Quartzamata

Quartzamata thinks outside the box; yet it is framed inside a box. Looking with fresh eyes, it explores how the visualization of 1D Cellular Automata can be elevated to higher dimensions and heights.

In my previously published generative artworks utilizing CAs, I had explored novel ways of coloring them (in AutomataLands); used them to texturize and colorize other generative works (in AutomataPunks); and had planted mixed species of such lacy colorful CAs on curved 3D surfaces (in Cellulaire).

In Quartzamata, I turn CA visualizations into high dimensional objects and sculptures. A Quartzamata's cells are not mere flat squares on a 2D grid, colored with 2, 4, or even 8 colors. Instead, each cell is a complex, decorated, and colorful 3D object. What creates a Quartzamata's global 3D form and structure is the bending and twisting, and carving and shaping, of the cells and their 2D grid in a multitude of ways. And while some Quartzamata are static and lifeless, others are dynamic and alive organisms.

The novel concept of decorating CA cells, that I am introducing in Quartzamata, adds an extra layer of visual beauty and complexity to CA patterns; it turns them into objects and structures with intricate repeating patterns of colorful shapes and symbols, reminiscent of many types of human-made artifacts, such as wallpapers, tapestries, rugs, textiles, mosaics, embroidery, beadwork, and lace.

Quartzamata twists and turns, and just like a key it unlocks the box that contains its predecessors; exotic species of CA that not only exhibited richer and more complex patterns, but also were the first to stealthily acquire the gene for decorated cells. And that's another twist and turn; this one in the lineage of Quartzamata itself.

Grab a key, spot the puns, and have some fun!

Controls:
Use 'h' to turn the interactive mode off/on, and to save energy.
When in interactive mode use:
'b' : to hide/reveal the box framing the Quartzamata.
'n' : to remove/add the noisy texture/aura around the Quartzamata.
'c' : to add/remove background color.
'l' (small L) : to turn lights on/off. The mouse controls the location of the light source.
left/right arrows : to set the Quartzamata into rotating left/right.
up/down arrows : to speed up/down the rotation.
'p' : to pause the rotation.
'f' : to toggle on/off the full-screen mode. Note that resizing the screen resets the scene.
's' : to save a screenshot as a PNG file. Maximize your browser window to maximize the size of the PNG.
To enable high-resolution screenshots, add the following to the end of the URL: ?HD=1
Use the mouse/trackball/touch to move around the Quartzamata. Turning off the noise and lights help speed up navigation. The more complex a Quartzamata, the heavier and thus harder it is to move around.

License:
See included LICENSE.md

Credits:
Made in p5js and WebGL.

Artist: Vida V.