Flight404

Working under the name Flight404, Robert Hodgin spends all day "creating with code". On the face of it that might sound kind of dull. But when its creating things like the rather beautiful example above I see someone who is passionate about what they do, and as a result produces really quite inspiring pieces of work. Hodson claims such pieces are created with the open source java-based language Processing, (or Proce55ing).

Through tutorials at North Wales School of Art and Design I have looked at Processing and in a sense the extension of that which is the Arduino. I have since realised it is likely this if not a similar java-based scripting language which drives Apple's iTunes visualisation I blogged about yesterday.

Music is movement

First of all for anyone that doesn't recognise it, the video above is a short clip of iTunes latest visualiser in action. Now I've had iTunes for a good while now and its fair to say I make regular use of this free software. Its intuitive, quick to respond, and with its ability to play a wide range of sound file formats; ideal access to any and all music, (using Apple's 'genius' store if you so wish). But despite its merits, its not the program I'm interested in here, (though interesting it may be).

It is only today that I realised just how simply mesmerising the standard visualisation is. Before you say it no I haven't been taking anything, and I know its probably not exactly complicated when you know how to make these things. I just think this particular visualisation should be recognised as the piece of art it clearly is. No ok its not a painting by some great master or anything that might be considered even remotely traditional and I imagine it relies a great deal on mathematics which as we all know is a subject based purely in logic and rules. Yet this seems to 'defy' such boundaries and maybe its as a result of this that it is so visually appealing.

That and it interacts with the music playing which is always cool.....