On Growth and Form

Daniel Brown is a designer, programmer and artist, specialising in the fields of Creative Digital Technology and Interactive Design and Applied Arts, who, like many working in the field of computer art, has been significantly influenced by DÂ’Arcy ThompsonÂ’s work. Brown began a series called ‘On Growth and FormÂ’ in 1999 – crafted by complex mathematics rather than by hand, these works use computer code to generate hyper-realistic, never repeating blooms that – like time-lapse documentary photography – explode hypnotically into patterns before the viewerÂ’s eyes. Most recently, a version was commissioned by the V&A in 2009. Daniel is now proposing to create a new generation of the flowers series, this time integrating true high-end real-time 3D graphics into the process, allowing a ‘virtualÂ’ camera to pan around the blooms as they grow. The commission will also use imagery from the collections in the DÂ’Arcy Thompson Zoology Museum to create flower textures and inspire flower shapes. The results will be shown as a projection piece within the museum. Presented by the Art Fund and the Esmée Fairbairn Foundation.