new direction

By putting less emphasis on structured fractal rules and more on flexibility, my new plan is to create a generative art graphic tool where the user has more control over how the image appears. I still want to continue working with fractal equations, while keeping in mind that my user-audience is directed at elementary school children, particularly ages 7-12. I chose this range because my professor brought up a good point about how children cannot process visual complexity until a certain age; according to Jean Piaget, children from age 7 to 12 are able to begin thinking logically in concrete thoughts with practical aids. Also, I currently work with a class of second graders (around age 7) for my Education Studies practicum and I would like to try out the project on them.


My Goals:

My goal is to get children to explore with the tool and create a variety of original artworks that they would want to save or even print out. While doing so, I also want them to get excited about math (or possibly even grow an appreciation for it), and realize that it can create appealing art simply by altering some numbers or code using a familiar control interface (the game controller).
My interest lies in abstract/organic generative art and I would like the created images to have those characteristics, but because I have to keep in mind that it must appeal to young children, I plan on incorporating vibrant colors and simple shapes (circles, triangle, square, stars? etc).
My other goal is the explore a child's developmental process, which according to Piaget grows through reflection abstraction, empirical abstraction, and cognitive stage (detailed definition at the bottom of this post).


The Graphic Tool Interface:
I would like to exploring several fractal equations including spirals (Archimedean, Cornu, Fibonacci, Loxodrome), tree, and the Mandelbrot.

So far, I am working on the spiral:
- When the graphic tool first starts up and the user clicks on the interface to draw, a small spiral will generate from that coordinate. The user will be able to change the direction and create new spirals using the joystick. This initial layer functions as the wire-frame view, which appears to be structured but give a straightforward image of the fractals that they've created.
- using different buttons on the controller, the user will be able to transform their visual by applying color filters, altering values in the equation (which could make drastic or even random changes to the pattern and shape), or making changes in the code so that the command changes while keeping the same values (translate(), popMatrix(), rotate(), bezier()... etc.).

first layer:

after one type of basic "color filter":

The Developmental Process

• child performs an action which has an effect on or organizes objects, and the child is able to note the characteristics of the action and its effects

• “reflecting abstraction” -through repeated actions, with variations or in different contexts, child is able to differentiate and integrate its elements and effects

• “empirical abstraction” -child is able to identify the properties of objects by the way different kinds of action affect them

• forming a new “cognitive stage” -by repeating this process across a wide range of objects and actions, child establishes a new level of knowledge and insight

• once the child has constructed these new kinds of knowledge, he or she starts to use them to create still more complex objects and to carry out still more complex actions