Entropy
Entropy was born with the purpose of exploring how disorderly and randomly arranged elements are systematically grouped, interacting with each other. That interaction creates a visual melody with a high aesthetic sense which, abstractly, could be compared to the steps we take in our life’s journey. Those steps which are part of some patterns of collective behaviour and from which it is doubtful we may escape.
produced by: Viviana Caro
Introduction
One of my greatest visual inspirations for the realization of this work was the Harlem Shake lab assignment. The impact that an isolated system has on nearby systems, creating a kind of dance that only makes sense if viewed with sufficient perspective. That fact made me retrieve memories from the psychological theories such as social conformism or Festinger’s cognitive dissonance (1964) which inspired me to create a short story interconnected by each scene.
Originality and psychedelia
During our first years, the sense of originality makes us feel as if we are always in focus. And besotted of our subjective singularity, we are not aware that we are following in the footsteps of those who travelled the same paths before us, and that as we move forward, we are leaving somewhat psychedelic strokes behind us that will serve as a guide for those who will come after us. Still, we are not aware, even for a second, of the responsibility that our actions entail.
Synchronized dance
At once and unexpectedly, this much cherished and so-called individuality becomes a heavy load. It is then, without even noticing it, that when we find ourselves engaged in a synchronised dance which we have reached entirely randomly. We suddenly become involved in a series of situations and events that see us fit perfectly within socially established canons and norms, the same kind of practices we may have been so critical towards in previous phases of our lives. Once we join in on the collective dance, we realise that it was always easier than trying to dance on our own, like erratically straying stars, and thus become moving points, each following specific trajectories giving life to a composite and grandiose spectacle.
Cultural frames
As time has goes on, we find out our movements have been as light as to seem pointless. We are half people. Halved in the sense that we have ultimately chosen to conform in the face of the anxiety engendered by the uncertainty of authenticity. Only towards the end of our cycle, we realize that we have let our dissonances lead us along the preestablished grooves of an infinite frame which we cannot leave for it is too late. At the same time, all those events that occurred completely randomly ended up giving consistency to our life’s narrative. And although it was not what we imagined at first, we see it retrospectively as our life’s journey, still imbued with meaning, and it is only acceptance of this cosmic joke that we can lighten our load and help us overcome the bitterness, for all the mistakes we may have made.
Shape
This figure was chosen thanks to the flexibility and great potential that it had for its size and shape. After exploring different ideas on how to arrange the cube, we opted for the simplest option, i.e. to put the cube on top of another of the same dimensions and paint them to blend in with the projection.
Self-evaluation
Overall, I am quite satisfied with my work. This has been my first experience in the world of programming, and although it has cost me a lot to understand some of the most advanced concepts, I feel that I have come to a good grasping of the basic fundamentals at last. I hope to make further advances in this practice and keep building on this knowledge in time to come.
More specifically, I would have liked a more interactive background for my second scene, perhaps adding more dots since, when it was projected, the resulting effect did not look as striking as I had hoped.
My third scene was the one I liked the most a priori. My initial aim was to have a single figure projected that would outwardly expand at the sides of the cube at a gradual pace. However, I could not calculate the distortion that my figure would suffer when projected. Therefore, I had to position three images of the shape, one for each face of the cube.
In the future, I would like to be able to modify the form in such a way as can suit both the figure and my idea.
References
Cialdini, R.B. and Goldstein, N.J., 2004. Social influence: Compliance and conformity. Annu. Rev. Psychol., 55, pp.591-621
Festinger, L., 1964. Conflict, decision, and dissonance.
https://goodmenproject.com/featured-content/what-is-cognitive-dissonance-psychology-and-how-does-it-impact-your-mood-bh/
Perevalov, D., 2013. Mastering openFrameworks: Creative Coding Demystified. Packt Publishing Ltd.