"Ouroboros" is inspired from the idea that we as humans must continually devour ourselves to be reborn with new understanding. The algorithm is a grid of rounded squares, continuously spinning, an eternal cycle which expresses unity of matter and spirit which never disappear but perpetually change form through this cycle of destruction and re-creation. A multitude of color palettes, grid sizes, blend modes, border styles and shadows allow this project to generate some beautifully mesmerizing outputs. Click for enlightenment.

Ouroboros

Renders Game is a note to myself on creativity.

I will often believe strongly in an idea, yet, once realised, and I'm confronted with the reality of the output, it leaves me unsatisfied.

So I take it apart, find a detail that I love, and grow something new from that tiny piece. It's a constant process of discovery. Eventually, I'll find a result that feels right — but only once it's staring back at me.

The name of this piece is a tongue-in-cheek nod to Orson Scott Card’s 1985 science fiction novel, *Ender’s Game*, as well as to the countless outputs I’ve produced during this creative process. In the book, Ender trains relentlessly. Only once he's completed his final exam (what he believes to be another simulation) does he discover that it was actually real — the final battle to save humanity.

In my own creative process, most of the steps along the path likewise feel like practise, with the satisfaction of achievement only revealing itself after the work stares back at me, complete.

This has been one of my longest running creative processes to date, having been re-written and re-conceived many times over.

It's worthy of the name.

## About

This piece treads a balance between the abstract and the literal.

The generative structure draws inspiration from cubism - procedurally generated curves of various complexity are grown, layered, intersected, and then broken into fragments of constantly shifting scale. 

Painting each fragment in turn reveals an abstraction of the original curves and lines, viewed through the algorithm's interpretation.

Each fragment is illustrated using prominent, simple lines - a nod to the literal. These are rendered using ink-like outlines and bold, loose colour application. It draws inspiration from contemporary ink illustration, balanced against the natural precision of digital tools. Not completely organic, yet not completely digital.

## Keys:

Number keys 1-4 - Debug views
Number key 5 - Re-render from seed
s - Download rendered image

Renders Game

Nine factions populate the virtual space. While Utopians develop the main net, the others work on their nodes building an economy system over the secondary chains.
Each station is focusing on one activity but there’s some dangers out there: Scammers and Hackers trying to survive doing obscure things.
There are also some drafts and blueprints of stations waiting for a faction to buy and build them. Who knows what its final purpose will be.

This project plays with procedural architectonic structures. I’m using a sci-fi style to present a virtual world populated by space station-like structures.

Use Mouse to Control the Camera.
Click: Stop Rotation.
Double Click: Reset Auto Rotation.
Press Any Key to Change Background Mode. Space -> Stripped -> Fog -> Transparent

Stations

Staccato practices capturing space with elemental geometry. Positive and negative ground dissolve as the eye reads the rows and columns as if distinguishing sheet music. Rhythm emerges from the space between the shapes that tie them together.

The emergent forms of Staccato result from the perception of the collection of shapes as a whole.  High contrast monochrome rendering maximize this psychological effect as the eye groups similar shapes and patterns into subdivisions. 

The process of Staccato stems from letterpress printmaking experiments with decorative typographic material. The process involves filling the letterpress with decorative borders and shapes, inking by hand, pulling a print, inspecting the result, making a small adjustment and repeating.

Staccato

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 #413

Darien Brito

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