ProtoNematode.01 #20

In partnership with EXPANDED.ART

My practice includes computation, drawing and painting. Regardless of medium, my process is primarily generative/emergent. I begin most often automatically, with no target/goal/outcome in mind; my hands begin coding/drawing/painting/prompting. Hopefully, something engaging reveals itself along the way. I define my overall process as post-computational, in that it is deeply informed by many years of coding. (I think of embodied algorithms when holding a pencil/paintbrush.) I do not aspire to align myself with any single creative/aesthetic/art historical tradition. Yet, I deeply appreciate craft and visual literacy and also disruptive technologies.

ProtoNematode.01 is part of my long running Protobytes series, begun in 2004. This generative, interactive piece explores a recursive, elongated nautilus structure with an implied internal anatomy. Protobytes is an investigation into artificial lifeforms, created algorithmically through code and math. The original 2004 series were built of overlapping 2D forms using ActionScript. ProtoNematode.01 is a generative interactive, 3D model built with WebGL (three.js), TypeScript and my own PByte.js library.

Controls:

Mouse/Trackpad:

• drag -> camera rotation
• drag + CMD/CTR -> camera pan
• scroll wheel/pinch -> camera zoom

Keyboard:

• p: screen capture
• a: toggle animation on/off
• d,f: reduce | increase fog