#17 (emergent_hex_waves)

In “36 Points,” the keyboard is an instrument for traversing curated locales within the phase space of a home-grown bio-sim. A multitude of particle-agents inhabit this playable terrarium. Their emergent behavior feeds-back and folds onto itself to create a rich and evolving primordium, teeming with material potentiality. The system yearns for the next keystroke, a symphony vibrating within a virtual membrane.

Each edition provides the collector with a unique system state that is loaded at instantiation. To access any of the other points, the user may press keys 0-9 or a-z, and the system will interpolate into its new state. However, the point will drift back to its original configuration over time.

“36 Points” culminates three years of research into Sage’s first web-based instrument. The embedding of the system within the web is intentional, as browsers offer cross compatibility and built-in interactivity. This also allows for the pieces to be collectable, yet open. It is interesting to note that the total file size of the work is 32kB.