2022 Bridges Conference Short Film Festival
Jeffrey Ventrella
Filmmakers
Jeffrey Ventrella
Algorithmic Artist
Petaluma, California, USA
Statement
I'm an algorithmic artist. I make visual and audible creations using software that I write from scratch. I am trained as an artist (BFA, MFA) and I have another graduate degree from the MIT Media Lab. In addition to my art, I have developed extensive real-time simulation software for virtual worlds. I am an avid student of evolutionary theory. I apply concepts from biology and mathematics in my art. Selected works can be viewed at ventrella.com, mathviz.com, and fractalcurves.com/designs.
Films
In this very short video, 20 sine waves are animated by adjusting their amplitudes (vertical scaling). It begins with the lowest frequency (a half-sine wave) and build up by adding more sine waves. Each sine wave is scaled in the vertical dimension with an oscillation whose frequency is correlated with its spatial frequency (horizontal dimension).
The associated tones are (not) based on the harmonic series, as one might expect; rather, the tones are built on fifth intervals that accumulate to form the harmonic structure of the circle of fifths - familiar to musicians.
The emergent waves that travel left and right were unexpected. They have metaphorical impact and invite mathematical curiosity.
This animation was coded in plain vanilla javascript and rendered to the html canvas in real-time. Audio is generated using html5 audio oscillators.