Harold Cohen

Harold's work was a constant inspiration and puzzle to me during my many years of researching and teaching media arts. We had many discussions over the years. I always tried to catch Harold saying Aaron is 'alien,' a creature with a will of its own. He never did so; Aaron was a cybernetic companion, Harold's creation and a way of testing and extending one's own creativity. A kind of always changing mirror, a highly unusual one, of his own mind. My memories of Harold - including the one memorable time when we spoke together at a symposium at Toyo Ito's Sendai Mediatheque in Japan - and his astonishing work will accompany me as long as I live. I will keep teaching his legacy to my students at UCLA Design Media Arts.

He was an artist who understood technology deeply. In a way, he was Philip K. Dick for the art set. I was luckly enough to get to spend a wonderful afternoon with him, talking art, museums, and movies.

Harold was the lonesome rock of rule-based algorithmic art. Nobody in the world did anything in fine art as courageous, as daring, and as successful as he. His approach was unique in all its facets. His rich work stands out unparalleled.