Traces

Press [a] for full screen endless animation mode
Press [p] for print mode (default)
(more instructions after description)

Nature eschews right angles and simple, geometric shapes. Instead, everything we see in nature is shaped by processes where matter in different forms collides, exchanges energy, accumulates or disintegrates. Perpetual repetition of these natural processes weaves the beautiful complexity that surrounds us.

Traditionally computers are seen as tools for working with ideal forms and exact mathematical representations, clean shapes and sharp angles. Even a random number generator running on a computer is a just a cheap trick to hide the underlying determinism.

However, computers are also masters in repetition. They will blindly repeat a set of instructions for as many times as we want. And the repetition, shaping the initial state over and over again, creates the type of complexity we admire in nature.

In this project, I have created a process, which repeats blindly by its own rules and adds layers and layers of marks on the canvas each new trace mixing with the existing ones. And the complexity in details that arises from the repetition starts to remind us about nature.

Controls:

• [a]: for full screen adaptive endless animation mode
• [p]: for print mode (default, creates a printable image and stops)
• [s]: Save PNG
• [1] thru [6]: in print mode, change resolution multiplier (longer edge = 2000px times multiplier)

With resolution multipliers 3 and up the preview animation is not drawn.
Largest resolutions currently only work with Safari on a Mac and may take a very long time to generate.

• Requires WebGL2
• Intended to be viewed on a Display-P3 compatible device and browser

License: CC BY-NC-ND 4.0

Utilizes spectral.js library by Ronald van Wijnen (https://github.com/rvanwijnen/spectral.js) licensed under the MIT License.