Code Abstractions

Genesis

by Chan Hong Ting

Description

Inspired by the concept of an emergent system, in which behaviours and properties emerge as a result of small elements interacting in a wider whole, this work is a reflection of the organic interactions in nature, and encourages the careful scrutiny of the small elements that come to life, grow and fade in sizes and colours when the mouse is clicked or released.

This project is a response to a text titled A City is Not A Tree by Christopher Alexander.

Follow this link to a fullscreen version of this project.

Bio

Chan Hong Ting (b.1998, Singapore) is a visual artist who previously majored in printmaking in her Diploma years. Deviating from the traditional mediums of printmaking, Chan employs drawing and crafting as new ways of translating and manipulating visuals and experiences. Revolving around ideas of traces and transformations, her practice stems from her attentiveness to objects, materials, and spaces found in her domestic and natural environment. Through her attempts of deconstruction and reconstruction of “parts” and “wholes”, she explores notions of the presence, absence, and the less noticed. She is currently fascinated with paper, specifically paper pulp, as a shapeshifting and organic material in the re-creation of new forms and perspectives, in reflection of her surrounding environment.

Thoughts

I wanted to keep to a simple concept with the mere manipulation of shapes, colours, and the incorporation of interactivity, because I figured that I would not be able to handle the complexity of other elements like camera, sound, and textures, given that I am a total newbie to code and tech-art. For me, I like to break down and view things in parts so the process of learning also involved me taking small steps to achieve small goals. I started off with writing codes of shapes and trying to apply and experiment with the “for loops” I have learnt in class. I moved on to manipulate the colours and experiment with different ways of incorporating interactivity through the use of the mouse. I also learnt a lot from watching Daniel Shiffman’s videos, and I picked up and incorporated the writing of classes and flocking behaviours in my sketches.

There were a few sketches that I wanted to select for the main work but I chose this as my final piece because I liked how the visual lies completely in the hands of the viewers and they are left to experiment with the dragging and holding of the mouse. The pressing of the ‘Enter’ key while the sketch is still developing does not clear the background fully, and this adds to the unpredictability and uniqueness of each sketch.

Achievements

I had mixed feelings for this elective initially because I did not have any prior knowledge or experience with code or tech-art. I also had my fair share of frustrating moments when I was learning new and big concepts of codes on my own. However, just like any other medium or field, it takes practice to get better at it and there is no shame in looking at the examples of others to learn better. I am glad I took up this elective because I got to challenge myself in manipulating numbers and instructions to create a visual digitally, something that I never thought I could do. At the very least, I have mastered the basics which I can build on in the future.

p5js Sketches

Code Abstractions

2020