{ Matrix }

v1.1 by: Michael Takeo Magruder, 2004(v1.0) - 2008(v1.1)

A series of virtual sculptures constructed from and still embodying minute samples of encoded data.

About the Artwork:

{ Matrix } is a series of six data-sculptures that have been constructed exclusively from single news articles parsed from the BBC International web-site on 08/01/2004. From each article, one thousand bits of text, image and audio information were sampled and utilised as the sole material to generate a virtual form.

For the creation of each sculpture, the text string has been converted to a binary sequence and related to a 10x10x10 matrix of cubes in which all 0s remain cubes and 1s become null space. This lattice forms the basic skeletal structure for the sculpture on which the image sample is applied to as a semi-transparent repeating surface texture. The audio sequence has been converted into a looping stereo stream spatially linked to the cubic matrix, thus creating a dynamic soundscape that evolves according to the user's passage through and deviation from the centre point of the composition.

Although the sculptural forms are abstract in an informational sense to human perception, the artwork exhibits a perfect archival state, for the data from which they are comprised can be extracted in totality though reverse engineering of the aesthetic framework. This inherent characteristic of losslessness elevates the work into a dual-format existence as each individual form is both an aesthetic entity and an information receptacle.

Artwork Documentation:

With Thanks to:

Drew Baker [ consultation ] . Hugh Denard [ discourse ]

Supported by:

{ Matrix } v1.0 was created in 2004 with generous support from King's Visualisation Lab, Centre for Computing in the Humanities, King's College London.

Artwork Requirements:

[ gallery ] High-specification Windows 7/8/10 computer system capable of real-time high definition 3D rendering (VRML); multi/single-channel high definition video system; 5.1/2.1 audio system; and HCI device for user interaction.

[ online ] Windows 7/8/10 computer system with Firefox or Internet Explorer; the Cortona3D Viewer plugin; and stereo audio. A high-specification CPU/GPU, colour display with ≥1024x768 resolution and high-speed Internet connection are recommended.

[ VIEW THE ARTWORK (Windows - Firefox/Internet Explorer) 1MB ]

* The Cortona3D Viewer is not available for OS X and Linux. On these systems FreeWRL can be used to render most aspects of the work.
* In April 2015 Google deprecated support for NPAPI plug-ins (including Cortona3D Viewer). As such, VRML works can no longer be viewed using Chrome.

© TAKEO 2004-2008