SingleCell and DoubleCell are a pair of interactive generative artworks commissioned for singlecell.org, a seminal online exhibition platform organized by artist and curator Golan Levin. The initiative invited a select group of leading computational artists to create compact, web-based audiovisual works.
Drawing on biological imagery, SingleCell visualizes a contained system where autonomous elements continuously relocate within a circular boundary. Each movement leaves a digital trace, gradually accumulating into a dense texture. The outer edge creates a distinct radial structure – an artifact of the positioning logic – giving the form a textured, hair-like definition. Internally, clusters form dynamic nuclei which maintain connections to anchor points outside the cell wall. The volume of the generative soundscape is directly coupled to the number of active nuclei within the system.
DoubleCell expands this concept into a study of interaction between two distinct entities. The work presents two circular systems containing autonomous moving elements. Users interact with the system by dragging the cells to create tension and proximity, while additional controls allow for the independent expansion or contraction of each cell’s boundary. When the boundaries overlap, the internal elements intersect, changing color and altering the sonic output. This moment of contact allows for an exchange of material; as the cells are separated, the elements are redistributed between them, permanently altering the balance of the original systems.
SingleCell has been rebuilt to run on modern browsers, while DoubleCell is presented here as video documentation.
SingleCell
SingleCell, screen recording of the interactive web application.
Digital outputs from SingleCell.
DoubleCell
DoubleCell, video documentation.
Digital outputs from DoubleCell.
Project Details
Year Created: 2001, 2002
Medium: Interactive Generative Online Applications
Commission
singlecell.org (Online Exhibition)
Curator: Golan Levin
Exhibitions (DoubleCell)
Shanghai Science and Technology Museum, Shanghai (‘Digital Art and Magic Moments’, Ars Electronica Exhibition, Oct 19 – Nov 10, 2007)
Florence Biennale, Florence (‘New Media Art’, Dec 1 – Dec 9, 2007)
‘singlecell.org’ Participating Artists: Golan Levin, Casey Reas, LIA, Joshua Davis, Marius Watz, Daniel Brown, Martin Wattenberg, John Gerrard, and others.
