2024 Bridges Conference Short Film Festival
Benjamin Trube
Filmmakers
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.
Films
This film combines my explorations of the Abelian Sandpile model with music. I've always believed that learning music is essential to being a better programmer and mathematician. In this piece, music controls the placement and quantity of sand grains, and MIDI files are used to time these drops to music being played. This makes for striking final images, as well as dynamic videos where you can see the different rhythms in the growth of the sandpile. Above all, the piece is intended to inspire curiosity and exploration of art, music, and math.