Concept:
For this assignment, I was influenced by the glitch-aesthetic of Ryoichi Kurokawa and the organic precision of Robert Hodgin. The project tells a visual story of a digital organism struggling to maintain its structural integrity, moving through a scripted cycle of Crystalline Order, Kinetic Chaos, and Digital Decay. I was able to do this by layering standard flocking rules with a custom “Glitch” variable.
There are three modes you can switch through by pressing the spacebar, which I called Order (Cohesion high), Chaos (Wander & Flee high), and Decay (Fading trails).
Code Highlight:
I am particularly proud of the State-Dependent Steering Logic within the flock() method. This snippet acts as the nervous system of the simulation, allowing the agents to instantly reconfigure their behavior based on the current global state. By using vectors and dynamically shifting the weights of Cohesion, Wander, and Separation, I can transition the entire system.
if (state === 0) { // ORDER: High Cohesion to center
let center = createVector(width/2, height/2);
coh = this.seek(center).mult(2.5); // Force into a rigid cluster
this.maxSpeed = 1.8;
} else if (state === 1) { // CHAOS: High Velocity & Randomness
glitch = p5.Vector.random2D().mult(6.0); // Introduce erratic energy
this.maxSpeed = 7;
this.maxForce = 0.6;
} else { // DECAY: High Separation & Drifting
sep.mult(5.0); // Force agents apart
this.maxSpeed = 0.8;
}
Milestone 1:
This milestone focused on the mathematical accuracy of the core steering behaviors. At this stage, there was no tension and release or interactivity. The agents simply moved in a continuous, unchanging loop. The visual was kept basic to ensure the Separation, Alignment, and Cohesion logic was solid.
Milestone 2:
In this milestone, I shifted from representational triangles to the Kurokawa-inspired line aesthetic. I introduced the “Nearest Neighbor” logic, where agents “reach out” to one another to create a web-like structure. I also added low-alpha background clearing to create the smoky history trails seen in Robert Hodgin’s work.
Final Sketch:
Reflection and ideas for future work or improvements:
This project taught me that compelling generative art often emerges from the disruption of rules. This shift, combined with a low-alpha background, transformed a simple steering simulation into a smoky, ethereal system that bridges the gap between predictable math and the emotional tension seen in the works of Kurokawa and Hodgin. Moving forward, I plan to integrate p5.sound to map the “Chaos” phase to granular synthesis and implement Obstacle Avoidance using invisible voids to force agents into even more intricate woven patterns possibly within a 3D WebGL environment.