The Rules of the Game Introduction: It was as a result of such thoughts that the rules for the game became evident. I chose to use number as a starting point even though I felt that there may be deeper structures awaiting discovery that are inaccessible to number alone . But, I soon found that true to form number was to reveal a tantalising glimpse of that deep structure from within its own structure. This was not surprising. Number is after all the fundamental element of perhaps our most powerful aid to model making, mathematics, whose abstract and self generating nature enables us to interrelate superficially dissimilar phenomena, to see common patterns buried in the structures of our interest and by application of the rules of its game watch them procreate, to feedback fresh insights or confirm the direction for further explorations of symmetry, broken symmetry and self-similarity at the living edge of chaos.Initially, I chose to constrain my use of number to the digits. This followed the exploration of Vedic Mathematics of ancient India referred to above. 1. The Digits 0, 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8 and 9. 2. Reduction To restrain the model when exploring larger numbers [ie composed of more than one digit] the number is reduced by adding the digits together eg 144 is then read as 1+4+4 which = 9. 3.Colour To enhance the relationships between numbers and their different functions and qualities, each number is given a colour. The colours chosen are Cyan[1], Blue[2], light Grey[3], Magenta[4], Green[5], mid Grey[6], Yellow[7], Red[8] and Black[9]. This produces three triads, the three additive primaries 1,4 and 7, the three subtractive secondaries 2,5 and 8 and three neutrals 3,6 and 9. 4. Transformations To adhere to the Laws of Symmetry [ ie Translation*, Rotation, Reflection and Dilation] and to retain any other inherent structural principles should they appear [ie Self-similarity, Harmonics, Wavelength, Amplitude etc], whatever the chosen transformation, across number, source material or mode of operation [ie numeric, visual [in two and three dimensions], aural [and in time, a fourth dimension], animation etc]. 5. Exemplars The Prints demonstrate that playing [and sticking!] to the Rules of the Game will generate rich, complex and evocative behaviour/forms that give us some insight into the way We, Nature and the Cosmos create such diversity from such essentially simple elements. [Examples follow notes on background]. 3D. forms/sculptures are currently being explored [but are not included here]. And Sound generated by scanning the number series as bar chart or image carries the analogies further. Heard independently or in association with the images, the sounds and their scores reinforce the argument and add the further dimension of time, of temporal insight into the nature of harmonics. [ See notes at end of document]. *eg.to form bar charts of the number structure/series under investigation in which the value and colour of each number is maintained, ie. 1 = a cyan bar1 square high, 2 = a blue bar 2 squares high, etc. 2004 Copyright - Keith Albarn. All Rights reserved. Reproduction of material from this website without prior permission is not allowed |