POLYPTIC Visualization Animation
As featured in the Telic Gallery installation, January 2006
 

POLYPTIC is a dynamically generated visualization consisting of a 2D matrix of cells that can flipflop between two states as in the 'heads or tails' resulting from the tossing of a coin. Each cell's decision to change from one state to the other is dependent on their binding relationship with their neighbors. Under normal temperature conditions, cells have an energetic preference to be the same value as their neighbors, but with the increase of a variable metaphorically simulating 'temperature increase', the bond breaks down leading to continuous flipflopping activity.

As the temperature variable normalizes, the cells return to their stable state in harmony with their neighbors. The activation of change from states of calm to states of high activity are generated by a sine wave function simulating the continuous flow from low to high temperatures, then back again. When cells change from one state to the other, they transition through a number of in-between visualizations, creating the illusion of a visual morph.
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