Historically Video Feedback was one of the earliest forms of “image-processed” video, the Fluxus group were among the first to experiment with it to produce short films exploring dynamical vortexes at the edge of chaos. In terms of scientific history, information is more scant and this is due to the fact that Video Feedback is notoriously hard to control and results difficult reproduce - this alchemical-like notoriety also one of its attractions. One paper, by James Critchfield, stands above all others, in it Critchfield explores mathematical and philosophical aspects of VF and concludes that that VF could be used to understand many areas of dynamical system science . Another important figure in the history of VF is Skip Sweeny, who was the first to perfect a set of systems for producing some very precise results. One of Sweeny’s important discoveries was in the use of symmetry to produce very specific self-reflective imagery. Using a mirror or a sheet of glass between the camera and monitor brought about far larger species of video feedback fractals.

Talysis uses single and doubled mirrored symmetry with digital Video Feedback to produce emergent fractal tessellation. The computational equivalent of Video Feedback is the Recursive Function - a type of function that that uses the result of a calculation to feed back into that same calculation repeatedly.

(0) Crystalpunk Workshop for Soft Architecture
(1) Space-Time Dynamics in Video Feedback. Classic Science paper from James P Crutchfield written for the Physica Journal, 1984
(2) VideoFeedback.dk. Site containing extensive links to art and science based VF exploration.
(3) Barbara Doser – Video artist who uses Video Feedback extensively in her work
(4) Uroborous - computer-controlled sound and electromechanical video-feedback filter, Bret Battey.
(6) Emergence of L-Cellular Morphogenesis, Alain Lioret (see links also)
(7) Skip Sweeny, early VF pioneer.
(9) Dream machine, alpha state generator, Brain Gysin.
(10) Driven to Abstraction, a reflection on making video art in the 1970’s, Carol Goss (see video feedback section)