Category: LookingOutwards-06

Prime Hex B was a project by Marius Watz in 2013 that used computation to create “random” permutations of light behavior. The piece is composed of 64 clusters of light tubes that each contain 11 individual light tubes that turn on and off according to different time intervals. It is likely that he used closed system self-generative software because he stated the benefits of using it in generative art. The numbers of seconds in each interval are all carefully computed prime numbers to get the longest nonrepeating cycle. It also helps avoid “the inevitable bias of pre-programmed content”. This is not the first project Marius Watz has done using this kind of controlled randomness. His other projects that are also named “Prime” including one installation in the Wergeland tunnel use the same mechanism.

It is almost guaranteed that each time you see the piece it will be different. This is interesting because the artist cannot possibly go through all of the permutations but he can count on computation and his software to make the piece creative and diverse. In a way, his artwork is no longer his own. This reminds me of working with watercolor: after your brush leaves the paper what happens to the pigment is all up to chance. I come back to the painting when it is dry and realize that it has turn into something completely different. Watz is painting with software and leaving the rest to chance.

Links:

Marius Watz :: Prime Hex B

Overcoming Manual Inadequacy: An Interview With Marius Watz

Projects by Marius Watz

 

 

Martin Krzywinski is a scientist who focuses his study in bioformatics by using computer science to understand biological data. He started to create random art by using pi in 2013 on Pi day. He used different colors for each circle and then folded them all together as a spiral so that it would represent the whole digits of pi. Krzywinski mentioned that the whole purpose of art is for people to awaken their emotions about math and to start conversations about numbers and randomness. His algorithm was to use pi in his art work which made it more interesting to look at.

https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/wonk/wp/2015/03/14/10-stunning-images-show-the-beauty-hidden-in-pi/

Flux / Gabriel Comym

“Flux”, a typography project generated with 1000 random particles, by Gabriel Comym.

The project I will present is a project called “Flux” by Gabriel Comym. The project creates typography generated by a thousand particles each, which are random in their location, length, speed, transparency and direction.

What I like about this project is that it makes the typography very expressive and with high aesthetics using mostly random values, therefore the artist himself does not know what the result of the art will look like, and what will the final typography portray.

The random values of the project are actual random numbers that determine the starting point, direction, speed and opacity of each particle. However, it is limited in speed, allowing it to create a sense of “growth” for each letter, as well as the limited location to the border of the letter for the starting point of each particle. In my opinion, these limitations serve the project well, allowing interesting development of typography without losing the visual aspect of being able to recognize the letter.

(Silk Pavillion Installed)

Silk Pavillion is not just a bold architectural attempt, but an “exemplary combination” of scientific research, digital design and biomimetic construction by the MIT Media Lab’s Mediated Matter Group.

The project is compelling in its thorough research in silkworms’ interaction in different three dimensional spaces.The design of the primary structure was very carefully executed with robot-woven threads wrapping a steel frame. Mimicking the formation of cocoon, the pavillion was however created with a certain extent of parametric control in the basic level and with the randomness of the silk pattern produced by 6400 silkworms.

I found the Silk Pavilion to be of great importance because it opens up potentials in the collaboration among biology, information system and architecture, and it’s fascinating how the insects instinctive behavior can create functional space for human beings.

(silkworms weaving the pavilion)

“Atomos” is a dance production by the choreographer Wayne McGregor. In this production, McGregor created a computer based dancer who is fed random movement data from a sci fi film of McGregor’s choosing. The computerized body then responds to the random algorithm created by the frames in the film and responds in real time, never repeating the same movement.

Real dancers would then respond to the movement of the computer creating a human-digital dialogue. As the dancers moved to the computer, the costume designers then monitored the biorhythms of the dancers, and then created costumes based off of that.

What I find to be interesting and inspiring about this piece is that it takes in so many different kinds of data, turns that data into numbers or movement based off of numbers and then creates something entirely new out of that. This creates a constantly evolving piece. To me, using all this outside data to stimulate the next part of the process creates the possibility for really interesting moments to take place that are completely grounded in the present moment of performance making the viewer aware of their own body and relationship to various outside stimuli and technologies.

 

http://thecreatorsproject.vice.com/blog/unlikely-algorithms-wayne-mcgregors-troupe-combine-biometric-data-80s-sci-fi-movies-and-computerized-choreography

The series “Random Number Multiples” by artist Christina Vassallo done in collaboration with Jer Thorp and Marius Watz uses custom coded software and traditional methods of silkscreen printing to produce digital abstract pieces on paper.

Christina Vassallo completed both her undergraduate and masters degrees at New York University, gaining extensive knowledge in art, history, literature and visual arts administration during her time as a student. Particularly knowledgeable in print based artwork, Vassallo worked with coding artists Thorp and Watz to curate a collection focused on demonstrating the possibilities of digitizing traditional art using code and analog printing methods

The custom software created by Thorp and Watz generates random lines, curves, and shapes to create intricate geometric prints. Some of the pieces also include text on the outer portions, the placement of the text being randomized as well. All together, Vassallo, Thorp and Watz showed their audience that technology does not nullify the value of traditional art, but rather enhances it. As a student pursuing graphic design, I greatly appreciate any work that brings attention to this point.

Sources:

Computational Art, From Screen to Paper: Prints by Jer Thorp, Marius Watz

https://www.linkedin.com/in/christina-vassallo-4158993

 

Random Paintings by Andrej Bauer

The picture above was made by a computer program developed by the Slovenian computational artist, Andrej Bauer. The program accepts the name of a picture, which in this case is my name, and generates a random picture using the name as a “seed”. The same “seed” consistently yields the same painting.

How? You might ask. As Bauer explains it, upon receiving the “seed”, which is the name of the picture, the program constructs an according mathematical formula. The unique formula determines the color of each pixel in the picture. Although the composition of the painting may appear random, it always follows the same sequence. The online version of the program is converted from the original one in ocaml to javascript with ocamljs.

I really enjoyed playing around with the program because the results are constantly surprising. Most of “my” works aren’t as aesthetic as the popular ones, but I believe that if I keep on experimenting, something would eventually come up. I think Bauer’s work is a real-life manifestation of the Infinite Monkey Theorem (wiki).

Here are some more popular images in his gallery.

Check out Bauer’s random art gallery here.

Learn more about Andrej Bauer.

blòm by Lucas Tswick

blòm is a generative art piece by Lucas Tswick that includes 150 different rose-like iterations. I admire this piece because each pattern is beautiful, and the notion behind the piece admires the beauty and randomness of nature. The creator’s artistic sensibilities were produced in this piece because the artist was inspired by the infinite variations of nature’s patterns — in things like butterfly wings and reptile scales. The artist thus created 150 iterations of rose patterns, incorporating random variables within each iteration in order to replicate nature’s randomness and infinite variation. The algorithm used to create these iterations started with the rose’s center point, and gave random variables to the spiraling outer “petal” parts of each flower. Thus, each iteration looks different in pattern and shape.

More info about the piece and process:
http://lucastswick.com/blom-generative-art-for-thecardsproject/

Montreal in March of 2013 was still in the midst of winter when Iregular unveiled their interactive installation called “Lift.” Iregular is a studio with Daniel Iregui at its head, seeking ways to mesmerize using computer generated art. The Lift was a projection set on a dome of 6 images that represented the city of Montreal. However, the fun part was that the audience could throw a glowing balloon into the wall, and the position and velocity of the balloon could give shifts to the projected video.

There was a controlled randomness to this installation, especially in the fact that no two balloons shot into the air were most unlikely to have the exact same motion. The following images on the dome were images never to be seen again.