Proximity of Needs: Interactive Generative System | LIA – A Continuous Practice in Generative Art Since 1995.

Proximity of Needs is an interactive generative software artwork originally developed in 2008. The system generates a series of autonomous agents that navigate a digital void, driven by a cycle of attraction and dispersal.

When specific target coordinates appear, the graphic elements are drawn toward them, creating dense, chaotic clusters of lines and movement. Once the targets are reached, the visual tension resolves, and the system resets. The accompanying soundscape was composed by LIA using analog recordings of a handmade rainstick, creating a tactile auditory counterpoint to the digital visuals.

The work was presented as a physical installation using a custom hardware interface box at the ‘Mind and Matter’ exhibition at the Künstlerhaus Vienna. This controller allowed viewers to manipulate multiple parameters simultaneously, offering a different tactile experience than the standard mouse interaction. The work was also exhibited as a finalist for the Share Prize in Turin. LIA has since rebuilt the software to ensure its accessibility online.