by Residual Labs
Coded entirely in R, an open-source software environment for statistical computing and graphics, Cryptid Art explores the feasibility of using stochastic processes to assemble patterns that resemble life, or something like it.
Each piece is created from a stochastically generated sequence of Gaussian random walks reflected across a temporal axis to produce symmetry, complexity, and perceptual identity.
Cryptid Art is organized into 4 broad classes – loose taxonomies shaped by density, drift, and random variation. Within each class, the system is capable of generating infinitely many unique cryptids, each one an unpredictable expression of the underlying statistical design.
Sometimes bat. Sometimes crab. Sometimes both. Always Bat-Crab.
Mothman-adjacent entity.
Aerial biologic. Possible organic-machine hybrid.
Eldritch manifestation.
Residual Labs is an independent artist-owned creative technology studio based in Chicago. All works are made with math and built with R. □
Residual Labs is an independent artist-owned creative technology studio based in Chicago. All works are made with math and built with R. □
Kristopher Huffman is a Chicago-based artist who holds a BS in Mathematics and an MS in Statistics from Northern Illinois University. The founder of Residual Labs, his work employs mathematics, statistics, and data science as mediums for creating innovative art and design.
He works in R, an open-source software environment for statistical computing and graphics. His process is deliberately low-level. With minimal reliance on external libraries, his hand-coded systems create an aesthetic shaped by code, not convention.
His work explores how mathematical and statistical processes can be used – not just to model the world, but to create entirely new forms within it.
Cryptid Art is his genesis collection.
