Eric Freeman — Computing as a creative practice

ERIC FREEMAN / COMPUTER SCIENTIST · AUTHOR · EDUCATOR · FORMER MEDIA COMPANY EXEC

Eric Freeman is a computer scientist, author, and educator working across media, artificial intelligence, and creative technology. He holds a Ph.D. in Computer Science from Yale University and teaches creative coding and AI at The University of Texas at Austin.

MEDIA & EXPERIENCE

A former CTO of Disney Online, he spent a decade building digital experiences across Disney’s media and entertainment businesses.

CODE & POSSIBILITY

As co-founder of WickedlySmart and coauthor of eight books, he helps professionals and students understand and apply computing—from software design to AI—while exploring code as an artistic medium.

FEATURED

Life-size Countach installation glowing with purple and blue projections and pink underlighting at UT Austin.

CREATIVE TECHNOLOGY / UT AUSTIN

A life-size Countach, reimagined as a canvas for code, light, and sound. Built from corrugated plastic (Coroplast), the installation brings projection mapping, interactive screens, creative coding, sound design, and 3D visualization into one full-scale experiment.

Conceived by Eric Freeman for UT Austin’s Department of Arts and Entertainment Technologies, it brings together Kyle Evans on content and design with dadaLab, and J.E. Johnson on fabrication with Texas Performing Arts Fabrication Studios. Together, they created a platform for students to keep exploring.

Watch Short

Project credits

Debuted November 16, 2022, at SDCT’s Ride the Synthwave, sponsored by Nelda Studios.

Concept design Eric Freeman

Content & design Kyle Evans, dadaLab

Student content Isabelle Avena, Mark Detrick, William Doo, Jalin Johnson, Jesse Reinhard, Lajeeth Thangavel, & Miguel Villarreal

Fabrication J.E. Johnson and Texas Performing Arts Fabrication Studios

Fabrication students & staff Leah Austin, Zoe Bihan, Kat Clark, Bridgette Clifford, Sydny DeMeyer, Matthew Garcia, Daniel Geld, Tere Guerrero, Carolyn Hardin, Jason Huerta, Roxolana Krywonos, Austin Luchak, Karen Maness, Jonah Maughan, Ashton Murphy, Hannah Nelson, Tenzing Ortega, Anthony Pinder, Morgan Randall, Alex Rockey, Hannah Shepard, Hank Schwemmer, David Tolin, Rylee Vines

Based on the original “Printach” paper model by Taras Lesko, realized at full scale.

ROLES & RECOGNITIONSCROLL TO EXPLORE ↓

UT AUSTIN FacultyYALE Ph.D.O’REILLY Author & advisorWICKEDLYSMART Co-founderDISNEY Former CTO, Disney Online

MIT TR35NASA GRADUATE RESEARCH FELLOW2× DISNEY INNOVATORDR. DOBB’S JOLT AWARD16 PATENTS

01 / SELECTED WORK

COMPUTATIONAL OBJECTS & ONGOING EXPERIMENTS

The switches and front panel of a vintage DEC PDP-10 computer

CODE ARCHAEOLOGY / 1978 → 202601

The DECWAR Restoration ↗

Eighteen players. One PDP-10. A universe worth preserving. AI-assisted code archaeology brings a pioneering multiplayer game back into the present—with spatial audio, live telemetry, and student-built work.

Explore the source ↗

Live-coded visuals and laser projections fill a performance space

CREATIVE SYSTEMS / 2025–202602

Code becomes an instrument.

p5js live is a browser-based instrument for audio-reactive, live-coded visuals. Scenes change. The canvas, sound, and clock keep running.

MIDI · GPU EFFECTS · LIVE PERFORMANCE

03Silicon PrairieGENERATIVE ART · 2026+

Grasses dissolve into an integrated-circuit landscape. A generative piece for DFW Terminal C, Call C3, spanning a 4877 × 540 canvas with p5.js, GLSL, volumetric clouds, and a seamless loop.

04Ableton ControllerIN DEVELOPMENT+

A hardware MIDI controller built for p5js live—a physical instrument standing alongside the software it drives.

05Immersion Station 2.0AMBIENT SYSTEMS+

A rebuild of the ambient music app created with Steve Roach. The original has been running for over fifteen years; 2.0 carries that legacy forward. In development.

06WSPR DashboardRADIO EXPLORATIONS+

Eleven views into radio propagation, built on wspr.live data—with statistical honesty about where coverage ends and silence begins.

02 / TEACHING & EXPLORATION

THE UNIVERSITY OF TEXAS AT AUSTIN

The classroom
is a laboratory.

Learning happens by making things, testing ideas, and asking better questions. At UT Austin, I teach code and AI as materials for creative practice.

Eric Freeman in a creative coding classroom with projected student work

AET 350C / FALL 2026

Advanced Creative Coding

Particles, shaders, sound analysis, and live audiovisual systems. From JavaScript fundamentals to the projected visuals of AudioPixel and an algorave at the Payne Theatre.

Course details (UT access) ↗

AET 330T / FALL 2026

AI Explorations

Exploring emerging uses of AI across creative practice, technology, design, and media—giving students a foundation for understanding and experimenting with AI as a tool for contemporary creative work. Co-taught with Michael Baker.

Course details (UT access) ↗

AET 310 / SPRING 2026

Creative Coding

Computational thinking through play: Mood Painter, Grid Wars, Pong, Frogger, and Molnár-inspired grids, built with Processing.

03 / BOOKS & IDEAS

O’REILLY / THE HEAD FIRST SERIES

Computer science
that clicks.

Over a million learners. Twenty-plus years of Head First. Books that make computer science click—through pictures, puzzles, and a little productive surprise.