Created in 2007, It Is Black It Is White is an interactive generative software artwork that explores the structural possibilities of high contrast. Using the mouse as an interface, the user interacts with the system. The graphic elements react dynamically to the cursor – turning towards or away from it – resulting in complex, emergent structures that often recall architectural plans or spatial sketches.
The software limits the visual output to black and white, focusing entirely on form, movement, and the dynamic interplay between static structures and chaotic elements.
The sound generation occurs in parallel with the visual generation. The software calculates the precise ratio of black to white pixels in every frame. This data controls the volume of two distinct sound layers: a “white sound” and a “black sound.” If the screen is predominantly black or white, the audio mix reflects that exact balance. This creates a direct, real-time sonic translation of the visual composition.
In 2025, the work was selected for ‘Compositions in Code: The Art of Processing and p5.js’ at the Museum of the Moving Image in New York. The exhibition surveys the history of creative coding, pairing LIA’s 2007 work with contemporary artist Sarah Ridgley.
It Is Black It Is White (2007), screen recording showing manual interaction (0:00–0:30) followed by the automated simulation mode (0:30–1:00).
Generated outputs from the software.
Installation at MuseumsQuartier, Vienna (2007)
Installation view of ‘It Is Black It Is White’ at the ‘Digital Canvas’ exhibition.
The Concept
The program window is permanently partitioned by graphic play figures. LIA limits the possibilities of programming to experiments with contrast, where the results concentrate on form and movement. The two complementary tones of black and white stand equally for harmony in their apparent competition. Pairs of opposites; light and shade, contraction and expansion, ascent and descent, private vs. public, static or dynamic and organic wilderness in contrast to the structures of civilization can be seen in the application.
Excerpt of a Text by Joanna Render, 2007
Project Details
Year Created: 2007
Medium: Interactive and generative Software Art and Sound
Exhibitions
Museum of the Moving Image, New York, USA (‘Compositions in Code’, May 8 – June 29, 2025)
Curator: Regina Harsanyi
MuseumsQuartier, Vienna, Austria (‘Digital Canvas – Art for Screens’, Nov 13 – Dec 9, 2007)
Igreja de Santiago, Palmela, Portugal (‘EME Festival’, Oct 2 – Oct 6, 2007)
‘Compositions in Code’ Exhibited Artists: Marius Watz, Aleksandra Jovanić, LIA, Sarah Ridgley, Robert Hodgin, Melissa Wiederrecht.
