These are made up 3D trees which not based on any actual tree. Since it is made up, it becomes a pure expression of internal state – what aspect of psyche does a tree structure reveal? This is something I am investigating with this project. Each tree structure has its own logic. Eventually I will have a little forest of trees. Once the structure is finished, processes can then be applied to it to analyze its structure. This is one of the aims of this my practice in general: to create artwork that can be deconstructed to find out what it reveals about psyche. In the case of the trees below, they are documents of my psyche but I am working on a companion web app that will allow visitors to generate their own trees based on simple actions so that they too can get a ‘reading’, ie. applied processes of analysis.
The trees below are like studies in tree structures and will inform later work as well as serving as artwork for this project.
The first animation is a playback of the creation of the tree – the order the segments were drawn in (by me). This is something I do with much of my work; the 2D trees, cubes, Ukraine, and notes are some good examples. This serves as a rudimentary form of analysis.
As a more mature, secondary form of analysis, the next step with this piece will be to play the tree like an instrument using non-linear dynamics. Each of the segments will be illuminated by different colours (such as the green segments you see in the animations below as the trees are forming) that will change dynamically as a continuous animation. The activation of this system will be through an action – pressing a key on the keyboard for example – and pressing keys while the system is in action may affect it too. This will be a non-linear system such as what you will find in the EHB project. I will also be sonifying this animation so that each tree will have its own ‘signature’ tune. This is a process that can be applied to any series of connected lines including 2D triangle meshes, and 3D rendered objects, to obtain ‘readings’ – another form of analysis.
I am going to be experimenting with different types of non-linear systems too. This is part of a broader project where I am experimenting with different kinds of networks and the different kinds of systems that may function through them. These structures/animations/interactive applications serve as models of understanding of psyche. As I have mentioned in other places, there is still plenty of work to do, particularly in regards to learning the psychology and the mathematics. I have however, developed a solid platform within which to conduct these experiments and present this work and I have made some early progress in exploring some of the systems that I mention, again see EHB for a good example.