Andy Lomas

Statement

Cellular Forms uses a simplified mathematical model of morphogenesis to generate intricate emergent structures. Cell division is controlled by accumulated nutrient levels. When the level in a cell exceeds a given threshold the cell divides, and various parameters control how both the parent and daughter cells re-connect to their immediate neighbours. The simulation process is repeated over thousands of iterations and millions of particles, with typical final structures having over fifty million cells. A number of dynamic internal forces affect the structures, including linear and torsion spring forces between connected cells. Additional forces repel cells that are in close proximity but are not directly connected. Many different complex organic structures are seen to arise from subtle variations of these rules, creating forms with strong reminiscences of plants, corals, internal organs and micro-organisms.

Films

Cellular Forms is part of and ongoing artistically led study into how intricate form can be an emergent property of growth systems, contributing to a body of work called Morphogenetic Creations. Particularly inspired by the work of Ernst Haeckel, D'Arcy Thompson and Alan Turing, the aim is to create forms emergently: exploring generic similarities between many different shapes in nature rather than emulating any particular organism, and revealing universal archetypal forms that can come from growth-like processes rather than top-down externally engineered design. All the software used to run the simulations and render the resulting images was written and designed by the artist, and implemented using C++ and CUDA.