Pulse

September 2021 - Current

Pulse is all about hexagons—or at least a grid with every second column offset on the y-axis and the x-spacing modified to accomodate that—the distance from the centre, and the angle from a bearing at 0 radians, which in Processing is a horizontal line to the right. The arc tangent function helps here, and allows me to produce images with a sweeping hue value that rotates around the centre.

Large dots, or hexagons, produce bold, op-art like effects; smaller dots produce fuzzy, periodic interference. The whole thing is based on a time-related function, and subtle alterations of this parameter produces varying animation speeds, from a kind of frantic, 90s rave to a soothing, gentle pulse.

Interestingly, aspects of the algorithm appeared in Teratia, which turned out to be a kind of Pulse/Xisal hybrid.