Conscious Machine (photodynamic Art Generator V1) (2016)

Artificial Life Works
Written By Andrew MacDonald

Photo credit: Jessica Field

This Artificial Life project is a collective of agents that live in the competitive environment of genetic algorithms. Genetic algorithms are will only allow parents who have guessed the best text result to a target sentence the right to have children. All other parents are denied procreation rights and to save computer memory space, all parents are deleted and overwritten by their children replacements. This allows the program to find the right answer as fast as possible. 

Each agent does get to keep the legacy of their emotional experience which they pass down to their children so the work looks at how generational loops can make certain behaviour choices better suited to this kind of environment. The behaviours of bullying, pathos, lost, and being obsessive thrive in the environment, while behaviours like dancing, having faith and seeking out possibilities did not. 

The winning agent would then pick an artwork from the Station Gallery in Whitby’s permanent collection to be curated in the show. This Art selection would happen weekly where the curator of the gallery would hang a new work from the collection as the project evolved. This program allowed paintings that were rarely shown to be seen due to having a new criteria in what works to pick for exhibition.

Andrew MacDonald

With more than 20 years in marketing leadership, Andrew brings a clarity-first approach shaped by his early career in the non-profit sector. At World Vision Canada, he managed multi-million-dollar campaigns and drove donor retention strategies; later, at Opportunity International Canada, he built an in-house creative team that delivered innovative, cost-efficient marketing across the country.

Those experiences taught him that effective marketing isn’t about flashy tactics — it’s about strategy, efficiency, and measurable ROI. Today, Andrew applies that discipline to help entrepreneurs escape the “marketing swirl,” invest smarter, and grow with confidence through the Kasama Method™.

Clients describe him as a trusted partner who asks the big questions, simplifies complexity, and always walks alongside them with solutions. He’s passionate about blending strategy and technology in ways that make growth achievable for small and mid-sized businesses.

Beyond Kasama, Andrew gives back by advising local charities and serving on community boards. At home in Quinte, he and his wife Katrina are raising two kids — and when he’s not strategizing for clients, you’ll find him planning the next family beach trip or catching up on post-apocalyptic TV shows.

http://www.kasama.ca/
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Road to Success (2017)
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Semiotic Investigation into Cybernetic Behaviour (2004)