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The rootless Tree


I think’ A rootless Tree’ is like computational thinking.


produced by:  Yeoul Son

 

Purpose of the Project

Manovich mentioned numerical representation, modularity, automation, variability, and cultural transcoding as the 5 principles of new media in The Language of New Media. computational arts are also included in new media. In my short thoughts, the computational thing is related to mathematics, infinite repetition, objects and ease of destruction and creation and combination and transformation. I want to make works and study related to this trait on this project. Especially, I’m interested in the Hybridization. As Manovich‘s comment: Once “released,” they start interacting, mutating, and making hybrids, it can be created from variation and combination, and deep remixability. Moreover, those are based on the principles of computational media. So, I will study about making a unit to combine other units or its self and making it easier to combine them on this project. 

The subject of the Project: Tree and Fractals

Fractals show the characteristics of mathematics, infinite repetition, and self-combination. The term of fractal(from the Latin fractus, meaning “broken”) was coined by the mathematician Benoit Mandelbrot in 1975.” he defines a fractal as “a rough or fragmented geometric shape that can be split into parts, each of which is (at least approximately) a reduced-size copy of the whole.” One of the examples for this is a tree that the shape of this branch resembles the tree itself. This is known as self-similarity; as Mandelbrot stated, one branch becomes a unit and is combined with infinite repetition, fractal shapes are common in nature. I thought coding the tree would be useful to understand the characteristics of a computational work.

About the ‘The rootless Tree’

 I went Iceland supermarket to buy some ingredients. There are a lot of stuff, milk, eggs, pack of the fruits and meat. I can not tell which farm this food comes from, fresh of which cows is this meat. Also, many images on the Internet and friends of social media know their simple identity. These are like a rootless tree, a rootless tree has no roots and can go anywhere. I do not know what the reality is about them. I just can not tell exactly where they are. There is substance but no root. It is like a tree floating in the water. It is so gorgeous but seems to be in vain and empty.  I feel that what we have created in digital media and we are like a rootless tree in the era of digital media. But again, it may seem like a floating tree on the water, but it may have no roots to be rotten with water. Because there is no root, I can feel emptiness, and at the same time, we are free and have many possibilities. I think’ A rootless Tree’ is like computational thinking.

References

Shiffman, D. (2012). The nature of code.