2013 Joint Mathematics Meetings
Gary Greenfield
Artists
Gary Greenfield
Professor Emeritas of Mathematics & Computer Science
University of Richmond
Richmond, Virginia, USA
Statement
Many of my computer generated algorithmic art works are based on visualizations of simulations based on mathematical models of natural processes. Examples include cell morphogenesis, swarm behavior, and diffusion limited aggregation. By controlling various drawing attributes, I try to focus the viewer's attention on the complexity underlying such processes.
Artworks
Quejido Design III
10.5" x 10.5" (unframed)
Digital Print
2012
Between 1968-1972 Spanish artist Manuelo Quejido collaborated with computer programmers at the University of Madrid in order to execute a series of state-of-the-art computer generated “sequence” designs consisting of patterns of disks. As an homage, Quejido Design III realizes one of these patterns using state-of-the-art agent based methods. Here, agents are virtual ants modeled after the species T. albipennis that collect dispersed grains of sand in order to form circular nest walls. By using two different colors for sand grains and by assigning to each virtual ant a center, radius, and color, a uniform density grid of sand grains self-organizes into a pattern which, up close, has no color symmetry, but from a distance is perceived of as being color preserving under various symmetry operations.