serendipity vs consequence #17

This work is the result of a deterministic algorithm which manifests differently depending on the device it is viewed upon.

The basis for the project is a phenomenon called z-fighting, a common issue in 3d graphics that appears when two or more objects overlap in 3d space. The graphic drivers on a device cannot determine which object is closer or farther from the viewpoint since they were in exactly the same place. If we consider reality to be a continuum including our physical and digital experiences, z-fighting is a strictly digital phenomenon as objects trying to occupy the same physical space usually have tragic or intimate consequences.

The work in the current generative art movement is based on deterministic algorithms. This means that given a set of input parameters, the result should be exactly the same. This ideal is hardly ever the case as the code behind the art goes through different processing steps, on different CPUs, rendered on different GPUs, and interpreted by different graphics drivers. The code in this project is deterministic, it includes no conditions to adapt one way or the other to any particular hardware device, yet due to how the varying hardware and software devices try to mitigate z-fighting, this same code generates an entirely different experience on different devices.

To further exploit the nuances of these consequences, this work generates an audio score based on the generated graphics, analysing the canvas with a clustering algorithm and converting color values to notes, volume, and distortion.

A back-end system has been developed to render out each iteration across a variety of devices. To explore this catalog, please visit:
https://fraguada.net/svsc/

More information about the project in the fx(text) article:
https://www.fxhash.xyz/article/serendipity-vs-consequence

Slowly developed between May 2022 and March 2023.

interacting

click or tap on the artwork canvas to enable audio. audio starts a few seconds after initiating the work.

ui
double click or double tap to open the project ui

⤡ - toggle fullscreen
img - save png. please wait for the capture to complete
vid - save webm. saves a 34 second clip with audio

console
open the development console on desktop browser for more information on the iteration

The console includes more information about a particular iteration, including parameter values, palette information, and information on some url params you can play with.
Once the audio starts, you can also see an audio score as coloured bars.

acknowledgements

To my family and friends for allowing me time and giving me support throughout the development of this project.

license

This artwork would not be possible without the collective efforts of many individuals developing open source software.

three.js, tone.js, RecordRTC, chroma.js, skmeans, html2canvas, file-saver, ua-parser.js