Don't fight it. Just respect it. Made by Dmitri Cherniak with Javascript and GLSL.

The Eternal Pump

DIVERGENCE
Divergence, a never-ending abstract motion work, reacts to audio and touch inputs.  Dive into stacks of deterministic layers to explore emerging patterns, and fine-tune the audio reactivity to your preferences.  

You may wish to use the controls to wander within Divergence until the aesthetic feels right to you, or complements your audio input.  Navigating the art in this way gives a tangible window into my artistic process.  My aesthetic is influenced by the music I listen to as I code. I enjoy experimenting and looking for the art in the algorithm.  This can mean playing with overarching ideas, but also making many small changes until I find consistent visual appeal over a range of outputs.  

Divergence exhibits animations changing over time in expanding, textural layers.  It elaborates on concepts I’ve developed in previous works: my approach to color in phase; linear motion in Parade; interlacing lines and expansion/contraction in Kaleidoscope; and the noise textures of Sift.  Newly explored is continuous animation with touch and audio inputs, which affect the viewing position in time and space.  

A common quip in the Art Blocks community is that motion art has a penalty. Many enjoy a final product that is printable to frame at home.  As technology advances, I believe it is equally important to create work that can only exist on a screen, and is unique to digital art. Larger displays are catching up to the artistic space and becoming more accessible, but I also want my work to be approachable immediately.  Keeping the code lean and performant allows it to run well on a range of screen sizes and processor powers, from mobile devices to multi-story displays.  There has been discussion that a body of motion work takes a long time to sift through, as it needs to be viewed live.  In consideration of this, I made Divergence immersive, rather than a static experience. I want the extra time spent with it to be fun and entertaining.  

Usage: Navigate left/right to traverse the timeline; navigate up/down to travel through the layers and expand/contract the patterns.  Please see “Display Notes” for further instructions (user input, audio reactivity, url parameters).  Accessibility is important to me, so Divergence accepts inputs from touch, keyboard, mouse, and gaming controllers with an analog stick.  

*Photosensitive seizure warning: These artworks contain flashing colors and moving patterns.

Divergence

A series of “freehand” mixed media drawings — made by an algorithm. In each drawing, three basic elements (horizontal lines, diagonal lines, and arcs) are extruded and rendered in three possible stroke types (pen, flat brush, and round brush). Simple variations produce a wide range of compositions — transforming the image from a flat graphic into a composition that evokes a series of spaces, a collection of objects, or anything in between.

Freehand

While rotating and morphing, an undercover shape blends in with criss-crossing layers of color blocks.

WARNING: Contains flashing imagery.

Interactive Controls: 
Use the arrow keys (or WASD) to move the undercover shape around the screen
Press F to toggle on/off the flashing color blocks
Press R to toggle on/off the rotation of the shape
Press M to toggle on/off the morphing of the shape
Press C to center the shape on the canvas
Press B to return the shape to its beginning location
Press spacebar to toggle on/off all animations

Undercover

I find the patterns which emerge from the herding of sheep and the murmuration of starlings an apt metaphor for our own journeys of searching for truth, beauty and love while we're here. These pieces are best viewed live to witness how the path of these digital creatures' lives paint their tiny planet. ***
I behold the sleeping planet ​| Plucked from the sky | Rolled around in my hands. | “My Word formed it.” | Time worn, | Life stained, | Soil rinsed and washed. | “Our story in repose.” | Love lost, | Wanderlust, | Loud surrender. | “It must have been painful.” | Placed in my collection, | Delicate and beautiful, | When viewed from this distance. | Selah. | I return my gaze to the heavens. *** 
25% of sales above resting price will be used to fund The Playability Initiative whose mission is to design free, fun video games and creative digital tools to kids with disabilities.

Art Blocks Presents

The Eternal Pump #48

Dmitri Cherniak

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