Last night I was engaging in some productive procrastination, when I came across a particular work by Scott Blake [aka barcodeart man] known as theFree Chuck Close Art project. A painting is broken into a grid, extracting each of the many unique marks that make up the rasterization of of a portrait. They are then used to ChuckClose’ify any image provided by the user.
At the bottom of the page there is an animation of Muybridge’s The Horse in Motion run through this Free Chuck Close process:
Upon seeing it, I was immediately reminded of some earlier research I had done on the JPEG image header [using the very same raw material], where I had discovered a similar mark [or so I consider], which I dubbed the Chuck Close Aesthetic.
_AND THEN….
… I was inspired to work on a new tool, which could/should/shall repeat such an effect on any given image. I’ve drawing out a basic model of how it could work, and may begin work on it after bringing text2image to version 2.0. Until then, I’ll work on uploading some of the better examples of this research and share the results.
I have begun testing alternative algorithms for text2image. Here I’ve built a small tool that allows me to enter one textual input, while building 8 different images. From this display, alg_01 represents the current model in use, while alg_02, alg_03, alg_08 appear to be the most promising for new possibilities.
_MENTAL NOTES
I’ve got some decisions to make re: whether or not to publish working interactive versions of every new aesthetic I develop. By wanting to keep the latest output to myself, I’ve discovered an acquisitive personality that was previously unknown. Between personal intent and technical details, many questions remain…
+ what is more important, the image or the tool?
+ should there be exclusive content available only for showing in [the non-existent] exhibitions?
+ how do you maintain simplicity, while offering the user 3x the variety?
text2image is an online tool which allows the user to transform text into a visualization of that very content. The results are consistent to the input but extremely dynamic when altered. This project stems from a current MFA thesis, inspired by the writings of Lev Manovich on the ‘code to surface relationship‘ within a digital image. At a certain point of investigation I had learned how to entirely abstract the digital photographic image with text. text2image is the democratizing of that tool.
_BRIEF HISTORY
After a year of digital image research I had discovered how to entirely abstract the digital photographic image with text. While I meticulously examined possibilities that came to mind, I knew that the ultimate use of this discovery would only be accomplished by opening it up to the public for an exponential exploration. Forced to wait overnight in the Zurich airport on a flight home [Dec '08] proved to be well worth the inconvenience. Borrowing electrical power from an unmanned info station, I managed to implement recently acquired PHP knowledge to develop an automated and now globally interactive model of my discovery. The following weeks were filled with learning how an online database functioned and refining as simplified an interface as possible for text2image.
_FROM HERE
I have been playing with the algorithm that generates these images and will work on releasing additional versions of text2image [which is desperately in need of a new, original, name]. Here on FFD8.org - I hope to create a platform to share a dose of the daily visual stimuli that I discover each and every day while working on this thesis [link to category once posted].
