In Walk, the automata take center stage. They have predetermined tendencies, but they are otherwise free. For example, they generate large comopositional shapes themselves. The automata often change location, color, size, and sometimes even the rule by which they move, some of which are complex and dynamic.
Mostly, the automata choose their colors from the Upstate New York Erie Canal, where the creator often walked. For example, we see a cobalt canal lock, arctic blue piping under a thruway exit bridge, and a navy circle around “Empire State Trail.” We see a salmon Guelder-rose berry, a fiery red fall Smooth Sumac leaf, and a golden ochre Willow branch. Colors are drawn also, sometimes, from a painted rock garden outside of a hospital.
I am interested in visualizing how different automata interact. I am as inspired by reading fiction - for example, Chekhov’s plays - as I am by data structures. Many have noted that complex behavior can emerge from automata following simple rules, and I aim to understand how these rules, under additional constraints, translate to a visual experience. I take a statistical perspective, because it allows for complex behavior.
Direct feedback, over the years: J. Oh, A. Blocks, A. Park, M. Pinney.
Inspirations of the work, often from afar: S. Wolfram, N. Todisco, Krankarta, J. R. García, H. Lippman, Spaghetticoder, S. Eliot, a mindfulness group, M. Nystrom, my Mother's work, K. Vaden, T. Sauer, Pheonix, J. Leonard, M. Waltz, S. Freeke, C. Reid, A. Penne, G. Richter, T. Hobbs, P. Cezanne, W. Kandinsky.
I started working with this algorithm in 2014 - I happened upon it when I was trying to write a program that would sketch a photo. Once, by accident, I ran it on a blank image. The output - a visualization of the algorithm itself - was complex and beautiful. Astonished, I named it the “Golden Algorithm,” since its ability to create beauty from nothing seemed like alchemy. I thought it might make me rich. It did not, but it has made me very happy over the years. Since it creates complex images from simple automata, it’s helped me step back and see my story as a part of a bigger picture, granting me empathy and compassion. It’s also helped me realize how small actions can make a big difference. This informs my behavior with respect to the environment, for example. Since the algorithm is fun to extend, it’s kept me busy trying to develop new directions as well. I thought it was appropriate to rename the Golden Algorithm “Walk,” and I hope that Walk will give you the same happiness that it has given me. I have benefited not just from viewing its outputs but also from working with the code itself, which I am sharing on the wonderful website, openprocessing.org.To the walks we all take!