2023 Bridges Conference Art Exhibition
Benjamin Trube
Artists
Benjamin Trube
Fractal Artist, Software Architect, Writer
Marion, Ohio, USA
Statement
I’m a software engineer and fractal artist working with self-developed programs. I enjoy fractals for their variety and their complexity that arises from simplicity. My process is both playful and iterative; I will often generate dozens of images before settling on a favorite. For the past few years, my focus has been on variations of the Abelian Sandpile Model, poking and prodding its simple rules to produce something unique and beautiful.
Artworks
Virginia Star Abelian Sandpile Quilt
51.75 x 51.75 cm
Generative Artwork
2023
This piece was made using methods from my Bridges 2022 paper “Abelian Sandpile Quilting Blocks.” A Virginia Star block serves as the sink for the sandpile, with the 72 constituent diamonds providing the seed. One-third of the initial pile is seeded with 4 grains of sand, which topple into the rest of the pile: 44% seeded with 2 grains, 22% seeded with 1 grain.
Three variations were made using four colors from a 10-color palette (with black as a common color for cells with 0 grains). Colors were chosen to highlight internal features, with different colors for the central square. Cells outside the block pattern were colored white as a backing color. The three block variants were then arranged as they would be in a traditional quilt.