Fang You
A magic square is known as the arrangement of n x n numbers, such that
any column, row or diagonal adds up to the same number, the magic
number.
The Lo Shu, known and discussed in China since long, can be considered
the first known 3 x 3 magic square. For n equal to four, 880 magic
squares can be constructed, neglecting rotation and reflection.
For the work presented here, it is assumed, order of some sort is a
contributing factor to aesthetic value.
Because of their mathematical properties, magic squares are highly
ordered entities. It is our conjecture as artists, that this order
will show if transformed into a visual representation. Instead of
designing or constructing order for an image, we use the inherent
order of magic squares as an engine for the construction of aesthetic
events, and we focus on the design of the visualization schemes which
generate the images representing aesthetic events. A great number of
such schemes is conceivable.
For the example images on display, each base 10 integer from 1 to
16 of a 4 x 4 magic square is represented as a binary value, such
as 1 → 0000, 2→0001, … , 15→1110, 16→1111. A long line represents
a 1 in the binary string, and two short lines represent a 0
respectively. Based on the output of a program generating magic
squares algorithmically, the integers 1 to 16 are turned into
images keeping width, length, transparency of the lines and the
spacing between lines as variables. Overlaps will occur and they
are aesthetically wanted effects.
Magic squares, often placed in the recreational corner of
mathematics, offer interesting strategies to exploit mathematical
order for algorithmically generated fine-art.
A project, considering magic squares for aesthetic events has been
carried out in 2010 by artists and programmers at the Media
Research Center of Sun Yat Sen University in Guangzhou China.
For the example images on display, each base 10 integer from 1 to
16 of a 4 x 4 magic square is represented as a binary value, such
as 1 → 0000, 2→0001, … , 15→1110, 16→1111. A long line represents
a 1 in the binary string, and two short lines represent a 0
respectively. Based on the output of a program generating magic
squares algorithmically, the integers 1 to 16 are turned into
images keeping width, length, transparency of the lines and the
spacing between lines as variables. Overlaps will occur and they
are aesthetically wanted effects.
Magic squares, often placed in the recreational corner of
mathematics, offer interesting strategies to exploit mathematical
order for algorithmically generated fine-art.
A project, considering magic squares for aesthetic events has been
carried out in 2010 by artists and programmers at the Media
Research Center of Sun Yat Sen University in Guangzhou China.
For the example images on display, each base 10 integer from 1 to
16 of a 4 x 4 magic square is represented as a binary value, such
as 1 → 0000, 2→0001, … , 15→1110, 16→1111. A long line represents
a 1 in the binary string, and two short lines represent a 0
respectively. Based on the output of a program generating magic
squares algorithmically, the integers 1 to 16 are turned into
images keeping width, length, transparency of the lines and the
spacing between lines as variables. Overlaps will occur and they
are aesthetically wanted effects.
Magic squares, often placed in the recreational corner of
mathematics, offer interesting strategies to exploit mathematical
order for algorithmically generated fine-art.
A project, considering magic squares for aesthetic events has been
carried out in 2010 by artists and programmers at the Media
Research Center of Sun Yat Sen University in Guangzhou China.