In 2022, as I was experiencing my first year as a father, I was often asking myself what impact I would have on my son, and how much my actions will be part of what will make him “him”. I started a slow introspection on the subject, and at the end of the year, I released “Foundations”, a series that focuses on the origins of our identity.

“Tout tracé” is the second act, and its direct continuity. 
In French, it means *“All mapped out”*, referring to the idea of an all planned future or *“a ready made path”.*

This series is the counterpoint of this vision. 

Life is full of surprises, good or bad, and each moment will have an impact on us, creating our set of experiences, many of them involuntary and embedded in our existence.
As humans, we are in constant evolution and therefore, on a quest of identity; of who we really are.
We are surrounded by expectations : from society, culture, religion, parents, friends, family… A list of rules that need to be followed and lived by; but, at the end of the day, I believe that only our choices matter.

Like “Foundations”, the composition of “Tout tracé” is grid based: full of boxes expected to be filled.
But this series is about growth, evolution, expression and re-definition. It’s about fighting against the structure in place, finding our own voice and re-shaping our reality.
It is finding its uniqueness and identity that will be revealed through the millions of lines drawing each artwork, technically signing the idea of “Tout tracé”, that comes with a double meaning: *“All drawn”*.


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- **Press ‘H’** to open a new tab of the artwork in HD (A3 format).

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Opening one output in fullscreen or in live view will run an animation revealing the artwork.

Tout tracé

Invasion Percolation is the first network visualization of modern network science and the first generative network art. The algorithm was built by Albert-László Barabási in 1994, and the surviving 1995 output opened the Hidden Patterns retrospective of BarabásiLab at ZKM Karlsruhe in 2021 and the Ludwig Museum in Budapest in 2020. The release of Invasion Percolation as a generative NFT is part of a hybrid performance involving the metaverse and the traditional gallery and museum space. Each copy of the 782 series, corresponding to the number of links on the published 1995 version of the work, will be printed and each printed work’s title, permanently recorded on the physical artwork, will be the NFT owner who generates the work. In rare instances, the algorithm will generate sculptures that will be 3D printed. The 2D and 3D prints will be shown at the Cyberart Gallery in Boston, Postmaster Gallery in New York, Ludwig Museum in Budapest (Hungary), and New Kriterion Gallery in Csikszereda (Transylvania, Romania), each location receiving unique artworks. With the release of Invasion Percolation as a generative NFT, empty exhibition spaces will gradually fill in thanks to the actions of the collectors, who generate and name the work.

Invasion Percolation

Computational sigils for a digital altar. Patterns emerging from the vibrations of sound waves, seen but not heard.

Sigils

This piece began as a formal study in composition using simple layered shapes, but when I started experimenting with animation it took on a life of its own. The final work visualises in form, colour, and motion the tension between social conformity and self-expression. At times all of us are required to keep ourselves under control, so that we can live and work together without having to negotiate a thousand tiny idiosyncrasies. Other times we are free to act as wild as we like, but even within this freedom we often find ourselves expressing different kinds of alignment and harmonisation. Negotiating our lives involves finding a balance between these forces: conformity and harmony on one hand, and expression and freedom on the other. As long as we share space with others, we must always think about how our actions fit in with those of the people around us.

LIA has been making [generative software art since 1995](https://www.liaworks.com), and her work has been exhibited in museums and galleries worldwide. This piece extends her signature process of overlapping simple shapes in complex ways, applying a new quality of motion to paint and re-paint the composition, forming hypnotic, shifting patterns of movement and stillness.

*Instructions*
Animation runs automatically - click/tap to pause and unpause

WARNING:
This art work may potentially trigger seizures for people with photosensitive epilepsy. Viewer discretion is advised.

Being Yourself While Fitting In

Paths is an animated journey across various subterranean and aboveground environments. To fully experience the project, you need to see it in high resolution with a capable GPU. Make sure that your browser uses your dedicated graphics card if any, and that you get a good frame rate. Control keys: 1-4 (change speed), 9 (fill aspect ratio), 0 (original aspect ratio), space-bar (play/pause)

Art Blocks Presents

Paths #102

Darien Brito

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Tout tracé

Florian Zumbrunn

Invasion Percolation

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