Alex McLean

Alex is a researcher and practitioner investigating algorithms in pattern-making from an interdisciplinary perspective, drawing from a background in computer science, creative technology design, music performance, creative/live coding, and textile research. He wrote his PhD thesis “Artist-Programmers and Programming Languages for the Arts” at Goldsmiths, University of London funded by EPSRC, and has since held postdoc positions at the University of Sheffield, University of Leeds, and the Research Institute of the Deutsches Museum in Munich. He now works as part of Then Try This full-time, working on his "Algorithmic Pattern" project, funded by a 4-7 year Future Leaders Fellowship.

Alex is active across the digital arts, co-editing the Oxford Handbook on Algorithmic Music and co-authoring Live Coding: A User's Manual published by MIT Press, as well as co-founding major festivals, conferences, and movements including AlgoMech festival, Algorave, TOPLAP, and the International Conferences on Live Coding and Live Interfaces. He also regularly performs live coded music himself, using the popular free/open source TidalCycles environment that he created.

You can email Alex at alex@slab.org.