LO2: Generative Art

John Henley; 15-104 section D

https://www.michael-hansmeyer.com/muqarnas

I examined Muqurnas by the computational architect Michael Hansmeyer. Murquanas are complex ornamental ceiling vaultings that provide an expansive and vast vaulted experience for viewers to explore above them. I find these renderings to be simply beautiful–they add an element of design surprise in the form of grandiose and nearly magical experiental environment design. Hansmeyer explains how his works combine “architecture, mathematics, and art to form highly intricate and complex stalactite structures.” He creates his rules for these computational renderings based on size, material, and form of the ceiling under question. Hansmeyer’s portfolio emphasizes the questioning of designing using open-ended algorithms, and this questioning is exhibited in his work. His pieces are expansive and clearly have the quality of intentional randomness, allowing the computer to explore form and beauty in a new way.