Some would say that I was glutting for punishment when I decided to collaborate once again with the folks at (Art)ⁿ Laboratory. Maybe. I will say that this project did end up testing my patience and determination more than any other that I've collaborated on.

obligatory website: (Art)ⁿ Laboratory

This project was for the Cranbrook Institute of Science located 25 miles northwest of Detroit in Bloomfield Hills, Michigan.

The project called for three visualizations of the water molecule's different states: solid, liquid, gaseous. I was required to model and animate these different states according to some guidelines presented by two-dimensional graphic artist/designers.

This proved to be quite a difficult and time consuming process. Getting across principles of 3D spatial design as it pertains to PHSColograms®, is frustrating. There is the z-plane which plays a pivotal role in assigning locations for objects. Size is not so much an issue of transforming the scalar properties of an object, but can be influenced by relative positioning as well.

The animation became even more frustrating as the actual motion of the water molecule is hard to pinpoint. Only assumptions can be made as to what the actual motions are. After looking at page after page of technical information and getting advice on what the molecules should do, I let my artistic liberty override some of the dominating scientific visualizations.

"Aye, there's the rub"

Finding a balance between the scientific and the artistic is part of every electronic artist's overall goal. This project was a good step in determining for myself what that balance ideally is.