Neel Shivdasani is an artist and technologist from Atlanta, who creates generative art while leading AI innovation at the media software company Automattic.
Shivdasani has a professional background that includes working at top digital publishing and e-commerce platforms. His expertise in technology is undoubtedly undeniable, but his true creative passion lies in pushing the boundaries of using code as an artistic medium.
Shivdasani's first series, 'Tropism', was released on OpenSea in 2021. During the Marfa Art Blocks Weekend, he launched 'Motion Pictures', a series of 100 pieces that turned animated art into a tactile interactive experience, visible both on-screen and in prints.
These artworks are like flipbooks reinvented for the digital age, deconstructed into digital 'slices' that stack on top of each other and can move with the viewer's cursor.
'Motion Pictures' is inspired by the 'Poemotion' series by Japanese artist Takahiro Kurashima, modernizing the concept of creating animations using paper and film. Users can interact with the series and adjust the animations using a touchscreen, MIDI controller, or keyboard. These works can also be printed in a 6x9 format.
This interview was conducted during the Marfa Art Blocks weekend at the Thunderbird Marfa lounge, where Shivdasani talked about his creative process, the tools he uses, and how the tight energy of Marfa reignited his excitement to share his work with the world.
Note: This record has been edited for brevity and clarity.
OpenSea: What initially attracted you to generative art?
Neel Shivdasani: I became interested in generative art because I have always loved art, but I never really felt capable of creating it. About ten years ago, I started to see people creating art with code and math, and since I am a programmer and a math enthusiast, it really resonated with me.
Then one day, I stopped coding at work and realized how much I missed it. I thought, 'Now is the time for me to start creating art with code,' so I began to explore its creative side, which was probably about six years ago.
OpenSea: You just published some articles on Art Blocks; can you tell us about the new series and your break time between projects?
Neel Shivdasani: Yes! It's called 'Motion Pictures', and this is actually my first work in three years. My previous works were also released on Art Blocks, which was three years ago.
'Motion Pictures' is based on a technique called barrier grid animation, which is essentially six frames of animation interlaced on a page. You move the film over it, and the animation comes to life on paper. I was inspired by a book called 'Poemotion'.
About ten years ago, I came across this book in a museum shop, and I have always been very interested in creating a generative version of it because I thought it was something that had never really been done before. I am very excited about this, but as I mentioned, it has been three years since I last published anything.
At that time, I created more artworks and published more online, but it was also a very stressful time for me. I was working for a startup, and trying to fully integrate into the art world left me exhausted. I decided to take a break, focus on my career, and give myself some breathing space. During that time, I continued to create art, but without the pressure to push it out to the world.
When the time was right, I was very excited about 'Motion Pictures' and proud of the work I had done, so I decided to release it. To be honest, there was no better place to share it than Marfa, surrounded by friends, people I've known for years, and other artists who truly appreciate my work.
OpenSea: As an artist, what makes you feel special about the Marfa community?
Neel Shivdasani: Marfa is a special place, and I think it is special in itself, but this weekend - Marfa Art Blocks weekend - is particularly unique. I have never met these people before; I spent most of my time talking to artists. But as someone who hasn't published anything in a long time, I didn't have much interaction with collectors and industry insiders. However, it’s always refreshing.
Everyone here is here for the same reason; everyone appreciates the same things. The people I just met feel like the best friends in this surreal environment, which feels like a Martian landscape. The daytime temperature is 80 degrees, and at night it drops to 30 degrees. Clearly, every year a group of tarantulas passes through town – it's a very strange place, full of strange people, and I'm glad they welcomed me.
OpenSea: Love this, hate tarantulas - love the rest! So what helps you get into a creative flow state?
Neel Shivdasani: When I need to spark creative motivation and get into a flow state, the best way for me is to list small tasks related to my project or work and then complete them. I choose a few small, easy tasks so I can make progress, make small changes, and explore some variables or parameters that I might adjust.
The worst thing when I have no motivation is starting a big task that may take a long time and won't yield immediate rewards. If I don't see success within weeks, I feel frustrated. On the other hand, when I focus on smaller tasks, I quickly start to feel progress, and that's when things begin to feel very good. I realize I'm making progress, and I even start unconsciously tackling more difficult problems throughout the day. This has become my natural state.
That said, there are times when I won't create art for days, weeks, or even months. When that happens, I know the best way to restart is to choose a few small tasks I can complete. I do those first, and then I do the same thing the next day, and the day after that. Unknowingly, I start to feel good, I get excited about work, and I don't diminish its importance in my life; motivation comes back.
OpenSea: How do you determine the parameters that guide your generative art?
Neel Shivdasani: When I start a project, I don't always have a concrete action plan; I don't set parameters or variables in my mind. I usually have a rough direction, which exists in my mind, but it's often vague or unclear.
I try to move toward that idea. I may have a rough idea of how to achieve the goal, but almost always, the final result is not what I envisioned. In the process, I discover new, emerging behaviors or techniques.
I often stumble upon unexpectedly interesting things that are more intriguing than I initially envisioned. Through this process, I gradually solidified the project and figured out the variations, variables, and parameters it could contain.
OpenSea: Do you find yourself constantly modifying, or do you know when to give up?
Neel Shivdasani: For me, the process of creating art with code requires constant modification and adjustment. Theoretically, I have never really abandoned my projects. The code I wrote for the project 'Motion Pictures', which I published yesterday on Artblocks, was written 30 days after I started creating art with code.
I began this journey as a personal challenge: to create a new piece of art every day for 30 consecutive days. During that month, I developed my computational technique GraphSearch implementation. The project I released yesterday used the same technique, so it represents about six years of work, and over time, I continuously revisited and refined the code.
I find code to be a very interesting medium because it can be infinitely replicated and modified. Each project I work on is essentially an adjustment or improvement of something I have done before. It's hard to say if I really know when a project is finished.
In a way, 'Motion Pictures' has been in development for six years, although I only finalized its content about six months ago and then pushed it forward six months. Ultimately, I decided it was something I was proud of that could be packaged and shared as a complete work. However, I know that the code for this project will likely become part of my next work.
OpenSea: Where can people find you and your work?
Neel Shivdasani: You can find me on my website neel.sh.
OpenSea: Thank you, Neel, this is fantastic.
Neel Shivdasani: Thank you very much, I'm honored.
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