Author: Enock Mecheo

Watching this talk, what came to my mind was how deeply rooted the tension between chaos and order is in both art and human history. I found myself reflecting on how, for centuries, artists were expected to create structure and clarity in response to a world perceived as chaotic. This made sense within a Newtonian worldview, where the universe felt stable, predictable, and governed by clear rules. As the speaker moved through moments of scientific disruption and historical trauma, especially the impact of World War I, I began to see how those events made strict order feel insufficient. It became clear to me that the shift toward chance and randomness in art was not a rejection of meaning, but an attempt to better reflect the uncertainty and complexity of lived experience.

What struck me most was the idea that chance is never truly blind. As I watched the examples of algorithmic and generative work, I kept thinking about how these systems are carefully designed yet allowed to behave unpredictably. This balance between control and surrender felt deeply human to me. I realized that using randomness is not about giving up responsibility as an artist, but about trusting processes to reveal patterns that cannot be forced. In that sense, chaos becomes a collaborator rather than a threat. It allows art to remain alive over time, continuously changing while still holding a coherent identity.

WEK 2 Art Exploration

Concept

Digital Terrain is a generative artwork inspired by the golden age of computer graphics from the 1970s, when plotters and early systems created mesmerizing patterns through mathematical precision. The piece explores repetition with variation

The composition uses a 6×5 grid structure where each cell contains one of five distinct generative patterns: vertical lines that breathe, organic blob contours, flowing topographic lines, mixed pattern cutouts, and drifting wave forms. The aesthetic echoes vintage plotter art with its warm cream lines on deep black, while the subtle animations bring a meditative, living quality to the static grid.

The work question: How can repetition avoid monotony? Each viewing reveals new relationships between adjacent cells, creating an ever-evolving visual conversation.

Code Highlight

I am particularly proud of the organic blob generation using Perlin noise mapped to polar coordinates. This technique creates smooth, natural-looking shapes that feel hand-drawn rather than computer-generated:

function drawOrganicBlob(w, h) {
  let offsetX = random(1000);
  let offsetY = random(1000);
  
  // Map circle to noise space for organic shapes
  beginShape();
  for (let a = 0; a < TWO_PI; a += 0.1) {
    let xoff = map(cos(a), -1, 1, 0, 2);
    let yoff = map(sin(a), -1, 1, 0, 2);
    let r = map(noise(offsetX + xoff, offsetY + yoff), 0, 1, w * 0.15, w * 0.4);
    let x = w/2 + r * cos(a);
    let y = h/2 + r * sin(a);
    curveVertex(x, y);
  }
  endShape(CLOSE);
  
  // Nested contours for depth
  let numContours = floor(random(2, 5));
  for (let c = 0; c < numContours; c++) {
    let shrink = map(c, 0, numContours, 0.9, 0.3);
    // ... creates inner rings
  }
}

By converting circular motion (cos(a), sin(a)) into noise coordinates, we get perfectly smooth blobs that change shape naturally. The nested contours add depth, mimicking topographic maps or growth rings. This marriage of geometric precision and natural randomness captures the essence of generative art.

Live Sketch

Interaction: Click canvas to regenerate | Press 'S' to save artwork

Reflection & Future Directions

This project taught me how loops transform code into art. Instead of drawing one shape, a loop draws hundreds with variations. The challenge was balancing randomness with aesthetic coherence.

The animation addition was particularly enlightening. At first, I had everything static (noLoop()), but adding a time dimension (t += 0.008) brought the piece to life.

Ideas for Future Work:

• Color Evolution: Slowly shift the color palette over time, transitioning from cream to blues to warm oranges, creating day/night cycles
• Audio Reactivity: Use microphone input to make patterns respond to sound. For example, wave amplitude increases with volume, blobs pulse with bass frequencies
• Cell Communication: Let adjacent cells influence each other's patterns, creating waves of change across the grid rather than isolated behaviors
• Export System: Generate high-resolution (4000×3000px) versions for actual printing/framing, exploring the digital-to-physical art transition
• 3D Depth: Add subtle shadows or perspective to create the illusion that some cells are recessed or raised, adding architectural dimension
• Pattern Memory: Track which patterns appear most frequently and gradually reduce them, ensuring ongoing visual freshness even across long gallery displays

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Created with p5.js | February 2026

Concept

For this project, I wanted to create more than just a static self-portrait. My concept was to build a “digital puppet”. A TV show host personality that lives inside the browser.
The goal was to achieve a level of “aliveness” using generative motion (breathing, blinking, head bobbing) and interactivity.

I wanted the character to react to the user’s cursor, shifting from professional composure to excitement depending on how the viewer interacts with the canvas.

I am particularly proud of the interactive expression system. Here is the logic that detects where the mouse is and calculates the “target” emotions, blending them smoothly over time:

 

// === INTERACTIVE EXPRESSIONS BASED ON MOUSE POSITION ===

// Define interaction zones
let mouseInSmileZone = mouseY > height * 0.6 && mouseY < height * 0.85; 

// SMILE: If mouse is in the lower portion, target a big smile
if (mouseInSmileZone) {
  targetSmile = map(mouseY, height * 0.6, height * 0.85, 0.3, 1.0);
  targetEyebrowRaise = 0.3; // Slight eyebrow raise when smiling
} else {
  targetSmile = 0.1; // Return to subtle default smile
  targetEyebrowRaise = 0;
}

// Smooth transitions to make it feel natural
smileAmount = lerp(smileAmount, targetSmile, 0.1);
eyebrowRaise = lerp(eyebrowRaise, targetEyebrowRaise, 0.1);

 

This code allows the smile to grow gradually as the mouse moves lower, and pulls the eyelids into a “happy squint” simultaneously, making the reaction feel genuine rather than robotic.

Reflection and Future Improvements

This process taught me how much detail goes into simulating “life.” A simple sine wave can simulate breathing, and a random timer can simulate blinking, but combining them is what creates the illusion of a living character. One significant challenge was the hand, getting the fingers to look anatomical while being drawn with code.

For future improvements, I would like to add Audio Reactivity. Perhaps connect the mouth movement to the microphone so the character can “lip sync” to my voice.