Editing Karl Sims (section)

==Biography==
Sims received a B.S. in Life Sciences from [[Massachusetts Institute of Technology|MIT]] in 1984, and a M.S. in computer graphics from the [[MIT Media Lab]] in 1987.<ref name=":1" /> After receiving his master's degree, Sims worked on special effects software at [[Whitney/Demos Productions]] and then was a co-founder of [[Optomystic]].<ref name=":1">{{Cite web |date=2017-08-20 |title=Karl Sims - ACM SIGGRAPH HISTORY ARCHIVES |url=https://history.siggraph.org/person/karl-sims/ |access-date=2024-06-09 |website=history.siggraph.org |language=en-US}}</ref> At Optomystic in 1989, Sims developed software for the [[Connection Machine|Connection Machine 2]] (CM-2) that animated the water from drawings of a deluge by [[Leonardo da Vinci]], used in [[Mark Whitney]]'s film ''Excerpts from Leonardo's Deluge''.<ref>{{Cite web |date=2022-12-20 |title="Excerpts from Leonardo's Deluge" by Sims - ACM SIGGRAPH HISTORY ARCHIVES |url=https://history.siggraph.org/animation-video-pod/excerpts-from-leonardos-deluge-by-optomystic/ |access-date=2024-06-09 |website=history.siggraph.org |language=en-US}}</ref> 

Sims was later artist-in-residence from 1990 to 1996 at the supercomputer manufacturer and artificial intelligence company [[Thinking Machines Corporation|Thinking Machines]].<ref>{{Cite web |title=Karl Sims {{!}} CSAIL Alliances |url=https://cap.csail.mit.edu/engage/spotlights/karl-sims |access-date=2024-06-09 |website=cap.csail.mit.edu |language=en}}</ref><ref name=":0">{{Cite web |title=Karl Sims |url=https://www.macfound.org/fellows/class-of-1998/karl-sims |access-date=2024-06-09 |website=www.macfound.org |language=en}}</ref> In 1996, Sims founded and became CEO of [[GenArts]], a [[Cambridge, Massachusetts]] company that developed special effects [[plug-in (computing)|plugins]] used in film and video production.<ref>{{Cite web |date=2008-12-23 |title=GenArts' Katherine Hays - the First 100 Days - fxguide |url=https://www.fxguide.com/fxfeatured/GenArts_Katherine_Hays_-_the_First_100_Days/ |access-date=2024-06-09 |website=fxguide |language=en-US}}</ref> In 2008 he moved to a role on the board of directors when [[Insight Partners]] acquired a majority stake in the company.

Sims' animations ''Particle Dreams'' and ''Panspermia'' used the CM-2 to animate and render various complex phenomena via particle systems. ''Panspermia'' was also used as the video for [[Pantera]]'s 1994 cover of [[Black Sabbath]]'s "[[Planet Caravan]]".

[[File:Galapagos-icc-2.jpg|thumb|''Galápagos'' installation]]

Sims wrote landmark papers on virtual creatures and [[artificial evolution]] for computer art. His virtual creatures used an [[artificial neural network]] to process input from virtual sensors and act on virtual muscles between cuboid 'limbs'.<ref>{{Cite journal |last1=Lehman |first1=Joel |last2=Clune |first2=Jeff |last3=Misevic |first3=Dusan |last4=Adami |first4=Christoph |last5=Altenberg |first5=Lee |last6=Beaulieu |first6=Julie |last7=Bentley |first7=Peter J. |last8=Bernard |first8=Samuel |last9=Beslon |first9=Guillaume |last10=Bryson |first10=David M. |last11=Cheney |first11=Nick |date=2020-05-01 |title=The Surprising Creativity of Digital Evolution: A Collection of Anecdotes from the Evolutionary Computation and Artificial Life Research Communities |journal=Artificial Life |volume=26 |issue=2 |pages=274–306 |doi=10.1162/artl_a_00319 |pmid=32271631 |s2cid=4519185 |issn=1064-5462|doi-access=free |arxiv=1803.03453 }}</ref> The creatures were evolved to display multiple modes of water and land based movements such as swimming like a sea snake or fish, jumping and tumbling (walking was not achieved). The creatures were also co-evolved in different species to compete for possession of a virtual cube, displaying the [[Red Queen's Hypothesis|red queen effect]]. The cover of [[Christopher Langton|Chris Langton]]'s 1995 book ''[[Artificial Life: An Overview]]'' uses an image of the creatures generated by Sims.<ref>{{Cite book |url=https://direct.mit.edu/books/book/3941/Artificial-LifeAn-Overview |title=Artificial Life: An Overview |date=1995-07-06 |publisher=The MIT Press |doi=10.7551/mitpress/1427.001.0001 |isbn=978-0-262-27792-1 |language=en |editor-last1=Langton |editor-first1=Christopher G. }}</ref> 

In 1997, Sims created the interactive installation ''Galápagos'' for the [[NTT InterCommunication Center]] in [[Tokyo]].<ref>{{Cite web |title=ICC {{!}} "Galápagos" - Karl SIMS (1997) |url=https://www.ntticc.or.jp/en/archive/works/galapagos/ |access-date=2024-06-14 |website=NTT InterCommunication Center [ICC] |language=en}}</ref> In this installation, viewers help evolve 3D animated creatures by selecting which ones will be allowed to live and produce new, mutated offspring.

His paper "Artificial Evolution for Computer Graphics" described the application of [[genetic algorithm]]s to generate abstract 2D images from complex mathematical formulae, evolved under the guidance of a human.  He used this method to create the video ''Primordial Dance'' – which, according to one published study with supplementary video, calls to mind the history of early 20th century abstraction among its several evolutionary themes<ref>{{cite journal |author=Smith, Glenn W.|date=16 January 2020|title=On the origins of a 13-second segment of Primordial Dance: a brief Karl Sims interview with commentary|journal=Digital Creativity|volume=31|pages=22–28|doi=10.1080/14626268.2020.1714664|doi-access=free}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |url=https://vimeo.com/272773412|author=Sims, Karl|title=An excerpt from "Primordial Dance" by Karl Sims|publisher=Creative Machines|accessdate=28 January 2020}}</ref> – as well as parts of ''Liquid Selves''.  ''Genetic Images'' was an interactive installation also based on this method; it was exhibited at the [[Centre Georges Pompidou]] in Paris, 1993, as well as [[Ars Electronica]] and the [[Los Angeles]] Interactive Media Festival.

Sims received an [[Emmy Award]] in 2019 for outstanding achievement in engineering development.<ref>{{Cite web |title=- Winners |url=https://www.emmys.com/awards/engineering-emmys/winners |access-date=2022-06-26 |website=Television Academy |language=en}}</ref> In 1998, he was awarded a [[MacArthur Fellowship]].<ref name=":0" /> He has won two Golden Nicas at [[Prix Ars Electronica]], in 1991 and in 1992.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Golden Nicas |url=https://ars.electronica.art/center/en/golden-nicas/ |access-date=2023-02-26 |website=Ars Electronica Center |language=en-US |archive-date=2023-02-26 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230226175530/https://ars.electronica.art/center/en/golden-nicas/ |url-status=dead }}</ref>  He has also received honors from [[Imagina]], the [[National Computer Graphics Association]], the [[Berlin Video Festival]], [[NICOGRAPH]], [[Images du Futur]], and other festivals.

He is married to MIT professor [[Pattie Maes]].<ref name="people.com">{{cite news |url= http://www.people.com/people/archive/article/0,,20122115,00.html |title= Pattie Maes – Most Beautiful |website= People.com |date= May 12, 1997|archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20110209033121/https://people.com/people/archive/article/0,,20122115,00.html|archivedate=2011-02-09}}</ref>