Geo Nature - Touchdesigner
¨The behavior of the universe from the observer’s point of view¨
Contemplating nature is one of the most rewarding forms of meditation. The rest of the time we are distracted by work… today’s artists are probably —or at least I am— musicians, producers, composers of visuals, people recording, doing audiovisual post-production, mixing, managing their own concerts and tours, studying basic programming, working as cultural activists, and so on. It is likely that many people will identify with this while reading: I imagine a crowd reading this at this very moment.
I asked myself several questions before deciding what I wanted to share in these publications. The challenge is to communicate with artists from different latitudes who have experiences and concerns similar to mine regarding their work and the integration of the arts into their lives. It is a good moment to mention that, according to what I have learned, nothing is separate. We are a whole that transforms and connects beyond distance and individual understanding. On a less transcendental note, when reviewing my own website, I realized that it is a complete mess… even so, I enjoy the beneficial butterfly effect. And forgive me for being redundant, but everything is connected.
All the small sketches found here become clearer in concerts, performances, exhibitions, installations, and so on. It is difficult to record and share absolutely everything online, even more so when the work is self-managed. It really requires extra work. If what brought you here is music and visual composition, this is where we can truly begin to talk, exchange ideas, and learn from one another.
As an initial set of resources, I will share ideas that help a great deal when creating a sound and visual landscape, where the musician and the visual scene coexist organically —or at least that is the attempt—. Cameras, depth of field, lighting, and interaction between sound and visuals. The benefit of creating generatively in real time instead of doing things “just because”. They say an image is worth a thousand words, and if it has sound… multiply it by the square. Add a lot of patience and love. It is a good equation to start with.
Working on small details makes a difference
In this case, I chose to spend several hours on the movement of the wings. Both butterflies react to the sound of the string instrument —a hybrid of Latin American strings— and to the bandoneon. The larger butterfly tends to fly with less effort, while the smaller butterfly makes many more movements, something like seeing the difference between a Saint Bernard and a Chihuahua.
Optimize your time, diagram your work
One strategy for optimizing time is to arrive at the idea you want to achieve as soon as possible, although there are always exceptions. In this case, for example, I first worked on each butterfly individually to obtain the desired flight, combining the duration of the incoming sound with its intensity. An average of both can produce a good result. The geometry is built entirely in TouchDesigner, using SOP operators. If you are familiar with 3D design software, drawing in TD can feel a little tedious, but it is not impossible.
The golden spiral has been very significant throughout my life. My approach to meditation and the long late-night conversations with artists and friends at the Archibrazo cultural space in Almagro, Buenos Aires, have always been connected in some way to my artistic processes. The butterfly is made according to these proportions. These are the details that I truly believe make a difference. Connecting geometries and giving each object independence also brings the compositions to life. We are eager to see how this universe looks on one of the Dome’s walls. There is still a lot of work to do. The colors will probably change.
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