A. Michael Noll

b 1939 (USA), scientist and artist. In 1971 Noll received a doctorate in electro-engineering at the Polytechnic Institute of Brooklyn, New York. He is a specialist for communication technology and a pioneer of computer-art since 1965—his exhibition with computer-generated works, shown at the Howard Wise Gallery in New York, was the first ever in the USA to present computer art. In the late 1960s and early 1970s he researched tactile, man-machine communication as well as 3-D computer-graphics systems considered forerunners of today’s virtual reality system. He used digital computers for different art forms, such as for 3-D computer-graphics systems or stereoscopic images, computer holograms, three and two-dimensional animations, interactive stereoscopic displays, and most recently for power feedbacks, today an essential component of virtual reality systems. Noll also deals with the aesthetic theory of computer art. He is currently a professor of communication at the Annenberg School for Communication, University of Southern California.