Author: Aditi Adhikari

Before watching the video, I used to doubt modern art a lot. Many times I would look at paintings or installations and feel they were meaningless or random, like they didn’t really say anything. But after listening to Casey Reas’ Eyeo 2012 talk, I realized that even when art looks random, there can be hidden patterns within it, patterns the artist sets into motion but doesn’t fully control. That changed how I see modern art or arts with randomness not as nonsense, but as something that balances freedom and structure.

One of the moments that stuck with me was when Reas mentioned Jean Arp’s practice of dropping paper shapes and gluing them where they landed. At first, this felt almost like a joke to me like how could that be art? But the more I thought about it, the more I understood the courage it takes to let go of total control. Arp allowed a chance to step in and become part of the artwork, and in doing so he opened up a space for something unexpected to appear.

Moreover, I was surprised at how alive his examples felt. Even though they were created by code, they reminded me of nature like plants growing in unpredictable directions or waves forming on the surface of water. When Reas used the word “homeostasis,” it clicked for me. I paused the video and looked up the meaning to understand it better. I learned that it’s a biological term describing how systems keep balance, like how our bodies regulate temperature or how living things adjust to survive. That connection made the talk feel deeper, because I began to see his generative art almost like a living organism rather than just random code. It showed me that what seems like chaos can actually be a system constantly finding its own balance, just like in nature. Later, when I stepped outside my room, I noticed how randomness and order combine all around us in the way stars scatter across the sky or the way tree branches spread into patterns.

After this talk, I don’t see randomness as meaningless anymore. I see it as another tool, maybe even a partner, that can push art into places the artist alone couldn’t reach. For me, that was the biggest takeaway: the idea that beauty can emerge not just from control, but from the spaces where control ends.

 

My Concept

When I thought of making art, many things came to mind. As a child, if someone asked me to make art, I would draw a flower. As time went on, my commitment to art slowly faded, and I began spending more of my time with friends and family. During my teenage years, I mostly loved hanging out with my friends.

Now, being far away from both my family and friends, I find myself missing them deeply. That feeling is what gave me the idea: I will make a bunch of flowers to represent myself, my social circle, and my family.

While writing the code, I wasn’t sure at first what kind of pattern I wanted for the flowers. I began with a line-like structure, but it didn’t look very good. So I looked for inspiration watching Casey’s video, exploring art documents and the first thing that came to mind was the Fibonacci series, with its spiral winding endlessly around and around. I tried to mimic that. I searched online for how to make it, and eventually created spirals.

 

I chose to make the flowers of the same kind rather than all different because, whenever I am with people, I tend to absorb their energy and reflect it back. It feels as though we are on the same wavelength, sharing a similar rhythm. That is why the flowers look alike. They represent that shared harmony. At the same time, each flower carries different colors within it, symbolizing the unique personalities of the people around me.

That’s how I ended up weaving together my love for math, my love for art, and my love for people. At the center of it all is me, the centerpiece flower. The background shifts too: it turns dark when left alone, showing the loss of color I feel whenever I lose someone in my life, and it turns light when surrounded by many flowers, reflecting the joy of being with people I love.

 

Code I am proud of:

When I was figuring out how to arrange my flowers, my first thought was to place them in a straight line, almost like a little garden bed, or maybe clustered together like a garland. But as I kept searching for better ideas and experimenting, I stumbled upon the Fibonacci spiral. It looked so elegant that I couldn’t resist trying to recreate it. Honestly, that attempt to mimic the spiral became one of my favorite parts of the code.

To bring it to life, I leaned on functions like cosine, sine, theta, and square root things I found online that could help shape the spiral pattern. But there was another challenge I faced: keeping everything centered as the pieces came closer and closer to one another. That’s when I discovered the translate function. It allowed me to shift and position the flowers neatly, and suddenly, the whole design came together in a way that felt intentional and balanced.

My Sketch

Reflection

If I had more time with this artwork, I would love to explore different ways of arranging the flowers and spirals. For example, I can imagine adding some interactive elements where the flowers respond to the user, maybe glowing when hovered over so that the piece feels alive, just like real connections between people. Another thing I would like to try is experimenting with different mathematical patterns beyond the Fibonacci spiral, to see how other sequences or shapes could carry meaning. Also, If I had time I would like to explore more on how I could make the cursor make the flower move smoothly. Currently, it feels a bit weird.

Moreover, what I really learned through this assignment is how much balance there is between creativity and problem-solving. At first, I was only thinking about how the flowers should look, but as I kept coding, I had to figure out how to make them align, how to center them, and how to keep the spiral flowing naturally. I realized that art in this form isn’t just about the final design. It’s about the small challenges along the way, the adjustments, and the discoveries that give the piece life.

Overall, this project showed me how I could bring together my love for math, art, and people into one place. The flowers don’t just make a pattern, they tell a story of connection, loss, and light, and I think that’s what makes this piece meaningful to me.

 

My concept: Continue reading “Week 1: Self Portrait”