Category: LookingOutwards-06

Looking Outwards 06

This project is a version of the set algorithm where the color of each triangle gradually changes according to when it was created. The color changes gradually from white to black, then flips instantly back to white again. According to the artist, this was originally just an accident, but somehow it turns into this cool piece with three dimensional illusion. I admire this piece of work because seems random upon first glance but it creates this overall beautiful organic pattern. It started by his other project “Differential Lines” and from that he moved on to this 3D algorithm. The key thing to get this to work is to have the mesh do various self-balancing operations as it grows. From this project, I learned that randomness exist by following certain rules, for example, this project was following rules like

  • Split edges that are too long.
  • Avoid inserting new vertices where the vertex density is too high.
  • Flip edges to reduce the length of the edge.
  • Add a force that makes the triangles attempt to be roughly equilateral.

When randomness is in balance, art is created.

“Different Meshes” by Anders Hoff

Randomness Blog

For this blog, I found “Eternal Connection” by Claus O.Wilke very interesting. In the series of work, he dives not only a generative method using parameters, but he also employs randomness to aid his iterations that are now available as NFT’s. His method of creating these included Javascript and WebAssembly that allows for the art to “run live in the browser”. Moreover, there were multiple strategies of generating these connections, including Perplexity progression, Random seed progression, and color palette progression. Each of these variates one single starting piece that progresses step by step in very different ways. For the random seed progression, it uses a code very similar to noise in Java, meaning between every step in the 2D or 3D noise, taking different combination of input data types Each version is different but still very closely related, creating gradual but powerful changes over a “randomizer’’ that remains constant over the course of a loop. Through combining the different progressions, the system can alter the shape, concentration, and color of the patterns. Wilke uses this to generate grids that show similar variations side by side to create interesting patterns, whether it is the changing colors, shapes, or density.

https://clauswilke.com/art/project/eternal-connection

LO: 06

When thinking about randomness, my mind went straight to Dada, specifically Dada poetry. So much of Dada itself is left up to chance: the process, the reaction, the viewer, the artist: this is especially true with Dada poetry. Paradoxically, Dada poetry often both gave instruction on how to create Dada art while considered a piece of Dada art itself. Tristan Tzara’s 1920 To Make a Dadaist Poem is a great example:

“Pick up a newspaper.

Take some scissors.

Choose in the newspaper an article of length that tells you to give your poem.

Cut out the item.

Carefully cut out each of the words that make up the item carefully and put them in a bag.

Shake gently.

Now pull each cutting one after another.

Copy conscientiously

In the order they have left the bag.

The poem will resemble you.

And you are an infinitely original writer and a bewitching sensibility, although misunderstood by the vulgar.”

There is obvious randomness in the actions described: random newspaper, random words, random order. But Tzara’s call to action is also given to a random artist. This serves the Dada goal of nonmeaning well. I have also been considering the fact that Dada poetry that prompts viewer response is similar in a lot of ways to programming. Obviously there are differences, but the fact that one is given a list of instructions to follow, usually phrased particularly does connect the two in my mind.

excerpt of Dada poetry

Looking Outwards: 06

Vera Molnar is a pioneer in computational and generative art work. She began writing computer code that introduced randomness to her art in the mid to late 1960s. Even earlier she was creating manual rules and algorithms to generate computational art by hand. She began writing code in Fortran back at a time when they used punch cards to feed a program into the computer. The randomness, she explained, gives her ideas and allows her to try out endless variations of her work. This enables her to create works that she may never have thought of on her own. She explains that the computer is not taking the place of the artist; it is simply a tool.
For this project I became intrigued with her Variations exposition at the Beall Center at the University of California in Irvine. The art works presented are generative both through computer programming and also from her manual algorithms. The piece that resonated with me most is called Interruptions and is presented below. This work is a series of short random lines. She worked with this program and introduced the removal of lines in the randomness algorithm as well. The gaps give the work its name, Interruptions. I really enjoy that she plays with the removal of what is already there. Each iteration of the program creates a unique image. It is compelling to see what gets left behind in the empty spaces.

Interruptions

Looking Outwards 06

Randomly Generated Poetry

Although the world of random visual art is vast, as is the genre of randomly generated music, I found that I was drawn toward the idea of randomly generated poetry. In a recent project from two students at Bard College, an algorithm was written that created randomly generated poetry based on the stylistic choices of a chosen poets such as Dickenson and Shakespear. In terms of their process, they begin by writing an algorithm that reads poetry from the writer and creates a numerical value based on how often the word s used(its usage probability). Next, the bot randomly chooses a word from the list. The choice is truly random but constrained to words used by the writer. The algorithm then goes on to gauge the probability of other words used in conjunction with the first word, and chooses the next word accordingly, and so on. So although it is not truly random, the code is not always choosing the words that are most likely to be used together. I really admire this work because it is created for the public by students like ourselves, and the poetry generated is really beautiful.

Looking Outwards 06

Randomness.

I find the architect, Michael Hansmeyer’s work to be especially interesting. Hansmeyer is an architect who creates generative design through what he calls “happy accidents” that result from randomness. He uses computer algorithms to generate and fabricate architectural forms that are then 3d-printed. He believes that the combination of randomness, computation, and fabrication allows for inventive ways to convey space and sensations. 

“Architecture should surprise, excite and irritate”. The complexity of modern architecture does not long for a meticulous drawing by hand, but rather an abstract, open-minded, computational approach. Hansmeyer’s works are all extremely fine and beautiful, with new and unique objects and ways of assembly. Structures, surfaces, and interactions between them are highly detailed and create extreme visual stimulation. 

Looking Outwards 06 :  Randomness

The work of MARK J. STOCK, the “The Yin and Yang Are Fractal #4” have inspired me with its random, dynamic motion that represents the concept of Yin and Yang in Tai Chi, which is a part of Chinese culture. It’s inspiring to see how the concept of Yin and Yang changing and interacting with each other in various layers and various sizes, and it gave me a sense of special beauty from the dynamic ink painting. The algorithms that generate its randomness also interest me with its simple code that forms the complicated structure and shapes of the art itself. According to Mark, the “color is passed from pixel to pixel in a regular grid using a very specific set of instructions.” The code generates randomness among pixels within a limited range, while it tries to adhere to a general shape, like a circle, at the beginning. Then the pixels randomly interact with nearby pixels in a certain range to create the art we saw. The creator’s artistic sensibilities manifest in the final form of random Yin and Yang interactions in the form of generated ink art, where Yin and Yang seem to be randomly blended together.

Videos: “The Yin and Yang Are Fractal #4” by MARK J. STOCK, produced in 2015

“The Yin and Yang Are Fractal #4” by MARK J. STOCK, produced in 2015
Link: Mark J. Stock (markjstock.com)

Link: Mark J. Stock (markjstock.com)

Generated 3D Scene

I am interested in David Mignot’s work in using python codes to generate a series of objects in Blender. The randomness is expressed through the random function to vary the type, height, and material of objects. Each time the function creates a different rendered scene that would take days to model by hand. David expressed his artistic sensibilities in attempting to control the randomness of variables so that the final result looks harmonic. It showcases how randomness needs to be controlled in computational art so that the generated work still looks “designed” rather than messy and purely random.

Generated scenes by David using inbuilt python codes in Blender

The work intrigues me in terms of creating generative art in 3d forms. Typically, Blender is used for 3d modeling individual objects for the CG industry. However, David opened up a new possibility in utilizing randomness to generate 3d scenes by coding, which might be a helpful method to create large repetitive scenes quickly.

Looking outwards 6

For this week I looked at Brian Eno’s use of generative algorithms in music production. I didn’t know that he literally invented generative music and was doing it in the 90’s. This is exciting for me because I’m a fan of him and it makes me more impressed with him as an artist as well as interested in the application of coding. He used a moire pattern, which is two grids of sound layered on top of another and overylaying them into what he calls ambient music. He had a lot of interesting methods using hardware and homemade contraptions to produce and alter his music in really unique ways. This is a link to a talk he gave on his generative music.

https://inmotionmagazine.com/eno1.html

Some of his albums useing genrative production methods are ambient music 1 through 4, and Apollo.

Looking Outwards-06

The project I found this week is Aaron Tobey’s “Visualizing Randomness”, which would be an excellent example of using randomness in the computation of art. The two pictures I’m specifically interested in are ‘Graphic random number generator run matrix(1min)’ and ‘Graphic random number generator run matrix process’. When the generator starts working, the random white lines that appear on the black background begin to create a spatial feeling and balance of density. Abstractness shown in the lines creates visual artistry and there are many possibilities for future development in this drawing.

Another interesting point of randomness art is that computers could satisfy the need for surprise in the artwork. If the Visualizing Randomness is created by hand, though a good artist can also achieve great hierarchy and order in the drawing, there would be details that the artist hasn’t considered. With the incorporation of digital tools, the content can be more subconscious and balanced.

here is the link to more information:

https://aarontobey.com/Visualizing-Randomness