Blob Swirls

Dr. Bill Kolomyjec6/68

Blob Swirls combination is a first step in a new direction. It is the first (therefore, inaugural) Generative Art Motion Graphic produced by Dr. Bill Kolomyjec in collaboration with Christopher Scussel.

Blob Swirls begin as my challenge to Chris to write an algorithm that produces fluid motion graphical objects similar to the blobs in a lava lamp that we could animate. After many undesirable iterations and after a few months of effort we had a working candidate. Then it was my task to do something with it.

A set of 5 blobs are distributed equally around a circle and set off to follow that circular path as the radii that positions them moves in and out constrained by a sinusoidal function. When they reach an arbitrary limit, they reverse course returning to their initial starting positions and so on. The limit could be forever, but it is of sufficient length. It is an aesthetic decision make them flow back and forth.

The more challenging part was the fluidity of the blobs. Chris came up with the cleaver scheme of moving the closed, seemingly elastic blob shapes over a randomly defined mathematical terrain. The blobs stay closed and appear to flow around the surface below.

A new set of blobs are generated every time the browser is refreshed. The other built-in interactions are based on keypresses:

up arrow - increase speed
down arrow - decrease speed
left arrow - stop/pause
right arrow - start/play

A - asymmetrical mode
S - symmetrical mode <<<default

any other key - reverse direction

Two modes: asymmetrical and symmetrical modes are evoked by pressing the A and S key respectively. The viewer can switch between them on the fly. One set of flowing blobs is fantastic, and a mirror image duplicate set of blobs interacting with their twins is incredible. Be prepared for visual serendipity.

We hope you enjoy our first attempt at producing a Generative Art Motion Graphic.

Please visit www.drbillkolomyjec.com