Pink Noise (2024)

Generative art has continuously explored the relationship between algorithmically-driven processes and creative expression. Pink Noise positions itself within this legacy, while focusing on user interaction and experience, and the dynamic between accessibility and creativity. Designed as a 'doodling' platform, Pink Noise invites users to co-create with the program. Here, technology serves as an ally for the user, transforming the making process into a collaborative practice between programmer and participant.

I wanted to enable users to keep a memory of the experience, a tangible outcome in the form of a co-created piece of art - images can be saved and downloaded in a high resolution which allows to print up to A3 format.

Participants are invited to play with three dynamic brushes, each implemented using Perlin noise algorithms and displaying a range of pink hues, from red to blue.

The program allows users to generate real-time abstrac visuals, where the emergence of textures and patterns evokes the complexity of natural phenomena.

Randomness significantly influences the behaviour and appearance of the agents, contributing to the unique outcome each time a user interacts with the canvas. This introduces variability in the shapes, lines and textures created by the brushes, ensuring that no two creations are exactly alike. The combination of randomness with user interaction is a key aspect for creating dynamic and unique visual experience every time the program is used.

While “pink” is indented here a as medium for connection and expression, open to diverse interpretations and emotional responses, the meaning of “noise”, simultaneously, extends beyond Perlin noise algorithms to represent the ever-changing, fluid and uncertain nature of our relationship with past, present and future.

Historically, the colour pink has traversed a diverse array of meanings and interpretations. – transitioning from an association with masculinity in past centuries to becoming a symbol of femininity and softness. It has been embraced by LGBTQ+ movements, notably with the transformation of the pink triangle from a symbol of persecution to one of pride. More recently, the narrative of pink takes on new dimensions adding layers of complexity to its symbolism, with phenomena like ‘pink washing’, or the wider use of pink for breast cancer campaigns and other trends like ‘millennial pink’.

I conceived this project as an intimate yet inclusive space, personal and open to others. Pink serves as a medium for abstract engagement in the present moment, giving users the freedom to explore their unique connections with the colour.

Instead of using specific imagery, or direct historical references, the program encourages interaction through the lens of noise and abstraction, allowing for a pure, personal and imaginative interpretation of pink.

My intention is to offer an evironment for relaxation, enjoyment, and contemplation. While I hope for the program to foster these states of mind, it is ultimately the individual’s interaction with it that shapes their personal experience and creative journey.