Category: Deliverables-02

bumble_b – Reading02

In the “10,000 Bowls of Oatmeal Problem,” we face a generator that has many mathematically unique outputs, but the outputs are so ever so slightly different (like 10,000 bowls of oatmeal where each oat is uniquely placed and rotated) that they are no longer perceived as unique to the viewer… they are all mundane, monotonous.

Kate Compton says that just achieving perceptual differentiation is important: the viewer should see the differences in your outputs. However, the more difficult achievement is perceptual uniqueness: the viewer should find each of your outputs unique and interesting.

In the oatmeal problem, even if it is possibly clear that each bowl of oatmeal is different, 10,000 bowls of oatmeal won’t all individually feel fascinating and important. We should strive to make our generators produce meaningful work, not a large quantity of work with muddied and unclear differences.

bumble_b – Valentine

Code

I really wanted to create a color palette and make all of my hearts, the text, and the background generate different pinks, reds, and purples each time. This was definitely one of the most ambitious parts of the process because my first few attempts made it clear that repeating colors (especially a heart against the same color background) were really ugly. So, I had to create a code that would dump a color from the array every time it was used (picking out the colors for the array was a blast, by the way). That way, as it generated the fill of each shape, it would only use an unused color from the palette!!! This was super fun, and learning what each little thing meant (like i < # and i++) blew my mind.

I also really wanted to create a static image each time I pressed play rather than have it cycle new random things super quickly, which I needed to learn about and implement global variables to do.

As for the “10,000 Bowls of Oatmeal Problem,” I think I really understand the “boring” part now because though I find my color combinations to be super fun each time, the text is really repetitive and makes each output feel a little less special. If I had more time and wanted to make this a full blown generative project, I would definitely put way more phrases into my array to make each output feel unique and important, because though the colors may have been fun and different every time, the eye goes to the words and the words did not hold my attention long.

 

YoungLee – Valentine

My sketch: https://editor.p5js.org/SayTheYoung/sketches/7IOEFKjC-

3 Examples:


Paper Sketch:
ValentineSketch


Process:
I decided to split the project into three different sections: Heart, Background, and Text.

1. Heart: I used the same code I used for the Basic Shapes assignment and filled it in with a random array of colors.
2. Spots: I also randomized the location and color of the spots. It has a frame rate of 10.
3. Text: I searched for short, sweet quotes online and used them to replace an array of words. This would randomize which quotes appear when you run it. I found the random function text online.

Color: I used this website to color pick from an image I found on Pinterest.


10,000 Bowls of Oatmeal:
I didn’t necessarily solve the 10,000 bowls of oatmeal problem, but I do think the random text function from an array really helped me improve it. It’s the same feeling you get when opening a fortune cookie. Although the user knows that it is somehow randomly generated, a meaningful text somehow feels “meant-to-be” and specialized only towards the one that actually received it. Therefore, meaningful text, even though it is randomly generated, helps in the 10,000 bowls of oatmeal problem.

minniebzrg-LookingOutwardsD02

https://www.instagram.com/p/CJjGL0vjyNo/?utm_source=ig_web_copy_lin

 

Zach Lieberman calls this generative artwork  ‘simple’.  I was drawn to this specific artwork because it related to my instructional drawing with the ABC’s. I think the instructions I gave, could be written in code to produce the same image I created. In addition, it would be interesting to apply this to my interest in graphic design.

YoungLee – Reading 02

The “10,000 bowls of oatmeal” refers to the issue of generating 10,000 completely unique bowls of oatmeal with each oat in a unique position and orientation but having the user perceive it as all the same. Mathematically, the generative artworks (bowls of oatmeal) are all different, but to the user, all those artworks look the same, losing their uniqueness.

The lack of perceptual uniqueness may become a problem if the user or audience expects a more personal approach to a product or artwork. One example the article mentions is the creatures in “No Man’s Sky,” which generates new creatures every time but nothing “too surprising.” An example where the lack of perceptual uniqueness doesn’t become a problem is when the user wants a similar outcome to what they were expecting. In my previous Looking Outwards assignment, for example, the artist used a mathematical concept called the Voronoi Diagram. This algorithm produced artworks that were physically unique every time but still similar to what users were expecting.

A strategy for overcoming this may be to use an algorithm that replicates patterns within our environment. This would ensure that the artwork/product will generate different permutations every time.