The Last Days of Fire and Steel

The Experience

Whilst few people would complain about a fifteen-second wait to see an artwork, I nevertheless feel there's a lot to be said for building up a render over time. Changes in The Last Days of Fire and Steel are subtle and gradual, therefore, and movement within the piece takes place over the three hundred and sixty frames taken to produce it.

Planes leave contrails in the sky; comets—or are they missiles, satellites returning to earth, the detritus of a technology-obsessed future?—plummet toward the centre of the piece; girder-like gantries fade in from the mists, and sometimes flicker with tiny points of light—a million lights that no-one will ever see.

Even when the render if complete, post-processing effects are overlaid for a further two-thousand and forty-eight frames, these subtle animations fading away as time passes to reveal the complete, static piece. Exports taken once the render is complete are free of any adulteration: the visual effects take place solely in the browser.

How It Works

The Last Days of Fire and Steel is rendered over time. Five noise fields are selected, their density and influence on the final piece chosen from carefully-curated ranges. Structures, lighting, sky events and foreground structures are also generated using random values.

Sky

The main render—the overwhelming majority of the pointillist dots—can be weighted in numerous directions, lighting the sky to the left, right or perhaps centrally. Clouds are formed from the other four noise fields, which are rendered in smaller, tighter groups.

Water

The bottom half of the picture is dedicated to a body of water, usually in the same main colour as the sky. Dot-size and density are altered towards the bottom of the piece, providing a slight feel of perspective. Additionally, dimming effects are overlaid near to the centre of the piece to subtly enhance the feeling of depth.

Structures

The buildings—which include cuboids, spires, girders and domes—are shifted slightly over time to allow their edges to blur. Sometimes they are rotated slightly, sometimes the girders will feature small, pinpoint lights that activate towards the end of the render. Very rarely the landscape will be flat and featureless: all buildings gone. There's also a rare chance of a blurred foreground overlay of twisted girders, crooked fence posts or metal posts.

Sky Events

Comets, missiles, or falling satellites: whatever they are, they descend over the render, shifting slightly under the influence of gravity. Dark streaks may also traverse the sky: a seeking craft, perhaps, or something more sinister. They advance towards a central point. There is a rare chance of a meteor burst or what must be some kind of scramble: up to eight aircraft speeding to a common destination.

Stars, explosions, supernovae or distant moons illuminate the sky, sometimes as an inverted, dense point of light, other times as a halo of frosty moonglow. A rare chance of a full-spectrum rainbow star is there.

Sound

In a first for a Mandy Brigwell artwork, I've included a soundtrack for this piece. A moody, ambient layering of analogue synth and percussion can be activated by the viewer, enhancing the experience of the artwork. A double-click to go full screen, and The Last Days of Fire and Steel is ready for use as a projection or wall display.

Post-Render Effects

The render is complete after three hundred and sixty frames, but some render effects continue for a further two thousand or so frames, gently fading away to nothing. This prevents a sudden completion of the work, and is included with display in mind.

Inspiration

Whilst I'm happy for the observer to see bright moonlight and reflected images in still, calming waters, for me there's something slightly-sinister about The Last Days of Fire and Steel. I've always loved moonlight on water, and felt a terrible thrill of fear and awe at the sight of industrial landscapes; girders and lights reaching over the horizon, shadowed by their own illumination. There's a curious mixture of fascination, the vague fear that anything could be going on inside those shadowed domes, and the curiosity as to what it would be like as a Deus Ex level…

Inspiration comes from the strangest places…