Week 2 Post

Adobe Illustrator blew my mind. In Illustrator, images aren't bound by their pixel values but rather expressed using mathematical forms called vectors. This means that an image can be made as large as needed without losing quality because the mathematical properties can be easily scaled, unlike pixel-based images that can only stretch so far before lines begin to blur. It is much easier to understand how math is involved in computer programs, which is why I was so astonished at the mathematics behind the art of origami as explained by Robert Lang. His explanation of circle packing that allows for infinite levels of detail from a single sheet of paper is incredibly simple, but limitless.

Crease Pattern Example designed by Brian Chan

http://web.mit.edu/chosetec/www/origami/rei3/

The interactive pieces of Nathan Selikoff came as little surprise; assigning a numerical value to audio frequencies creates visual patterns in the simplest voice recording programs. Another example of this is Daniel Sierra's "Oscillate" which uses simple mathematical formulas to create geometric 3D shapes and effects. Sierra explains in his Bio page that he uses "animation, programming, computer graphics and digital sound synthesis" to create many variations of "immersive digital environments," which is essentially a beautiful blend of mathematics and art. (I strongly encourage you to watch the full video, it's quite stunning.)

Daniel Sierra
http://www.dbsierra.com/Work/Oscillate/

In many senses, math can be a lens through which we see the world. I know from experience that when you recreate their 3D scene on a 2D canvas, the beginning step is comparing everything to everything else, it's making your field of vision into a combination of ratios. This car is a fifth of this building, this cat's tail is curled to a third of its body length, and so on. I had never thought of these ratios to be fully expressed in mathematical variables until I read through the "Vanishing Points" lesson by  Frantz. Even though the expression is incredibly simple and I know for a fact that I've done these sort of calculations before when sketching a scene, the thought of writing real life as cold hard mathematical fact seems... uncomfortable. I think this is because I strongly believe that I am not and will never be a "math person," and the juxtaposition of a math equation with parentheses and capital versus lowercase letters feels like an invasion of my norms.

Vanishing Points and Looking at Art by Marc Frantz
http://www.cs.ucf.edu/courses/cap6938-02/refs/VanishingPoints.pdf

Sources

 Chan, Brian. "Rei v. 3." Origami Rei. July 2008. Web. 08 Apr. 2016. <http://web.mit.edu/chosetec/www/origami/rei3/>.

 Frantz, Marc. Lesson 3: Vanishing Points and Looking at Art. 2000. PDF. 

Lang, Robert. "The Math and Magic of Origami." TED. Feb. 2008. Web. 08 Apr. 2016. <http://www.ted.com/talks/robert_lang_folds_way_new_origami>. 

 "Nathan Selikoff | Fine Artist Playing with Interactivity, Math, Code." Nathan Selikoff. Web. 08 Apr. 2016. <http://nathanselikoff.com/>. 

 Sierra, Daniel. "Oscillate." Daniel Sierra. Web. 09 Apr. 2016. <http://www.dbsierra.com/Work/Oscillate/>.