Complexity science and fractal background info

Fractals can be described as the geometry of nature and they represent the shapes of things from spiral galaxies, clouds and smoke to the myriad fractal forms and patterns found in our natural world. Describing the shape of a tree as a cone or a cloud as a balloon would clearly be an incomplete description and it is fractal geometry that accurately describes the roughness, branching and general irregularity that we see all around us.

Fractals are one component of a revolutionary new science called Complexity, which also encompasses such concepts as chaos theory, non-linearity, self-similarity, feedback loops and dependence on initial conditions. The reason that many parts of Well Bred Fractals seem to mirror shapes found in the natural world isn’t surprising because my fractals have evolved through a purely mathematical form of the same iterative processes which in our universe have created everything from galaxies and clouds to trees, shells and the patterns found on many plants and animals. Well Bred Fractals represent a true conjunction of art and science.

I chose this name some time ago because it gives a hint of the processes employed to create the fractal universes, and also suggests the quality, or good breeding, that the resultant fractals possess. The name also implies that the artistic process is similar to animal breeding and the comparison is apt because it is a directed evolutionary approach, where one does many experiments, keeping the successes and discarding the failures, to favour traits that the artist is seeking, involving things like colour, pattern and forms of mathematical interest.

I believe my directed evolutionary approach make my fractals different from other other fractal rendered simulations renderings. I've used an objectively subjective decision criteria and the fact that I have really pushed this directed evolution in some astonishing ways. The goal has been to maintain a high level of complexity in the fractals, while tweaking them mathematically just enough to create something just as complicated but in a slightly different way.

Fractals weren’t recognized for what they are, even though they are in retrospect all around us, because their geometry cannot be solved with a pen and paper, but rather needs a lot of iterative number crunching by a computer. Computers represent the bottom-up component of a two-sided partnership between a computer and the artist’s creative machinations. My computer screen has been transformed into something akin to the viewing area of a glass-bottomed boat, one that can go over and capture images of the interesting features created by the laws of physics of other created by other complex mathematical universes. Computers have truly allowed mathematics to evolve into an experimental science with a visual component and iterated equations can now serve as an artist’s paint brushes or engraving tools.

With the computer’s role as a bottom-up super calculator, the artist’s role is the top-down part of the interplay, contributing executive decision-making components based on artistic sensibilities. Using a selection process based on things like colour, mathematical interest, balance and framing considerations. The top-down side is rule based and uses an objectively subjective approach that leads to a deep consistency in the process, especially since I have been the only decision-maker since the process started.

Human beings are complex fractals, down to our very thoughts and dreams, and our brains are wired to engender within us a deep-seeded emotional and intellectual response to fractal forms, whether rugged mountain landscapes, sun-coloured evening skies, Hubble Telescope pictures, satellite shots of the Earth, or Well Bred Fractals. Our species has always been surrounded by fractals and it is only comparatively recently that we have lived among the straight lines and Euclidean shapes that one finds in the modern world, especially in cities. Humans have a strong innate ability to recognize and appreciate patterns because there is survival value in being able to make as much sense as possible of the world in which we have evolved.

There are natural fractal forms and patterns everywhere in art, from cave paintings right through to the Moderns. It turns out that the fractal perspective is a very inclusive way of approaching art history, as it provides a commonality amongst the great diversity of cultures, and I’m interested in a project to explore this concept in quite some depth. Many creative geniuses throughout history were true fractal artists without ever realizing it, such as Monet and the Impressionists, the Group of Seven, van Gogh, Matisse, Rousseau, O’keeffe and the Japanese printmakers Hokusai and Hiroshige. They were all fractal artists without ever realizing it.

The fractals can be made in immense sizes, more than large enough to be called truly monumental. They could cover the biggest walls of public spaces such as concourses and atria, subway platforms, airport andtrain terminals and even the sides of buildings. The actual logistics of printing them in huge sizes would always be a constraining factor before software considerations. They would always retain the same level of detail regardless of size and the holographic effect of a very large fractal would be quite breathtaking.

Well Bred Fractals are very didactic and perfect for schools as educational aids. They really do have the power to increase a student’s appreciation of science and mathematics because they are so easily accessible and visually very interesting.

My fractals are very suitable for corporate and hotel applications because as well as being very beautiful and breathtakingly intricate, they also create a strong impression while being completely non-contentious because they are purely abstract. Companies in the high tech field, or those who want to be seen as leading edge, would be particularly suited to the use of Well Bred Fractals and I can customize sizes to precisely fit intended display areas.

As first generation digital files, Well Bred Fractals have applications for any manufacturing process that uses digital files to put a pattern on something. These could include: ceramics and pottery, wrapping paper and wallpaper, jigsaw puzzles, book and album covers, calendars, cards and invitations, cloth and clothing products, and they would be terrific when applied to hydro-dipped products.