The Sail

Digitalization of Classical Moods

Yiou Wang
MArch I 2022
Loren Li
MArch I 2022
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1 Drifting away with the waves

The 14th century Chinese painter Ma Yuan created some of the most expressive waves in Classical Chinese Art. His waves combined the best of realism and abstraction. Some create a calm ambiance by being nothing more than a multiplication of the same geometric shape; others capture frozen moments of violent, splashing waves ready to escape the picture frame. He eschewed a monotone, single-styled interpretation of waves and instead infused each of them with personality. These waves convey different moods to the viewer. We were very inspired by his approach and imagined what he would do if he had the digital tools we have today. Can we recreate waves that convey human moods through digital means? We approached it by combining the movement of waves to the tempo of music. Music evokes emotions from the listener the same way Ma Yuan’s waves do visually. Henryk Wieniawski's “Kujawiak” provides the music to which an array of sine waves created in Processing 3 move in tandem with. The result is an ever changing, mesmerizing sea surface that allows one to mediate with. Come enjoy it!

Project video
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2 Early trials
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3 Testing transformations
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4 Ma Yuan's waves with moods and personalities