Interactive Cellular Automata Systems for Creative Projects - Cellular Automata in Image Processing and Geometry - page 249

the state of single cell, or perhaps to add a “gun” or “glider” to the CA system at a
particular location. A somewhat more involved way to interact with a CA system is
demonstrated in a series of works by the installation artist Bill Vorn. Vorn presents a
large CA grid that can be controlled by standing at different locations throughout the
installation which are mapped to the cells in the CA system [61]. The artist Charlie
Roberts also uses a CA grid as an example of a dynamic interface used to control
networked compositions via mobile devices [50, 51].
The next section introduces the Fluid Automata system, based on CA, and
subsequently describes technical details about the system, including the simulation
engine, the visualization methods, and the single-user and multi-user interaction
techniques used in different deployments. It then describes a collaborative art in-
stallation, Annular Genealogy , involving musical and visual outputs that is based
on the Fluid Automata system.

13.2 The Fluid Automata Project

The Fluid Automata system explores the use of fluid simulation as an aesthetic com-
ponent for interactive art. While fluid simulation is often used in scientific visualiza-
tion applications in order to provide a practical understanding of how fluids behave
in particular contexts, the use of fluid simulations to create realism and excitement
in entertainment contexts is also a widely explored topic. Moreover, fluid systems
have been used as a technique in generative media arts contexts, and a number of
recent art projects utilize fluid simulation as a component of the work. A method
created by Jos Stam in 1999 to create a stable fluid system first made it possible
to represent realistic looking fluids at real-time frame rates [55, 56]. Many inter-
active artworks have made use of this particular technique. For instance, Memo
Atken has created a series of demonstrations based upon Stam's method, showcas-
ing them using mobile devices for interaction and making the code available for the
OpenFrameworks and Processing multimedia frameworks [4]. Another project that
incorporates Stam's method is Graham Wakefield and Haru Ji's Artificial Nature .
This project uses computer vision techniques to allow participants to interact with a
3D fluid representation through the movement of their bodies [62]. The Fluid Wall
installation by Naureen Mahmood and Austin Hines similarly enables users to ma-
nipulate a wall of fluids using a Kinect interface [6]. Other fluid simulation methods,
such as one presented by Martin Guay, et al., are optimized for real-time interaction
in video games [36]. Although simulation methods generally focus on producing ac-
curate representations of natural systems, the Fluid Automata system demonstrates
that aesthetically-interesting visuals with a wide variation of movement and color
can be produced from a simple set of rules that do not attempt to exactly reproduce
natural systems. In this sense, although influenced by physical simulation, Fluid Au-
tomata could more accurately be considered a work of generative art that utilizes a
custom CA system [10, 27].
Scientific visualization projects aim to help researchers identify and reason about
salient aspects of their data. While an aesthetic sensibility may contribute to the