Parameter, Algorithm and Nature

An immersive installation blending interactive generative animation, robotics, and electroacoustic sound, using industrial robots to bridge physical and digital realms.

_{selected exhibition/recognition_{Asia Digital Art Award FUKUOKA: Interactive Art Finalist’s Award, JP, 2020}
_{ALIFE & ROBOTS Art Gallery－Conference on Artificial Life (ALIFE), Prague (Virtual). 2021.07.19-2021.07.23}
_{Parameter, Algorithm and Nature by NTHU BLD + NCTU ROLA, National Taiwan Museum of Fine Arts, Taiwan. 2020.08.15-2020.10.04}}

"Parameter, Algorithm and Nature" work is an installation of interactive animation, robotics and electroacoustic sound. This installation uses industrial robots as an in-between medium, interacting with Artificial Life creatures in projected screen, brings seamless communication from physical sculptural movement into virtual computational growing, morphology shifting and emerging swarm behaviors.

The technology boom brings new cognition of (human-computer) interaction, that artificial toward inanimate objects of technological character who intend to simulate real life, that changes and confuses human perception of nature in reality. The work "Parameter, Algorithm and Nature" wants to demonstrate this trend of “biomimetic media”, by using biologically-inspired computing to mimic natural growing processes, flower blessing, and the swarm behavior. The artificial life (A-Life) animation is act by real-time generated mechanism developed by math’s recursion, fractal tree, cellular automata. The industrial robot plays as an in-between medium, brings seamless interaction from physical performance into triggering virtual reactions of A-Life behavior, and brings a hybrid creation logic between “biologic design” and “biomimetic aesthetics.”

In the "Dandelion Morphing Section," exploring growing morphologies of dandelion-like patterns generated by using computational mechanisms of symmetry, self-organization, recursion and fractal for present growth graphics based on a mass of overlapping lines. The project employs grid computation mechanisms to influence the binary tree structures. This section showcases how programming recursive rules of symmetry are encoded into a fractal tree algorithm, altering the geometric description of leaves and branches. The parameters and proportions between these elements result in diverse and complex morphologies. When stimulated by the robotic arm's laser point, the installation displays natural or biomimetic rhythmic visual responses.

“Similarly, the "Swarm Movement Section" uses a local communication mechanism on specific triangular grids, reminiscent of a cellular automata machine, to make "feathers" perform distributed behaviors. These behaviors are triggered by the data flow on each grid. Simplifying the interaction, the installation incorporates an industrial robot equipped with a laser light point, engaging subtly with the screen to stimulate these dynamic behaviors. This process leads to the generation of swarm behavior animations, effectively demonstrating the use of triangular grid computing to create visually engaging movements. The visual representation in this section is characterized by its innovative approach to composition, presenting time-based animations with an abstract flair. This portrayal in digital media offers an autonomous interpretation of temporal and compositional elements, showcasing a fresh dynamic aesthetic.

Overall, "Parameter, Algorithm, and Nature" is a testament to the intertwined relationship between technology and nature. It illustrates how digital tools and computational techniques can be used to emulate and extend the complexities of natural processes and forms. By blending robotic precision with organic fluidity, the installation invites viewers to reconsider the boundaries between the artificial and the natural, technology and biology, and to contemplate the evolving role of programming as a language in the realm of artistic creation.

In performance, Installation place in high-definition 8K resolution projecting area, allowing viewers to observe tens of thousands of intricate line details generated by the artwork's derivative system. For interaction, We build a robotic arm hold a laser pointer will cast light spots on the screen, triggering virtual branches for interaction. Robotic arm's choreographed movements with background music and animated derivations of the artwork. The performance is set to last between 5-10 minutes, commencing with the Sensitive Floral's own growth narrative: from a single iteration, unfolding into a blooming dynamic, to diversifying into different life-form variations. The camera narative will gradually zoom in to feature the unique growth textures of the Sensitive Floral, showcasing the aesthetics of computational beauty. During this narrative development, the robotic arm disturbance as a mischievous human, playfully interacting with the artwork (as human play with Mimosa plant). The external stimulation from the laser, alongside the adaptive movements prompted by the internal grid computing system, culminates in an emergent, organic collective movement that adds a new dimension to the animated aesthetics. Content in this video was collaboration with: WANG Shih-Yuan (Creative Robotics) YANG Yi-Ping (Music), James GIROUDON (Music)