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Observers often think that chance only enters into art as an experimental tactic employed by a John Cage, William Burroughs, or Marcel Duchamp. They view most art as an exercise in control by the expert in the medium, the artist.  While it is true that in  art randomness is sometimes harnessed as a generative system, perhaps the most important aspect of chance relative to all of the arts is its inevitability. 

To better understand how the element of chance enters into art the following brief taxonomy is offered. Note that here the term &quot;chance&quot; is used loosely. Here chance simply refers to areas where the artist can't control or know what the result will be until after it has already happened.  

As you will see, sometimes the use of chance is an intentional generative act, and other times chance results just happen and can't be prevented.  It's important to remember that generative art refers to the use of something other than human choice as a determining system, and so many of the chance situations noted below do not result in generative art.


== Composition ==
<SPAN STYLE="font-size: larger;">The conceptualization phase prior to the creation of the physical object or event. </SPAN>


'''Procedural Randomization''' - In the most popular notion of chance art, a procedure such as rolling dice, drawing slips of paper out of a hat, etc. can be used to order the micro-events making up the composition. For example, [[John Cage]] would flip coins to determine the pitches and durations for a musical score, and [[Ellsworth Kelly]] used dice to determine  the color and placement of elements in visual works.

'''Procedural Unpredictability''' - The artist may choose to use a generative process where a stable external source of information is mapped into some aspect of the esthetic experience. Often this introduces a chance aspect because while the influence is not random, the result cannot be anticipated. For example, economic data may be used to determine the size, color, and positioning of objects in an installation.


== Execution ==
<SPAN STYLE="font-size: larger;">The actual creation of the physical object or event. </SPAN>


'''Ambiguity, Interpretation, and Error''' - There is always an unpredictable gap between the conception and the realization of a physical artwork or performance. Contributing factors include ambiguity within the composition, and interpretation or errors on the part of the fabricator or performer. A composer may actively encourage such variance by obscuring the instructions in some way, or by intentionally providing instructions which are nonsensical or impossible to implement.

'''Improvisation''' - As noted above the composer always turns some degree of control in interpretation over to the fabricator or performer. When this is intentional to a  significant degree it enters the realm of improvisation.  Jazz is a musical form with improvisation as one of its defining aspects.

'''Audience Interaction''' - In some cases the artist may turn explicit control over to the audience, with the result being unpredictable to a greater or lesser extent. Examples may include interactive digital multimedia, audience participation in theater, or situations which blur the performer/audience distinction such as Alan Kaprow's happenings.

'''Media Unpredictability''' - All physical media has a noise level and limited range of control.

<BLOCKQUOTE> <B>Natural Variance</B> - Materials, especially those used in the visual arts, can only be controlled to a limited extent. Beyond that point they may show an overall behavior that is expected and yet  random in microstructure.  To some extent this is the kind of chance behavior that can't be prevented. But it can also be a generative choice. For example, ceramic glaze is a medium with a predictable  overall &quot;look&quot;, although the exact coloration and shape of any small area is unpredictable.
<br /><br />
<B>Shifts in Scale</B> - Artists can exploit  usually unseen unpredictability in a medium by using shifts in scale. For example, Gerhardt Richter has produced large abstract images by greatly enlarging small photographs of individual brush strokes. Sound designers will often do something similar by stretching or pitch shifting samples.
</BLOCKQUOTE>


== Presentation ==
<SPAN STYLE="font-size: larger;">Art is never experienced as an insulated and isolated event.</SPAN>


'''Audience Mood''' - As every performer eventually finds out, &quot;bad&quot; audiences exist, and there is usually little the artist can do about it. This is, in part, a statistical reality akin to a streak of bad hands in a poker game. But sometimes there is a specific cause, such as the audience standing in the rain waiting for tickets. Fortunately &quot;good&quot; audiences also exist. 

'''Audience Demographics''' - What the audience brings to the art in terms of their own knowledge and experience is a key, and often unpredictable, element that determines how effective the work will be.

'''Surrounding Art''' - Artists working prior to the planning of a group show, film festival, or concert cannot  anticipate how the surrounding work will impact the audience's experience of their work.  

'''Current Events''' - Work with clear content or strong narrative can be significantly colored by unanticipated events that capture the public's attention.

[[Category:Systems]]
[[Category:Simple Highly Disordered Systems]]
[[Category:Theory]]