Mark Stock

Mark J. Stock is an artist, programmer, and scientist working in the space between visualization, science-influenced art, and computation. His work depicts scenes from the hidden world of computational physics---the science of digitally simulating complex natural phenomena on supercomputers---and is created with custom software developed over the course of his scientific research. He has been producing art since 2000 and has had work in dozens of curated and juried exhibitions since 2002, including Ars Electronica and six SIGGRAPH Art Gallery appearances.

Mark began experimenting with computer simulation and visualization by programming Moire patterns and particle dynamics routines on a Commodore 128. His interests in mathematics and programming continued through high school and led to several degrees in engineering from the University of Michigan in Ann Arbor. Mark's interest in photography led him to discover computer graphics as an undergraduate at Michigan. He spent several years exploring different tools and techniques for creating virtual images. In 1999, while attempting to debug some of his simulation software, he rendered the suspect program's output with a highly-accurate lighting visualization package called Radiance. The resulting image, summoned from the 1s and 0s of computational fluid dynamics and artificial radiosity, had such an unnatural beauty and presence that it became the catalyst for his artistic career. Mark finished school in 2006 and currently works for a small fluid dynamics research company in California, develops art in his studio in Newton, MA, and organizes an annual artists' retreat. He currently lives with his wife in Newton.