Linescapes

Linescapes was released June 13th, 2022, on fxhash.

Linescapes continues my exploration of variation in generative art. Particles move through several distinct flow fields leaving behind vibrant trails, resulting in a playful arrangement. Sometimes these trails curve or zig-zag together, while other times they loop back on themselves and lose their line-like qualities, becoming more like a ring, a flower, or a starburst. Other times they don’t move very much at all, creating a grid of squares that provides negative space to balance the otherwise maximalist composition. In “Wild” arrangements the rules for these flow fields are independent from one another. Counterintuitively, this makes the set of Wild arrangements more cohesive as a group, because they are all similarly busy. This is where the project began: balancing out the volatility of emergent systems by employing several of them in each output.

“Wild” arrangements

“Coherent” arrangements are constructed from flow fields which tend to flow in a similar manner, while “Cohesive” arrangements tend to flow with the same velocity. Both of these result in similar shapes across the canvas, producing an output which feels more distinct.

Three “Coherent” arrangements and a “Cohesive” arrangement

“Patchwork” arrangements are constructed from a larger number of distinct flow fields by applying those fields to a 5x5 grid.

“Patchwork” arrangements

Finally, “Vast” arrangements are made up of many flow fields which draw smaller shapes, resulting in the feeling of a larger scale.

A “Vast” arrangement

While generally I wanted to leave the possibility of negative space for the pieces to breathe a bit, mints with a “Crammed” density will try to ensure that the canvas is completely covered in shapes. The smallest shapes tend to become indistinct from their overlapping neighbors, forming a unique kind of textural quality depending on the shape.

“Crammed” outputs

Flow fields are a fairly ubiquitous technique in contemporary generative art; there is something naturally appealing about the sinuous parallel lines they produce. While I put my own spin on the concept by creating rules for emergent flow fields, I also wanted to embrace its popularity with the use of a pop art aesthetic. The shapes have bold outlines and the color palettes are inspired by some of my favorite contemporary artists, both traditional and generative. The circles in each arrangement provide a contrast to the smaller lines, and while their locations may appear random, they actually have flowed through the field to whatever spot they rest at.

Ultimately each output is intended to be a fun game, inviting the viewer to return to the work and see what kinds of new shapes they might notice in the nooks and crannies.