For my third project, I want to explore the relationship between landscapes, soundscapes, and digital media. I plan to take video taped scenes and use their soundscapes to dynamically generate patterns of digital, visual distortion. I want to use the subtle interruptions of nature – birdsongs, gusts of wind, twig snaps – as moments that cut through the visual serenity of the scene. With each of these sounds, another digital polygon will ripple to the image’s surface, threatening to mask our view of nature entirely. I’m thinking of it as a kind of virtual meditation. Yes, I know this sounds pretty asinine. Also, I’m not exactly sure how it will become a more fully ‘generative/morpho-synthesis’ project quite yet. As I pursue the idea, however, I’ll be sure to guide it in that direction as much as possible.

I was heavily inspired by Quayola’s Strata series. I’m fascinated by the juxtaposition between the real and the virtual that he is able to bring forward. These simple geometric ripples seem to take on a life of their own, like some kind of digital mold expanding onto the canvas.

These images from the same artist’s Bitscapes project are another strong influence on the project:

Last is Meno Akten’s recent video for the Wombats, “Techno Fan.” The gradual deconstruction from reality to an abstract digital realm is somehow incredibly captivating.

So far I’ve used OpenFrameworks with Kyle McDonald’s excellent ofxFFT addon. Next I will be searching for something to do Delaunay triangulation on my images, but those should be the only libraries this requires.

I would like to create a program that constructs and deconstructs an autostereogram. I am very interested in the mechanism in which people can perceive them and think it would be interesting to explore how long you can see the object pop out once you know that it is there. The user will be able to interact with the speed and amount of “random” generation of the pixels to see how long they can see the object clearly. I would like this to help people who have trouble seeing the objects and also to be an interesting perspective for people who can see them and don’t quite understand how or why.
I have not yet decided what the object will be, I think that I will be able to pick an object once I have tested it some more, but I think I will choose something that is easily recognizable.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Autostereogram#Simulated_3D_perception

So, I decided to scrap the idea of self-generating origami crease patterns for a few reasons, like the fact that the coding behind it, is incredibly beyond me, and even if I had help, I wouldn’t be able to implement it in a truly beneficial way. I also have quite a lot on my plate in regards to time commitments (internship interviews, class midterms, and group presentations the week that this is due) so I really need to scale back. But, I honestly don’t find anything wrong with scaling back, especially in this sort of complex assignment.

Regardless, I have now started to develop a new idea, that still involves both Mathematics and Design. In Mathematics, I am interested in developing recursive fractals. In Design, I am interested in exploring typography.

Thus, for this assignment, I will explore Generative Typography as it relates to fractal creation. I’m not 100% sure how I’m going to do it, but I do have quite a strong source as to what can help me with the project. I recently found this book called Type + Code by Yeohyn Ahn that thoroughly gives tuturials for working with basic, intermediate, and advanced coding in Processing (the main language I code in). I’m super excited about it, becuase I plan to use this book along with sections of The Nature of Code by Dan Shiffman that deal with fractals and cellular automata to really create something great.

Essentially, I plan to generate something Beautiful that I will then, according to time, laser print into a block of wood, thus creating myself a physical artifact. Should be fun, dealing with lasers that is, because I’ve never used laser cutters before. So I’m pumped for that. But first, generative art.

See you on the other side of this project

Sankalp

Arthur Ganson

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cn6lHIhm5Xs

I’ve been working with gears on and off for the past year now. They are obviously complicated to mesh together properly depending on ratios, pitch, teeth, etc. But there are a limited set of rules that can be defined for creating perfect pairings of gears.

For my project I’m inspired by the obsession we have as academia to figure out how all things work. Therefore I want to create a rhinoscript which allows a generation of unnecessarily complicated scheme of gears. I’m imagining being able to specify a STARTING motor/torque point and then a FINAL output point and have the program generate hundreds of gears and random configurations in between.

For this project if I can get a script working with a few generated models and/or animations I will be happy. But preferably I would like to be able to laser cut these final confusing nightmares of random gears so that they function and move.

Organic Twisty lava meshes

So my original idea for this project was to try to generate meshes that look something like this, using a particle system with toxilibs mesh drawer class, and rig it so that the simulation could follow a three dimensional curve through space. However, after working on it last night, I think this is just way too similar to things I’ve already done, and am not nearly enamored with it anymore.

Fields

http://tvmny.blogspot.com/

Very cool. Seeing physical generative artwork reminds me that there is more to computational art than what is on the screen. In general, I think when computational art begins to exists equally in the tangible realm as the intangible realm, that’s when the magic begins to happen. What is so striking about this particular piece is, as well as Marc Fornes’s other work, is it’s an organic form derived from a very non-organic process (speaking about using the computer as a tool here). I think there is a greater possibility for such computational driven forms to be applied to actual problems. Perhaps I’m getting ahead of myself now, but I think I’m coming from a biomimicry perspective. If we can simulate evolution via computers, it’s possible to derive new innovative forms.

This is some pretty interesting stuff. I think this is kind one of the more conventional things people think of when they think generative art: “hey let’s make a living organism!” Not to poo poo this at all, I think it’s beautiful and a wonder of programming (in my eyes at least), but it is something I want to avoid at least. One aspect I really like about it is the ability to fool around with the parameters and customize your creation. It’s not a static piece, per say, but one that any user can play with to see what happens. I always like that user engagement. It’s more than just thinking, it’s doing too.

I really love this one! In design it’s always a delicate balance between being boringly obvious and confusingly obtuse. I think the MIT Media lab new logo is a brilliant example of somewhere in between. Though the logo(s) were not designed by hand, the beauty of the logo is evident in the code that creates it. I know some of my peers would argue that then what happens to the typical designer in a world of computer driven design. My thought is, you gotta adjust. I actually think this particular project excites me the most because it shows how a designer who knows how to write and understand code will be invaluable in the future. You can’t just make form anymore. You have to learn how to program form as well.

SPAMGHETTO

http://www.spamghetto.com/gallery.php

“Spamghetto is the inappropriate, intriguing, irresistible spam-based wall covering that turns the bad ideas flooding your inbox into patterns of insight into the human nature.”

This wall and print art is generated with phrases from a spam folder from an email inbox.  I find it interesting because it turns something that people HATE into something that is beautiful and something that people want to BUY?!

The type treatment and design are really what make this. It looks hand-drawn and created every time even if it is computer generated. What I am unsure about is how this is made… the site doesn’t make it clear whose inbox the spam comes from and if you can have your own inbox be the source for the generative text.

PIXEL CITY

http://flowingdata.com/2009/05/14/pixel-city-computer-generated-city/

Pixel City is a procedurally-generated city by Shamus Young. For the non-coders out there, this essentially means that based on a certain set of rules, this 3-D city is generated dynamically each time the program runs.

This shows a project of a generative cityscape. A video shows the steps Shamus went through to create a believable environment (generate standard buildings, generate modern buildings, create a grid of street lights etc). I find this interesting because he makes it seem so easy to create a large and realistic environment just by creating a set of constraints, while I had always imagined it to be a long and laborious process to create virtual environments. This has inspired me to look into other generative terrains projects. Although he admits that he doesn’t lnow what to do with this, I see the potential for many practical applications such video games.

“On the Bri-n-k” Robotic built wall at the GSD

http://www.dezeen.com/2009/05/11/on-the-brinck-at-graduate-school-of-design-harvard-university/

Professor Ingeborg M. Rocker of Rocker-Lange Architects and students at the Graduate School of Design at Harvard University, USA, have used a robot to build an undulating double-wall structure. The robot arm was programmed to place 4,100 wooden bricks to create complex double-curvature walls.

This is a cool project because they created a design for a structure and then a robot actually constructed it! It is an impressive combination of computer generated design and computer aided construction. The structure has beautiful curves and shows off the potential for little blocks (“bricks” to create organic and complex forms). And although the structure seems to be impractical and uninhabitable, this project breathes potential for computer aided construction of many kinds… (robots building homes in the antarctic? africa? space?!)

http://www.themorningnews.org/gallery/cartographies-of-time

By: Jaakko Tuomivaara

Tweet by RTH_1 at Mon Feb 06 15:43:17 EST 2012: Occupy pittsburgh protesters are idiots!!! Let me bring my 3 german shepherds down there and clear them out

Tweet by tranquilxlife at Mon Feb 06 19:44:47 EST 2012: I can’t wait until it gets warmer. I just wanna walk around in my beautiful city with the moon just above. #truth

Tweet by mikeperry15 at Mon Feb 06 19:46:12 EST 2012: paying a parking ticket…i will take revenge in someway to the city of pittsburgh for this

Tweet by Czer412 at Mon Feb 06 19:58:51 EST 2012: I put up a Missing Persons report around the city for @Mr_diverse412, have u seen him?

IF I WAS TO KILL SOMEBODY I THINK I’LL BE ABLE TO GET AWAY WITH IT IN THIS CITY

In my search for what data set to use for this project I found the archive of acceptance speeches from the Academy Awards since 1971 (and a few pre-dataing then too). I wanted to visualize the rambling and crying that usually occurs at this yearly event as well as play into how heavily publicized it is. The transcripts of the speeches are unfortunately cleaned up so I instead decided to focus on the length of the speeches, content and the gender of the speaker.

Dataviz_screen1

[http://www.openprocessing.org/visuals/?visualID=51811]