Interactive Digital Art Exhibition

Transient forms is Paul Cleland’s ongoing investigation into producing still and moving image works from self-generating systems. In traditional digital workflows effects are applied one after another and can only be undone in reverse order. To contrast, Cleland’s use of node-based software enables him to construct a schema comprised of components, operators, scripted actions, and effects, each dynamically affecting one other in real-time.

Cleland’s use of feedback and noise also seeks to emulate the natural phenomena of reciprocity and entropy. As he observes, ‘programming a sequence of actions allows each frame to influence the next, resulting in continuous, fluid patterns that echo and morph over time. This technique gives rise to visuals that are constantly evolving, never exactly repeating—a seemingly abstract, living organism in motion.

Paul Cleland is a visual artist based in Hamilton, New Zealand. Drawing on his background in photography and his degree in graphic design, he currently utilises node-based software to generate both still and moving image works that blend lens-based imagery and digitally-generated abstractions.