Angeles. 53 53 54 54 ## Artist CV 55 55 ··· 80 80 81 81 _[~98 words]_ 82 82 83 - Consumer operating systems have become attention-extraction machines — optimized for engagement metrics, not creative agency. AC Native offers a counter-model: a computer that boots directly into a single piece of art software and does nothing else. This is not nostalgia for early computing but a forward-looking argument that the personal computer's design is a cultural question, not a settled technical one. KidLisp extends this argument to programming itself — demonstrating that a language can be designed for artistic expression rather than industrial production. The 17,000+ programs written in KidLisp suggest this resonates beyond our own practice. 83 + Consumer operating systems have become attention-extraction machines, optimized for engagement metrics rather than creative agency. AC Native offers a counter-model: a computer that boots directly into art software and grows alongside the artist. Over five years of active development, Aesthetic Computer's community has written 17,000+ KidLisp programs, made 4,400+ paintings, shared 2,900+ moods, and exchanged 19,000+ chat messages across 2,800+ registered handles. AC Native carries that social layer with it: chat, multiplayer, notepat, KidLisp runtime. The personal computer's design is a cultural question, not a settled technical one, and people show up when given the room. 84 84 85 85 --- 86 86 ··· 98 98 99 99 | Phase | Timing | Milestones | 100 100 |-------|--------|------------| 101 - | **1. Hardware & Curriculum** | Fall 2026 – Spring 2027 | Expand AC Native compatibility to 5+ laptop models; build multi-piece boot menu; design the 3-level KidLisp workshop curriculum; produce printed reference cards (extending the sosoft card template used at UCLA). | 102 - | **2. Pre-Symposium Workshops** | Spring – Summer 2027 | Run 2 pilot workshops at LACMA; assemble a prototype multi-station installation; publish v0 of the open-source build guide. | 103 - | **3. 2027 Symposium (WIP)** | Fall 2027 | Live AC Native demonstration: visitors and cohort artists boot the OS on their own laptops from USB. Public KidLisp workshop in the museum. Talk / in-conversation on generative computing, situated alongside the 2023 cohort. | 104 - | **4. Full Installation + Workshops** | Winter 2027 – Summer 2028 | Kiosk-mode hardening; 20+ take-home USB drives; 4 additional workshops; complete documentation; translate workshop curriculum (EN + ES, matching AC's translation pipeline). | 105 - | **5. 2028 Demo Day (premiere)** | Fall 2028 | Public premiere of the multi-station AC Native installation in the LACMA galleries. Open-source v1.0 release with full build pipeline, hardware compatibility matrix, and workshop curriculum for other institutions to adopt. Public programs introducing the system to teachers, museum educators, and other artists. | 101 + | **1. Hardware & Curriculum** | Fall 2026 – Spring 2027 | Expand AC Native compatibility to 5+ laptop models, build the multi-piece boot menu, design the 3-level KidLisp workshop curriculum, and produce printed reference cards (extending the sosoft card template used at UCLA). | 102 + | **2. Pre-Symposium Workshops** | Spring – Summer 2027 | Run 2 pilot workshops at LACMA, assemble a prototype multi-station installation, and publish v0 of the open-source build guide. | 103 + | **3. 2027 Symposium — "We boot the cohort."** | Fall 2027 | **At Symposium, every laptop in the room becomes an AC Native instrument from a single USB stick, and a public KidLisp workshop takes participants from first line of code to a running program on the museum floor.** Talk / in-conversation on generative computing, situated alongside the 2023 cohort. | 104 + | **4. Full Installation + Workshops** | Winter 2027 – Summer 2028 | Kiosk-mode hardening, 20+ take-home USB drives, 4 additional workshops, complete documentation, and a translated curriculum (EN + ES, matching AC's translation pipeline). | 105 + | **5. 2028 Demo Day — "We open the gallery."** | Fall 2028 | **A multi-station AC Native installation premieres on the LACMA floor — visitors sit down and play a fully-realized creative computer — and v1.0 of the open-source build pipeline ships, so any institution can stand up the same rig.** Public programs introduce the system to teachers, museum educators, and other artists. | 106 106 107 107 --- 108 108 ··· 117 117 | USB drives, cables, peripherals | $500 | 118 118 | Installation fabrication (furniture, mounts) | $2,500 | 119 119 | Workshop materials (printed guides, KidLisp reference cards) | $1,200 | 120 - | **2027 Symposium contribution** (travel, cohort demo USB kit, on-site demo station) | $2,500 | 121 - | **2028 Demo Day premiere** (install setup, public-program support) | $3,000 | 120 + | **2027 Symposium "boot the cohort"** (cohort demo USB kit, on-site workshop station, travel) | $2,500 | 121 + | **2028 Demo Day "open the gallery"** (multi-station install setup, public-program support) | $3,000 | 122 + | **Paid event helpers** (workshop TAs, install + take-down at Symposium and Demo Day) | $3,000 | 122 123 | Server + compute infrastructure (hosting, CDN, CI/CD) | $3,500 | 123 124 | Documentation production (video, photography, translation) | $2,000 | 124 125 | Contingency (10%) | $3,700 | 125 - | **Total Requested** | **$47,000** | 126 + | **Total Requested** | **$50,000** | 126 127 127 - $3,000 of headroom remains under the $50,000 cap. 128 + The 10% contingency line handles budget slip; paid helpers are a direct expense budgeted for the cohort's two public events. 128 129 129 130 --- 130 131

+17 -14

grants/lacma-2026/demo-narration.md

··· 1 - # title: AC Native — synced demo narration (boot → prompt → notepat → shutdown) 2 - # voice: Daniel 3 - # rate: 175 4 - # 5 - # Subtitles narrate only from the prompt onward. Boot (0:00–0:02) has its 6 - # own "hi @jeffrey, enjoy Los Angeles!" TTS baked in; shutdown (0:19.7+) 7 - # will have its own "bye @handle" TTS + chime from ac-native once 8 - # hardware-recaptured. 1 + # title: AC Native — single-capture narration with C-note play 2 + # voice: Samantha 3 + # rate: 160 9 4 10 - [0:02.5] At the prompt — type a piece name. 11 - [0:05] notepat: the default instrument. 12 - [0:08] Thirty-two voices at 192 kilohertz. 13 - [0:12] Chord colors track what you play. 14 - [0:16] A Viennese waltz, played live. 15 - [0:19] --silence-- 5 + [0:00.5] hi @jeffrey. 6 + [0:02] n. 7 + [0:03] o. 8 + [0:04] t. 9 + [0:05] e. 10 + [0:06] p. 11 + [0:07] a. 12 + [0:08] t. 13 + [0:12.5] Press the C key to play a C note. 14 + [0:15.8] Now let's go back to the prompt. 15 + [0:18.5] o. 16 + [0:19.5] f. 17 + [0:20.5] f. 18 + [0:21] --silence--

grants/lacma-2026/lacma-2026.pdf

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+20 -19

grants/lacma-2026/lacma-2026.tex

··· 124 124 125 125 AC has three interlocking layers: a bare-metal operating system that boots directly into art software, a custom programming language (KidLisp) for generative art, and a social network for publishing interactive programs called ``pieces.'' The second scene has feedstock: Windows 10 end-of-life has stranded ~240 million x86\_64 laptops, and ~62 million tonnes of e-waste pile up each year. Strip away the consumer OS and those machines become a planetary population of half-built instruments waiting for a kernel. 126 126 127 - \textbf{AC Native} is the kernel. A Linux boot runs a custom C runtime as PID\,1 on x86\_64 UEFI laptops---no desktop, no compositor, no browser. Graphics via DRM, input via raw evdev, audio via ALSA at 192\,kHz with 32-voice polyphony. Per-seat cost lands near \$50---two orders of magnitude below Princeton's PLOrk laptop-orchestra model. A built-in \texttt{code} command drops into a native terminal running Anthropic's Claude Code---the only bare-metal creative OS we know of with an AI coding partner built in. The default piece is \textit{notepat}, an 8,466-line polyphonic instrument with eight waveforms, sample recording, and MIDI; twenty other pieces ship alongside it. 127 + \textbf{AC Native} is the kernel. A Linux boot runs a custom C runtime as PID\,1 on x86\_64 UEFI laptops, with no desktop, compositor, or browser. Graphics via DRM, input via raw evdev, audio via ALSA at 192\,kHz with 32-voice polyphony. Per-seat cost lands near \$50, two orders of magnitude below Princeton's PLOrk laptop-orchestra model. A built-in \texttt{code} command drops into a native terminal running Anthropic's Claude Code, the only bare-metal creative OS we know of with an AI coding partner built in. The default piece is \textit{notepat}, an 8,466-line polyphonic instrument with eight waveforms, sample recording, and MIDI. Twenty more pieces ship alongside, including chat and paint. 128 128 129 - \textbf{KidLisp} is a minimal Lisp for generative art---118 functions, accessible to non-programmers, expressive enough for complex compositions. 17,000+ KidLisp programs already live on the platform. Programs can be minted as on-chain ``keeps'' on Tezos, establishing provenance without requiring artists to touch blockchain infrastructure. 129 + \textbf{KidLisp} is a minimal Lisp for generative art, with 118 functions. It is accessible to non-programmers yet expressive enough for complex compositions, and 17,000+ programs already live on the platform. Programs can be minted as on-chain ``keeps'' on Tezos, establishing provenance without requiring artists to touch blockchain infrastructure. 130 130 131 - \textbf{The Network} hosts 371 built-in pieces, 265 user-published, and 2,800+ registered handles. Every piece is URL-addressable and QR-shareable; real-time multiplayer runs through WebSocket and UDP. 131 + \textbf{The Network} hosts 371 built-in pieces, 265 user-published, and 2,800+ registered handles. People draw, chat, and play together in real time; every piece is URL-addressable and QR-shareable. 132 132 133 133 During the grant period we propose to develop AC Native into a distributable creative instrument and public installation: 134 134 135 135 \begin{enumerate} 136 - \item \textbf{Portable Instruments}---USB-bootable AC Native drives preloaded with curated pieces for visitors to take home. 137 - \item \textbf{KidLisp Workshops}---Hands-on sessions writing programs that run on AC Native in real time, code to sound and image with no intermediary. 138 - \item \textbf{Public Installation}---Multiple AC Native stations at LACMA where visitors encounter creative computing as an instrument-like interaction. 139 - \item \textbf{Open Documentation}---Complete build pipeline, hardware compatibility guide, and curriculum, published openly so other institutions can replicate. 136 + \item \textbf{Portable Instruments.} USB-bootable AC Native drives preloaded with curated pieces for visitors to take home. 137 + \item \textbf{KidLisp Workshops.} Hands-on sessions where participants write programs that run on AC Native in real time, from code to sound and image. 138 + \item \textbf{Public Installation.} Multiple AC Native stations at LACMA where visitors encounter creative computing as an instrument-like interaction. 139 + \item \textbf{Open Documentation.} Complete build pipeline, hardware compatibility guide, and curriculum, published openly so other institutions can replicate. 140 140 \end{enumerate} 141 141 142 - This is not a product. It is an argument: the personal computer is still a site of artistic invention---and the new scene has just begun. 142 + This is not a product. It is an argument: the personal computer is still a site of artistic invention, and the new scene has just begun. 143 143 144 144 % ======================================================================= 145 145 \achead{Figures} ··· 189 189 190 190 \acsubhead{Technology and Culture} 191 191 192 - Consumer operating systems have become attention-extraction machines---optimized for engagement metrics, not creative agency. AC Native offers a counter-model: a computer that boots directly into a single piece of art software and does nothing else. This is not nostalgia for early computing but a forward-looking argument that the personal computer's design is a cultural question, not a settled technical one. KidLisp extends this argument to programming itself---demonstrating that a language can be designed for artistic expression rather than industrial production. The 17,000+ programs written in KidLisp suggest this resonates beyond our own practice. 192 + Consumer operating systems have become attention-extraction machines, optimized for engagement metrics rather than creative agency. AC Native offers a counter-model: a computer that boots directly into art software and grows alongside the artist. Over five years of active development, \ac's community has written 17,000+ KidLisp programs, made 4,400+ paintings, shared 2,900+ moods, and exchanged 19,000+ chat messages across 2,800+ registered handles. AC Native carries that social layer with it: chat, multiplayer, notepat, KidLisp runtime. The personal computer's design is a cultural question, not a settled technical one, and people show up when given the room. 193 193 194 194 \acsubhead{Public Engagement} 195 195 ··· 202 202 203 203 \renewcommand{\arraystretch}{1.4} 204 204 \begin{tabularx}{\textwidth}{@{}lX@{}} 205 - \textbf{Fall 2026 -- Spring 2027} & \textbf{Hardware \& Curriculum}---Expand AC Native compatibility to 5+ laptop models; build multi-piece boot menu; design the 3-level KidLisp workshop curriculum; produce printed reference cards (extending the sosoft card template used at UCLA). \\ 206 - \textbf{Spring -- Summer 2027} & \textbf{Pre-Symposium: First Workshops}---Run 2 pilot workshops at LACMA; assemble the first prototype multi-station installation; publish v0 of the open-source build guide. \\ 207 - \textbf{Fall 2027} & \textbf{2027 Symposium (works-in-development)}---Live AC Native demonstration: visitors (and cohort artists) boot the OS on their own laptops from a USB stick. Public KidLisp workshop in the museum. Talk / in-conversation on generative computing, situated alongside the 2023 cohort's work. \\ 208 - \textbf{Winter 2027 -- Summer 2028} & \textbf{Full Installation + Extended Workshops}---Kiosk-mode hardening; 20+ bootable USB drives for visitor take-home; 4 additional workshops; complete documentation; translate workshop curriculum (English + Spanish, matching AC's existing translation pipeline). \\ 209 - \textbf{Fall 2028} & \textbf{2028 Demo Day (completed project)}---Public premiere of the multi-station AC Native installation in the LACMA galleries. Open-source v1.0 release with full build pipeline, hardware compatibility matrix, and workshop curriculum available for other institutions to adopt. Public programs introducing the system to teachers, museum educators, and other artists. \\ 205 + \textbf{Fall 2026 -- Spring 2027} & \textbf{Hardware \& Curriculum.} Expand AC Native compatibility to 5+ laptop models, build the multi-piece boot menu, design the 3-level KidLisp workshop curriculum, and produce printed reference cards (extending the sosoft card template used at UCLA). \\ 206 + \textbf{Spring -- Summer 2027} & \textbf{Pre-Symposium: First Workshops.} Run 2 pilot workshops at LACMA, assemble the first prototype multi-station installation, and publish v0 of the open-source build guide. \\ 207 + \textbf{Fall 2027} & \textbf{2027 Symposium ``We boot the cohort.''} At Symposium, every laptop in the room becomes an AC Native instrument from a single USB stick, and a public KidLisp workshop takes participants from first line of code to a running program on the museum floor. Talk / in-conversation on generative computing, situated alongside the 2023 cohort's work. \\ 208 + \textbf{Winter 2027 -- Summer 2028} & \textbf{Full Installation + Extended Workshops.} Kiosk-mode hardening, 20+ bootable USB drives for visitor take-home, 4 additional workshops, complete documentation, and a translated curriculum (English + Spanish, matching AC's existing translation pipeline). \\ 209 + \textbf{Fall 2028} & \textbf{2028 Demo Day ``We open the gallery.''} A multi-station AC Native installation premieres on the LACMA floor---visitors sit down and play a fully-realized creative computer---and v1.0 of the open-source build pipeline ships, so any institution can stand up the same rig. Public programs introduce the system to teachers, museum educators, and other artists. \\ 210 210 \end{tabularx} 211 211 \renewcommand{\arraystretch}{1.0} 212 212 ··· 222 222 USB drives, cables, peripherals & \$500 \\ 223 223 Installation fabrication (furniture, mounts) & \$2,500 \\ 224 224 Workshop materials (printed guides, KidLisp reference cards) & \$1,200 \\ 225 - \textbf{2027 Symposium contribution} (travel, cohort demo USB kit, on-site demo station) & \$2,500 \\ 226 - \textbf{2028 Demo Day premiere} (install setup, public-program support) & \$3,000 \\ 225 + \textbf{2027 Symposium ``boot the cohort''} (cohort demo USB kit, on-site workshop station, travel) & \$2,500 \\ 226 + \textbf{2028 Demo Day ``open the gallery''} (multi-station install setup, public-program support) & \$3,000 \\ 227 + \textbf{Paid event helpers} (workshop TAs, install + take-down at Symposium and Demo Day) & \$3,000 \\ 227 228 Server + compute infrastructure (hosting, CDN, CI/CD) & \$3,500 \\ 228 229 Documentation production (video, photography, translation) & \$2,000 \\ 229 230 Contingency (10\%) & \$3,700 \\ 230 231 {\color{acgray}\hrulefill} & {\color{acgray}\hrulefill} \\[-0.3em] 231 - \textbf{Total Requested} & \textbf{\$47,000} \\ 232 + \textbf{Total Requested} & \textbf{\$50,000} \\ 232 233 \end{tabularx} 233 234 \renewcommand{\arraystretch}{1.0} 234 235 235 236 \vspace{0.2em} 236 - {\color{acgray} Other funding: open-source sponsorship via GitHub Sponsors and Liberapay supplements ongoing infrastructure costs (hosting, domains, CI).} 237 + {\color{acgray} The 10\% contingency line handles budget slip; paid helpers are a direct expense budgeted for the cohort's two public events. Other funding: open-source sponsorship via GitHub Sponsors and Liberapay supplements ongoing infrastructure costs (hosting, domains, CI).} 237 238 238 239 % ======================================================================= 239 240 % CV ··· 245 246 {\color{acgray} Jeffrey Alan Scudder · \href{https://aesthetic.computer}{aesthetic.computer} · Los Angeles, CA} 246 247 \end{center} 247 248 248 - Jeffrey Alan Scudder (b.\,1989, Assonet, MA) is an artist based in Los Angeles, working across stretched canvas, custom software, and live performance. Yale School of Art MFA (2013). He is the creator of \ac{}, Whistlegraph, and No Paint; his open-source tools \textit{No Paint} (2020) and \textit{notepat} (2024) each reached the front page of Hacker News. Work is held in the collections of KADIST (San Francisco) and SMK---National Gallery of Denmark. He is currently Author in Residence at UCLA, working with Casey Reas, and hosts biweekly NELA Computer Club demos at Plot.Place in Chinatown, Los Angeles. 249 + Jeffrey Alan Scudder is an artist, educator, and technologist based in Los Angeles. He loves building instruments and tools for other artists to use, and keeps a live and active practice across performance painting, software writing, and teaching. He holds an MFA from the Yale School of Art (2013) and a BFA from Ringling College of Art and Design (2011). He has taught at UCLA, Parsons School of Design, and Southern Oregon University, and is currently Author in Residence at UCLA Social Software with Casey Reas and Lauren Lee McCarthy. He is the creator of \ac{}, Whistlegraph, and No Paint, and his open-source tools \textit{No Paint} and \textit{notepat} each reached the front page of Hacker News. His work is held in the collections of KADIST (San Francisco) and SMK, the National Gallery of Denmark. He hosts biweekly NELA Computer Club demos at Plot.Place in Chinatown, Los Angeles. 249 250 250 251 \acsubhead{Education} 251 252

+22 -19

system/public/lacma-2026/index.html

··· 694 694 695 695 <dt>Artist bio / CV</dt> 696 696 <dd> 697 - Jeffrey Alan Scudder (b. 1989, Assonet, MA) — artist in Los Angeles. Yale School of Art MFA (2013). Creator of <em>Aesthetic Computer</em>, <em>Whistlegraph</em>, <em>No Paint</em>. Work in the collections of KADIST (San Francisco) and SMK (National Gallery of Denmark). Open-source tools <em>No Paint</em> (2020) and <em>notepat</em> (2024) each reached the front page of Hacker News. Currently Author in Residence at UCLA under Casey Reas + Lauren Lee McCarthy. Biweekly NELA Computer Club demos at Plot.Place, Chinatown LA.<br> 697 + Jeffrey Alan Scudder is an artist, educator, and technologist based in Los Angeles. He loves building instruments and tools for other artists to use, and keeps a live and active practice across performance painting, software writing, and teaching. He holds an MFA from the Yale School of Art and a BFA from Ringling College of Art and Design. He has taught at UCLA, Parsons School of Design, and Southern Oregon University, and is currently Author in Residence at UCLA Social Software with Casey Reas and Lauren Lee McCarthy. He is the creator of <em>Aesthetic Computer</em>, <em>Whistlegraph</em>, and <em>No Paint</em>, and his open-source tools <em>No Paint</em> and <em>notepat</em> each reached the front page of Hacker News. His work is held in the collections of KADIST (San Francisco) and SMK, the National Gallery of Denmark. He hosts biweekly NELA Computer Club demos at Plot.Place in Chinatown, Los Angeles.<br> 698 698 <a class="jump" href="https://aesthetic.computer/lacma-2026/lacma-2026.pdf#page=4">Full CV in PDF ↓</a> 699 699 </dd> 700 700 ··· 702 702 <dd class="statement">Aesthetic Computer treats the computer itself as an unfinished instrument — a site for ongoing artistic invention rather than a fixed consumer product. By building from bare metal (custom kernel, framebuffer rendering, sample-level audio synthesis), we recover the directness that early personal computing promised but commercial platforms abandoned. The work sits at the intersection of software art, instrument design, and language design: KidLisp is simultaneously a tool and a medium, and AC Native transforms commodity laptops into dedicated creative instruments. The artistic claim is that how we build computers is itself a creative act with cultural consequences.</dd> 703 703 704 704 <dt>Technology + culture<span class="cap">100 w · ours: 98</span></dt> 705 - <dd class="statement">Consumer operating systems have become attention-extraction machines — optimized for engagement metrics, not creative agency. AC Native offers a counter-model: a computer that boots directly into a single piece of art software and does nothing else. This is not nostalgia for early computing but a forward-looking argument that the personal computer's design is a cultural question, not a settled technical one. KidLisp extends this argument to programming itself — demonstrating that a language can be designed for artistic expression rather than industrial production. The 17,000+ programs written in KidLisp suggest this resonates beyond our own practice.</dd> 705 + <dd class="statement">Consumer operating systems have become attention-extraction machines, optimized for engagement metrics rather than creative agency. AC Native offers a counter-model: a computer that boots directly into art software and grows alongside the artist. Over five years of active development, Aesthetic Computer's community has written 17,000+ KidLisp programs, made 4,400+ paintings, shared 2,900+ moods, and exchanged 19,000+ chat messages across 2,800+ registered handles. AC Native carries that social layer with it: chat, multiplayer, notepat, KidLisp runtime. The personal computer's design is a cultural question, not a settled technical one, and people show up when given the room.</dd> 706 706 707 707 <dt>Public engagement<span class="cap">100 w · ours: 95</span></dt> 708 708 <dd class="statement">We propose three forms of public engagement. First, hands-on KidLisp workshops at LACMA where participants write generative art programs that run on AC Native hardware — no prior coding experience required. Second, an installation of multiple AC Native stations where visitors experience creative computing as a direct, instrument-like interaction. Third, open "build days" where we assemble USB drives and document the process publicly, inviting visitors into the making of the system itself. All curricula, documentation, and software will be published openly for other artists and institutions to adopt.</dd> 709 709 710 - <dt>Budget<span class="cap">$50k cap · ours: $47k</span></dt> 710 + <dt>Budget<span class="cap">$50k cap · ours: $50k</span></dt> 711 711 <dd> 712 - Artist fee $22,000 (24 mo) · <em>2027 Symposium contribution $2,500</em> · <em>2028 Demo Day premiere $3,000</em> · Studio hardware $3,500 · Install laptops + keyboards + peripherals $3,100 · Install fabrication $2,500 · Workshop materials $1,200 · Server infra $3,500 · Docs + translation $2,000 · Contingency $3,700. <strong>Total $47,000</strong> ($3k headroom). 712 + Artist fee $22,000 (24 mo) · <em>2027 Symposium "boot the cohort" $2,500</em> · <em>2028 Demo Day "open the gallery" $3,000</em> · <em>Paid event helpers $3,000</em> · Studio hardware $3,500 · Install laptops + keyboards + peripherals $3,100 · Install fabrication $2,500 · Workshop materials $1,200 · Server infra $3,500 · Docs + translation $2,000 · Contingency $3,700. <strong>Total $50,000</strong>, the full cap. 713 713 <br><a class="jump" href="#budget">Full budget ↓</a> 714 714 </dd> 715 715 716 716 <dt>Other funding</dt> 717 717 <dd>Open-source sponsorship via GitHub Sponsors and Liberapay supplements ongoing infrastructure (hosting, domains, CI). No other institutional grant support at this time.</dd> 718 718 719 - <dt>Timeline<span class="cap">24 months</span></dt> 719 + <dt>Timeline<span class="cap">24 months · two leads</span></dt> 720 720 <dd> 721 - Fall 2026 → Spring 2027 · Hardware + curriculum · 722 - Spring–Summer 2027 · Pre-Symposium workshops · 723 - <em>Fall 2027 · 2027 Symposium (WIP)</em> · 724 - Winter 27 – Summer 28 · Full install + extended workshops · 725 - <em>Fall 2028 · 2028 Demo Day (premiere)</em>. 721 + <strong>Two public events, one sentence each.</strong><br> 722 + <em>2027 Symposium — "We boot the cohort."</em> Every laptop in the room becomes an AC Native instrument from a single USB stick, and a public KidLisp workshop takes participants from first line of code to a running program on the museum floor.<br> 723 + <em>2028 Demo Day — "We open the gallery."</em> A multi-station AC Native installation premieres on the LACMA floor, and v1.0 of the open-source build pipeline ships so any institution can stand up the same rig. 726 724 <br><a class="jump" href="#calendar">Full calendar ↓</a> 727 725 </dd> 728 726 ··· 795 793 796 794 <p>Aesthetic Computer hosts hundreds of built-in pieces across thousands of registered handles (see live counts below). Every piece is URL-addressable and instantly shareable via QR code. The platform supports real-time multiplayer through WebSocket and UDP channels — people can draw, compose, and play together.</p> 797 795 796 + <span class="drop">What happens in the grant period.</span> 797 + 798 + <p>Two public events, one sentence each. <strong style="color:var(--pink)">At the 2027 Symposium we boot the cohort</strong> — every laptop in the room becomes an AC Native instrument from a single USB stick, and a public KidLisp workshop takes participants from first line of code to a running program on the museum floor. <strong style="color:var(--pink)">At the 2028 Demo Day we open the gallery</strong> — a multi-station AC Native installation premieres on the LACMA floor, and v1.0 of the open-source build pipeline ships so any institution can stand up the same rig. Everything between those two events (hardware expansion, workshop curriculum, translated documentation, paid helpers) is structured to make those two sentences true.</p> 799 + 798 800 <p style="color:var(--dim);font-size:0.88em;margin-top:1.4em">The full 500-word pitch and statements live in <a href="https://aesthetic.computer/lacma-2026/lacma-2026.pdf">lacma-2026.pdf</a>.</p> 799 801 </section> 800 802 ··· 883 885  884 886 <section id="calendar"> 885 887 <h2><span class="ord">§</span>Calendar<span class="count">aligned to LACMA's biennial cadence</span></h2> 886 - <p style="color:var(--dim);margin-bottom:1em">The Lab's new structure sets two public events: a <em style="color:var(--pink);font-style:normal">2027 Symposium</em> (works-in-development) and a <em style="color:var(--pink);font-style:normal">2028 Demo Day</em> (completed projects). This proposal anchors each phase to one of those events rather than a vague "final show."</p> 888 + <p style="color:var(--dim);margin-bottom:1em">The Lab's new structure sets two public events: a <em style="color:var(--pink);font-style:normal">2027 Symposium</em> (works-in-development) and a <em style="color:var(--pink);font-style:normal">2028 Demo Day</em> (completed projects). Our lead for each: <strong style="color:var(--pink)">at Symposium we boot the cohort</strong>, <strong style="color:var(--pink)">at Demo Day we open the gallery</strong>.</p> 887 889 <div class="features"> 888 890 <div class="feat"><b>Fall 2026 to Spring 2027</b>Hardware & curriculum: expand AC Native to 5+ laptop models, build multi-piece boot menu, design 3-level KidLisp workshop curriculum, print reference cards (extending the sosoft card template used at UCLA).</div> 889 891 <div class="feat"><b>Spring to Summer 2027</b>Pre-Symposium: 2 pilot workshops at LACMA, prototype multi-station installation, publish v0 of the open-source build guide.</div> 890 - <div class="feat" style="border-left-color:var(--pink)"><b style="color:var(--pink)">Fall 2027 - 2027 Symposium</b>Live AC Native demonstration — visitors and cohort artists boot the OS on their own laptops from a USB stick. Public KidLisp workshop in the museum. In-conversation on generative computing, situated alongside the 2023 cohort (Reas, Duke, Nickerson, Chang+Kelley, Porras-Kim).</div> 892 + <div class="feat" style="border-left-color:var(--pink)"><b style="color:var(--pink)">Fall 2027 · 2027 Symposium · "We boot the cohort."</b><strong style="color:var(--text)">At Symposium, every laptop in the room becomes an AC Native instrument from a single USB stick, and a public KidLisp workshop takes participants from first line of code to a running program on the museum floor.</strong> Talk / in-conversation on generative computing, alongside the 2023 cohort (Reas, Duke, Nickerson, Chang+Kelley, Porras-Kim).</div> 891 893 <div class="feat"><b>Winter 2027 to Summer 2028</b>Full installation build: kiosk-mode hardening, 20+ take-home USB drives, 4 additional workshops, documentation, curriculum translation (EN + ES).</div> 892 - <div class="feat" style="border-left-color:var(--pink)"><b style="color:var(--pink)">Fall 2028 - 2028 Demo Day</b>Public premiere of the multi-station AC Native installation in the LACMA galleries. Open-source v1.0 release — build pipeline, hardware compatibility matrix, workshop curriculum for other institutions to adopt.</div> 894 + <div class="feat" style="border-left-color:var(--pink)"><b style="color:var(--pink)">Fall 2028 · 2028 Demo Day · "We open the gallery."</b><strong style="color:var(--text)">A multi-station AC Native installation premieres on the LACMA floor — visitors sit down and play a fully-realized creative computer — and v1.0 of the open-source build pipeline ships, so any institution can stand up the same rig.</strong> Public programs introduce the system to teachers, museum educators, and other artists.</div> 893 895 </div> 894 896 </section> 895 897 896 898  897 899 <section id="budget"> 898 - <h2><span class="ord">§</span>Budget<span class="count">$47,000 requested · $50k cap</span></h2> 899 - <p style="color:var(--dim);margin-bottom:1em">Event-tied line items in pink (Symposium + Demo Day contributions). Artist fee covers the full 24-month arc from Fall 2026 through Fall 2028. $3,000 remains as headroom under the $50,000 cap.</p> 900 + <h2><span class="ord">§</span>Budget<span class="count">$50,000 requested · full cap</span></h2> 901 + <p style="color:var(--dim);margin-bottom:1em">Event-tied line items in pink (Symposium, Demo Day, paid helpers). Artist fee covers the full 24-month arc from Fall 2026 through Fall 2028. The 10% contingency line absorbs slip; the helper line is a direct expense for the two cohort events.</p> 900 902 <div class="features"> 901 - <div class="feat"><b>Artist fee</b>$22,000 · 24 months (Fall 26 – Fall 28)</div> 902 - <div class="feat" style="border-left-color:var(--pink)"><b style="color:var(--pink)">2027 Symposium</b>$2,500 · travel, cohort demo USB kit, on-site demo station</div> 903 - <div class="feat" style="border-left-color:var(--pink)"><b style="color:var(--pink)">2028 Demo Day</b>$3,000 · install setup, public-program support</div> 903 + <div class="feat"><b>Artist fee</b>$22,000 · 24 months (Fall 26 to Fall 28)</div> 904 + <div class="feat" style="border-left-color:var(--pink)"><b style="color:var(--pink)">2027 Symposium · "boot the cohort"</b>$2,500 · cohort demo USB kit, on-site workshop station, travel</div> 905 + <div class="feat" style="border-left-color:var(--pink)"><b style="color:var(--pink)">2028 Demo Day · "open the gallery"</b>$3,000 · multi-station install setup, public-program support</div> 906 + <div class="feat" style="border-left-color:var(--pink)"><b style="color:var(--pink)">Paid event helpers</b>$3,000 · workshop TAs + install/take-down at Symposium and Demo Day</div> 904 907 <div class="feat"><b>Studio hardware</b>$3,500 · dev machines + displays</div> 905 908 <div class="feat"><b>Installation laptops</b>$2,000 · 5 × $400 refurbished</div> 906 909 <div class="feat"><b>NuPhy analog keyboards</b>$600 · 5 × $120</div> ··· 937 940 <p><em>Aesthetic Computer: Personal Computers Are Not Done Yet.</em> The 1980s personal computing scene promised a computer that belonged to you; platform consolidation cut it short. AC bets a second scene is starting, with tools powerful enough to go both wider and deeper than the first.</p> 938 941 <p><strong>AC Native</strong> is a Linux kernel that boots directly into art on x86_64 UEFI laptops, running a custom C runtime as PID 1 — no desktop, no window manager, no browser. 32-voice audio at 192 kHz, DRM graphics, raw evdev input. A built-in <code>code</code> command drops into a terminal running Anthropic's Claude Code, so artists can ask an AI coding partner to modify a piece without leaving the OS. The default piece is <em>notepat</em>, an 8,466-line polyphonic instrument.</p> 939 942 <p><strong>KidLisp</strong> is a minimal Lisp with 118 functions — 17,000+ programs already written. Programs can be minted on Tezos without artists touching blockchain infrastructure.</p> 940 - <p>With LACMA support, we'll produce a USB-bootable edition, a workshop curriculum, and a multi-station installation. The personal computer's design is a cultural question, not a settled technical one — this project treats it as one.</p> 943 + <p>With LACMA support: <strong style="color:var(--pink)">at the 2027 Symposium we boot the cohort</strong> (cohort-wide USB-boot demo + public KidLisp workshop); <strong style="color:var(--pink)">at the 2028 Demo Day we open the gallery</strong> (multi-station installation + open-source v1.0 release). The personal computer's design is a cultural question, not a settled technical one — this project treats it as one.</p> 941 944 </div> 942 945 </section> 943 946

system/public/lacma-2026/lacma-2026.pdf

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tools/vo-pipeline.mjs

··· 128 128 continue; 129 129 } 130 130 const t = parseTime(tsMatch[1]); 131 - const body = tsMatch[2].trim(); 131 + let body = tsMatch[2].trim(); 132 + 133 + // Demo-script format compatibility: lines may be `[t] KIND arg` where 134 + // KIND is one of key|say|caption|wait|env. Only `say` and `caption` 135 + // produce narration + subtitle output here; the rest (keys/env/wait) 136 + // are dispatched by the binary's --demo runner so we skip them. 137 + const demoKindMatch = body.match(/^(key|say|caption|wait|env)\s+(.*)$/); 138 + if (demoKindMatch) { 139 + const kind = demoKindMatch[1]; 140 + if (kind === "key" || kind === "wait" || kind === "env") continue; 141 + body = demoKindMatch[2].trim(); 142 + } else if (/^(key|wait|env)\b/.test(body)) { 143 + continue; // key/wait/env with no arg — skip 144 + } 145 + 132 146 const silent = body === "" || body === "--silence--"; 133 147 const stageOnly = body.startsWith("(") && body.endsWith(")"); 134 148 segments.push({ t, text: body, silent, stageOnly });

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