Topographic Landscapes

The series TOPOGRAPHIC LANDSCAPES is a formal exploration of procedural noise, interpolation type adjustments, recolorization and chance elements, within a graphic design context.

The work was inspired in part by old maps, and how linear elements were used to illustrate and describe three dimensional form. In this case - the three dimensional form being the procedural noise that is generated through TouchDesigner. Within this technical setup is a theoretical infinite number of outputs available to be generated almost instantly for the artist to consider.

I found it particularly interesting to intentionally throw as many variables or chance elements in to the process - random seeds, adjusting harmonic levels and remapping input color values arbitrarily until an interesting result was stumbled across. Although the results were generated by math equations and were largely able to be reproduced - I liked the idea of mapping and capturing something random and seemingly ephemeral, much like a cartographer might when first arriving at an unfamiliar landscape.

Combining these geometric forms with intentionally clashing and grating color combinations was an additional nod to a lot of psychedelic art from the 1960s and 1970s - particularly works such as visual art that accompanied the music of

GRATEFUL DEAD as well as the “Jupiter and Beyond the Infinite” sequence from Stanley Kubrick’s 2001: A SPACE ODYSSEY.