[John Conway] [LED] [The Game of Life] [The Game Of Life (Moving)]
Chasing Rainbows New Haven, Site Projects 2004, consists of sixty tubes, each eight feet in length, containing thousands of full-color light emitting diodes (LEDs), which are capable of producing over sixteen million color combinations. Each light is programmed by the artist to respond to a simple set of rules. For example, a light will move right across the grid until it encounters another illuminated LED, at which time it will blink.
Inspired by mathematician John Conway's Game of Life and using the principles of cellular automata (a field of mathematical research involving systems in which grid cells evolve in relation to neighboring cells), Villareal has produced a complex system where the LEDs take on a life of their own, creating a kinetic rainbow made up of base sequences that are triggered in a random order and continue for varied lengths of time.
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Leo Villareal is a pioneering visual artist who works in a number of
different media, most of which are outgrowths of his ongoing research
in advanced computer programming. A Yale alumnus and graduate of New
York University’s Interactive Telecommunications Program at the Tisch
School of the Arts, Villareal uses light, new technology and
sophisticated computer programming to create indoor and outdoor pieces
that mesmerize and absorb the viewer. Born in Albuquerque, NM, he
currently lives and works in New York City. http://www.villareal.net
