Math Models for Creative Coders

Using matters of Life and Death Math and Code to Create Novel Experiences

Introduction

We will study several Mathematical Models and apply them to Art and Design. The algorithms will be examined and then coded in p5.js / q5.js / p5play.js; however other open source tools (FOSS) and Javascript libraries may also be introduced as and when needed and as and when I learn and get excited about them.

This course stands on “three legs”: Maths, Code + Tech, and Artifacts, as shown below. As this course grows and hopefully becomes more un-popular ;-D, more and more of these modules below will become reality!

Math Experiments with Code

Maths	Code + Tech	Artifacts
Iterated Functions Complex Numbers Random Numbers Vector Algebra Perlin Noise	p5.js / q5.js / p5play.js Shapes Stack, Push and Pull, Translate Vectors Recursion Constructors and OOP	Fractals Kolams Angolan Sona Patterns L-Systems Symmetries Textures
Linear Systems Impulse Responses Convolution Electrical System Theory (poles; zeroes; resonance…)? DSP basics? AM/FM/PM Modulation? Fourier Series Bessel Functions? Waves; Echoes ? Non-linearities; Saturation; Hysteresis ?	Adding External Physics and Sound Libraries p5.sound Camera, Sound and Mic Handphone based Interactions OSP Protocol based interactions with external hardware over WiFi / BT	Sound Video Text Crowd-Sourced acts (jam session; flash-techno mob…)? Mouse - Touchpad Orchestra?
Neural Net Basics Matrix Algebra Training Backpropagation Gradient Descent Classification, Regression, Clustering	ml5.js libraries	Multi-Layer Perceptrons Convolutional Neural Networks Pose, Gesture, and Face Detection
Complexity and Emergent Phenomena?	Interfacing p5.js with Makey-Makey / Arduino / Raspberry Pi? Sensors? Working with other materials like sand, water, paper, wood, cloth, balloons ? “Action at a Distance” using say quantum entanglement IFTTT?	Friendship Networks? Games? Public Space Installations Simulations Remote Education with Gesture tracking and live Coding? “Literary” Events with Tech?
I’ll	Be	Back

References

1. Course Abstract written by Arnold Schwarzenegger.

General

1. Bret Victor. Learnable Programming. https://worrydream.com/LearnableProgramming/
2. Michael Nielsen.(February 2016). Toward an exploratory medium for mathematics. https://cognitivemedium.com/emm/emm.html
3. Rune Madsen. Programming Design Systems. https://programmingdesignsystems.com. A free digital book that teaches a practical introduction to the new foundations of graphic design.
4. Colah’s ( not Kolha’s 🦊 ) Blog. https://colah.github.io/https://colah.github.io/

p5.js, p5play.js, q5.js, and Processing

1. Getting Started with p5.js https://p5js.org/tutorials/setting-up-your-environment/
2. Coding Rainbow: Basic-est set of videos on p5.js <https://youtube.com/playlist?list=PLglp04UYZK_PrN6xWo_nJ-8kzyXDyFUwi&si=BWSDVX9-Bt85KXdO>
3. Coding Train with Dan Shiffman:
   • Website: https://thecodingtrain.com/
   • Github: https://github.com/CodingTrain/website-archive
4. p5.js Wiki. https://github.com/processing/p5.js/wiki
5. p5.js at CodeAcademy https://www.codecademy.com/learn/learn-p5js
6. p5.js at HappyCoding https://happycoding.io/tutorials/p5js/
7. OpenProcessing https://openprocessing.org
8. https://www.codecademy.com/content-items/5e5c0d2a7b20535fbe8aed05e739e027
9. p5play Game Engine https://p5play.org/ p5play is for creating interactive art and games with the Box2D physics engine.
10. q5.js Home https://q5js.org/home/

R-language-related Resources

1. Thomas Lin Pedersen:
   • Website: https://www.data-imaginist.com/art
   • Website: https://ambient.data-imaginist.com/index.html (R package ambient)
   • Github:
2. Antonio Sánchez Chinchón:
   • Website: https://fronkonstin.com
   • Github: https://github.com/aschinchon/abstractions
3. Danielle Navarro’s Generative Art:
   • Website: https://art-from-code.netlify.app
   • Github: https://github.com/arvindvenkatadri/art-from-code (forked by me)
   • Website: https://art-from-code.netlify.app
4. Claus Wilke:
   • Website: https://clauswilke.com/art/
5. Generative Art by Katharina Brunner:
   • Github:https://github.com/cutterkom/generativeart
   • Webpage:https://katharinabrunner.de/generativeart/
6. William Chase:
   • Website: https://www.williamrchase.com/
   • Github: https://github.com/will-r-chase
   • Blog Posts: https://www.williamrchase.com/writing/
     • https://buttondown.email/willchase/archive/the-generative-art-dataviz-spectrum/
     • https://www.williamrchase.com/post/strange-attractors-12-months-of-art-february/
     • https://www.williamrchase.com/writing/2019-09-30-flow-fields-12-months-of-art-september/
     • https://www.williamrchase.com/writing/2019-08-30-12-months-of-art-august/
     • Poisson Disc sampling https://www.williamrchase.com/writing/2019-07-29-textues-and-geometric-shapes-12-months-of-art-july/ and the poissoned R package by @coolbutuseless
7. Marcus Volz:
   • Website: https://marcusvolz.com
   • Github: https://github.com/marcusvolz
8. https://generative.substack.com/p/generative-art-and-r
9. Generative Art. https://paulvanderlaken.com/2020/05/02/generative-art-computer-design-painting/
10. R-tistry with ggplot: https://www.bigbookofr.com/art.html#thinking-outside-the-grid---a-bare-bones-intro-to-rtistry-concepts-in-r-using-ggplot
11. https://www.rforscience.com/scientific-computing.html

Deep Learning and AI

1. Practical Deep Learning for Coders. https://course.fast.ai/
2. Michael Nielsen. http://neuralnetworksanddeeplearning.com/index.html
3. Ian Goodfellow and Yoshua Bengio and Aaron Courville. Deep Learning Book. https://www.deeplearningbook.org/
4. Dive into Deep Learning. Interactive deep learning book with code, math, and discussions. Implemented with PyTorch, NumPy/MXNet, JAX, and TensorFlowUsing Other Tools. https://www.d2l.ai/index.html
5. Simon Scardapane. Alice’s Adventures in Differentiable Wonderland. https://www.sscardapane.it/assets/alice/Alice_book_volume_1.pdf
6. François Fleuret. The Little Book of Deep Learning. https://fleuret.org/public/lbdl.pdf
7. Frank Rosenblatt. Principles of Neurodynamics: Perceptrons and the Theory of Brain Mechanisms. https://gwern.net/doc/ai/nn/1962-rosenblatt-principlesofneurodynamics.pdf
8. Warren S. McCulloch, Walter Pitts (1943). A Logical Calculus of the Ideas of Immanent in Nervous Activity. BULLETIN OF MATHEMATICAL BIOPHYSICS VOLUME 5, 1943. <https://www.aemea.org/math/McCulloch_Pitts_1943.pdfhttps://www.aemea.org/math/McCulloch_Pitts_1943.pdf

Other Tools

1. https://generatecoll.medium.com/how-i-used-excel-to-create-abstract-album-artwork-fee740d4414f
2. Random Digital Beauty. https://anaselk.com/p/generative-r/
3. Making Explanations (tools): https://explorabl.es/tools/
4. Using p5 in R. Yeah. https://alistaire.rbind.io/blog/p5-in-r/
5. createCanvas Podcast. https://soundcloud.com/processingfoundation
6. https://processingfoundation.org/education
7. https://nannou.cc
8. https://openframeworks.cc/
9. https://libcinder.org
10. Sophia Crespo: (makes speculative biological creatures using neural networks)
    • Website: https://sofiacrespo.com/
    • Website: https://entangledothers.studio/
    • Github:
11. R for Scientific Visualization. https://www.rforscience.com/visualisation.html
12. R for Scientific Computing. https://www.rforscience.com/scientific-computing.html

Other Interesting Websites and Works

1. The Book of Shaders by Patricio Gonzalez Vivo and Jen Lowehttps://thebookofshaders.com/
2. Scott Murray’s D3 Art page: https://scottmurray.org/
3. Inigo Quilez, Digital Artist: https://iquilezles.org/ (ShaderToy, GraphToy, and MadeThisThing)
4. Reddit Generative Art Forum. https://www.reddit.com/r/generative/
5. AI tools for Journalists. https://journaliststoolbox.ai/ A vast list of tools for every purpose you can think of.

Creative Coding Courses Elsewhere

1. Allison Parrish. https://creative-coding.decontextualize.com
2. Matthew Bardin. https://pdm.lsupathways.org
3. Tim Cortina at Carnegie Mellon Univ2. https://www.cs.cmu.edu/~tcortina/15104-f20/lectures/

Learning Modules