“Phototaxis” is a simulated environment populated by simple machines. After Valentino Braitenberg’s 1984 book “Vehicles,” there are four kinds of machines with different wiring and behaviors: Explorers, Aggressors, Lovers, and Cowards. Each line charts the history of one machine’s movement. The core of this code was the foundation for my MicroImage series of works dating back to 2001. I’ve worked on it in fits and starts since then, and in 2021 it was further developed for Art Blocks. Press ‘P’ to play/pause, ‘B’ for the big bang, ‘1’–’5’ to change the magnification, and ‘L’ to reveal the lights’ locations.

Phototaxis

*Arcadia* is a homage to the fridge-worthy landscape art of our youth. Childhood techniques of creating art are re-imagined by the scribbles of a nostalgic, computer-assisted mind.

**Spacebar**: Skip animation and load final image (useful when rendering in high resolutions)
**Up arrow**: Speed scribbles up (default speed is the highest)
**Down arrow**: Slow scribbles down

Arcadia

When thinking about community, we could observe the differences and things in common. There is a purpose for us to be together. It influences our behavior, identities, and choices. The diversity of shapes, colors, and combinations in this work is the metaphor for how we are connected and how these connections influence a complex web, which is represented here in this form that resembles a beehive. Bees have an enormous sense of community, a behavior essential for their survival. In this work, a single feature can radically alter the perception of form as a whole. The work contains eight possible shapes: random, stars, hexagons, triangles, arrows, trapezoids, diamonds, and flags. These shapes can be arranged following a random flow, rotating, or pointing to the center. Moreover, they can vary in size, spacing, and color. The color palettes correspond to edition groups. As a generative artwork, beauty arises from a mixture of all diversity. Charity: 25% of initial sales were donated to Lanchonete<>Lanchonete lanchonetelanchonete.com - promoting greater justice and social well-being for children and family members living nearby Providência, first Favela in Brazil.

**Gels** is a science-inspired generative piece. Our algorithm simulates *gel electrophoresis*, a powerful experimental method in molecular biology used daily by thousands of scientists worldwide. In the lab, scientists "run a gel" to separate and visualize molecules such as DNA, RNA, and proteins. These molecules appear as patterns of bands when photographed, and those patterns can be used to interpret the results of experiments. 

The DNA band patterns in this work derive from combinations of a simulated experimental data and real-world data, including DNA sequences that encode several variants of the SARS-CoV-2 spike protein, and the corresponding mRNA vaccines. Our algorithm first generates plausible sample tubes that typically contain one or more DNA fragments. Then, each sample is distributed and "run" on a simulated gel to create the characteristic band patterns that might be observed on real gels.

Our simulations also take into account human error — mistakes are common in the lab, especially for novice researchers, but they can also lead to visually interesting results. For example, uneven salt concentrations or applying excess voltage can cause warping effects.

Finally, we aim to leverage proceeds of this project to support future scientific research! We invite interested collectors to follow along with our future work.

Gels

Inspired by Dutch artist Piet Mondrian. Made with an interest in color theory and a love for color in general.

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