The question of what remains, what a person leaves behind, worries many during their lifetime. Even a futurologist is not exempt from this, on the contrary: Herbert W. Franke, physicist, art theorist, computer art pioneer, science fiction author and multi-scientist, died on May 16, 2022 at the age of 95 at his home in Egling. His works, whether artistic or scientific, will endure. A foundation is to ensure that his work continues internationally: the Viennese-born artist initiated the “art meets science – Herbert W. Franke Foundation” together with his wife Susanne Päch while he was still alive. “We discussed founding the foundation well before his death, which in turn was the trigger for the crypto launch,” explains Päch, alluding to the successful auction of digital one-offs, so-called “Non Fungible Tokens” (NTFs), in the spring of this year on. The proceeds from this were used to set up the foundation, which has now been completed. “Because the formalities with something like this always take a while, Herbert unfortunately didn’t live to become a founding board member,” regrets Päch. But: “I’m doing that now without him. I’m, as Herbert once put it in a tweet, his external hard drive that stays.”
According to Päch, the so-called dependent foundation, which only exists in this form in Germany, has three perspectives in its non-profit nature. The task of creating a complete overview of works is limited in time. These works should then be made publicly available. After all, one of the foundation’s tasks is to create educational opportunities, for example in exhibitions or events in the field of science and art, which Franke was the first to no longer consider separately. The third focus of the foundation is the promotion of research projects. “In the 1960s, Herbert developed a rational theory of art that asked what art actually is and how it can be defined algorithmically, i.e. made quantifiable,” says Päch. As a student, Franke was fascinated by the fact that there are scientific photographs and visualizations that are so beautiful that they could have come from an artist. “That was the trigger for him to deal with the theory of perception.” As a natural scientist, he wanted to “elevate art to the exact level,” says Päch. “What already exists in music, namely the theory of harmony and tone as well as notation, is still missing in the fine arts. It appealed to him to create a grammar of fine arts.” What Franke began in the 1960s, namely taking measurements of sensors, is now being continued in a much more differentiated way by neuroscientific methods. “My husband said back then that emotion is a very important factor in art,” says Päch. “But at that time we were still a long way from being able to make emotions measurable, from finding algorithms.” But people behave according to regular processes, and these can be understood better than ever. “I would therefore like to go into this area with an institute for brain research.”
Susanne Päch with Herbert W. Franke. The artist once referred to his wife as an “external hard drive.”
(Photo: Florian Voggeneder/oH)
The question of funding the foundation remains. “Normally, small foundations work in such a way that they receive endowments, i.e. financial donations from outside,” reports Päch. But she will sell a collection of Franke’s works and let others, such as programs, work. “I don’t want to be dependent on others giving money,” she says. “Herbert’s works should generate the funds themselves.” However, a special tribute called “Tribute to Herbert W. Franke” serves as start-up financing. More than 70 renowned international crypto artists, including Kevin Abosh, Justin Aversano, Mario Klingemann or Jan Robert Leeghte and Casey Reas, will create and sell works together with Anika Meier, according to Päch a curator and crypto art expert who is known worldwide reflect on one of his works. They donate part of the proceeds to the foundation.
In addition to crypto artists, pioneers of algorithmic art, with whom Franke has been on friendly terms for decades, also take part. On the one hand they come from computer art like Vera Molnar, Frieder Nake or Tom Mikulic. But there are also pioneers of generative photography, such as Gottfried Jäger, Karl Martin Holzhäuser and Hein Gravenhorst, and representatives of concrete art such as Edgar Knoop and Josef Linschinger, who originally did not work with computers. Several of these friends later discovered the computer as a tool, also thanks to Franke’s influence. Finally, the graphic artist Thomas Franke also belongs to the group, just coincidentally with the same name. He already designed the covers of Franke’s science fiction books in the 1970s and 1980s and illustrated all the titles of the emerging science fiction work edition, which will be expanded by two volumes in September. These pioneers will donate works to the “Franke & Friends” foundation collection – physical works that will be made publicly accessible in exhibitions in the future. At the beginning of October, all participating artists and their works will be presented to the public on the dedicated tribute website. The digital works of the crypto artists will then be offered on different platforms on several dates in October, with part of the proceeds going to the foundation.
Franke’s “Crystal Planet” was also played in the Tölz Marionette Theater.
(Photo: Harry Wolfsbauer)
This wants to use the proceeds for two specific projects: The Center for Art and Media (ZKM) will receive a portion in order to record the approximately 1,800 manuscripts by Franke stored there by the summer of 2023 and make them fully text-searchable. “Until now, it was a deficit that his scientific contributions were not available. I’m really happy about that,” says Päch. The other part of the proceeds will be used to support schools in Namibia that promote young people in robotics and programming in cooperation with the Rütgers Foundation. After all, her husband always emphasized that an artist has a social responsibility, says Päch. Because every art also has a learning effect. Although the future cannot be predicted, one has a tremendous responsibility – especially as an author – not to “tell nonsense” to young people – especially since the learning content in schools is strongly backward-looking. “The future doesn’t really matter.” Consequently, as a science fiction author, you have to offer models that make sense. “And the works not only have to offer excitement, but also encourage people to think for themselves.” For Franke, the most important and most beautiful thing was when people told him that his works had influenced them. “That gave him the feeling that what he does is relevant,” says Päch. Thanks to the foundation, this relevance should now extend far into the future.