ODA #20 by Victor Doval & xnmtrc

Description

In our fight to understand
what surrounds our bodies
we may lose that we are floating
in a vast empty space

A room in a room
where all limits are filled with void
and they only exist in our memories
and we need them to feel that we are safe
but the outside is us, as the inside
and the only real danger is not to feel

Doval 2023

"Oda'' is a Turkish word that translates to "room." Sources show that it has existed since Dīwān Lughāt al-Turk (1070). The earlier form was "otağ/odağ," which means "nomad tent." Interestingly, the source of the word "otağ" goes back even further to the word "ōta," which means "to start a fire" or "the place smokes." The Turkish language is unique in that the root of the word "room" is "ateş," meaning fire. This speaks to the importance of light in Turkish culture and how it shapes the spaces in which people live. The way light fills a room can drastically alter the mood and ambiance of a space, influencing everything from the color of the walls to the way they are arranged. In this way, the concept of "room" is not simply a physical enclosure, but rather a multifaceted idea that encompasses both light and the way it interacts with the environment.

Additionally, "oda'' is also a Spanish word that directly translates to "ode," a type of poem that is highly structured and used to praise or glorify an event or individual while also describing nature in an intellectual and emotional manner. As the ode, a room is also a structured space, defined by its use or limits. The ode exalts one event as the room exalts one use. The words are open to the imagination, and so are the rooms we expose. The words point to concepts, as we do with the architectural elements pointing to spatial concepts. Architecture and poetry both worlds share rhymes and rhythms. Both exist in a static form but require time to be explored and felt. The connection between the Spanish word "oda" and the literary form of "ode" brings to light an interesting analogy between poetry and architecture.

ODA incorporates duality in its design, playing with concepts such as in/out, transparent/opaque, front/back, left/right, top/bottom, perspective/oblique, light/shadow, and visible/invisible. The form of the piece begins with a simple room in eternal space, which is then deconstructed with an amount of chaos. The piece's rendering highlights its duality by showcasing what should not be seen and hiding what should be shown. The piece draws inspiration from the between-wars period of architecture, specifically from movements such as constructivism and neoplasticism as seen in the works of Rietveld and Mies Van der Rohe.

The artwork utilizes a variety of techniques to create a customized render engine, using Javascript (p5.js) and GLSL (custom ray-marching algorithm) to achieve a unique visual style that blends material realism with an architectural sketch aesthetic. The iterations can be clearly defined in some instances, while in others, they may be open to interpretation by the observer. The code follows a process similar to that of a physical drawing. It begins by sketching out construction lines to establish the proportions and composition of the scene, while also adding basic shading to give a sense of volume to the figure. Once the construction and shading are complete, color is applied to the entire composition.

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