Open-Source Software for Live-Coding Visuals with Hydra’s Olivia Jack

Arts Management and Technology Laboratory

Olivia Jack is a programmer and artist who works frequently with open-source software, cartography, live coding, and experimental interfaces. In this episode of the Art && Code Podcast series, Jack talks with AMT Lab Lead Researcher Hannah Brainard about Hydra, a browser-based open source software she developed for live-coding visuals. With a background in computer engineering, Jack was first introduced to the world of live coding in Bogota, Columbia while working primarily as a programmer. Though initially skeptical, she quickly connected with the community and found that watching artists think through the creative process helped shift her approach to software development.

Beyond Hydra, Jack’s research interests include algorithmic representations of uncertainty and chaos, peer2peer networking, and live coding as a way to enter into a continuous dialogue or feedback loop between herself and her computer.