On August 27, 2021, Mark Santolucito, assistant professor of computer science, presented new research at the FARM 2021 Computer Science Conference, titled “Human-in-the-loop program synthesis for live coding.” His article describes Live Coding as “a creative coding practice, where the act of programming itself constitutes a performance” and the code itself often generates another art form, like a video or piece of music.
Professor Santolucito’s research addresses a common challenge for Live Coding artists: finding a coding language that is visually pleasing and expressive, but also simple enough to use in real time. His solution is a new coding tool that relies on “program synthesis.” Program synthesis helps artists balance aesthetics and accessibility by automatically locating a programming language that meets both criteria.