The operator at the helm of the Device plays god with light and recursion, using high definition analog video feedback fractals to create spirals within spirals, loops within loops, galaxies, cell structures, strands of DNA, trees, insects, tentacled primordial creatures, and classic fractal images.

 
When the camera sees itself, a universe is born.

 

See the Device in Make Magazine, on Boingboing, on Hackaday, again on Make Magazine, on Boingboing again, on Kottke, again on Hackaday, on Slaschcam, on Reddit, watch an artist's interpretation, read a review by Rich Walkling, and read an in-depth analysis by Armaan Ahmed.


"It really is quite tangled...very impressive. Lots of wonderful fern-like stuff, also some jellyfish-like stuff, and the SierpiƄski gasket now and then. Congratulations!"

          - Email from Douglas Hofstadter

"I like what you are doing very much. It's fascinating. Reminds me of the days when I was playing - experimenting - discovering." 

          - Email from Heinz-Otto Peitgen

 

Check out more videos, explanations, and a detailed account of building and testing the Device on my blog: Forward Chronology / Reverse Chronology.

MOMENT Exhibition Video Extract

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No computers were injured (or used) in the creation of these images. This is a segment of a video commissioned by Filip Ivarsson and Carl Fredrik Emrik to be projected on a loop during their MOMENT Exhibition in Copenhagen, Denmark, on April 25, 2025.

God Machine II, Sleater-Kinney Version (2023)

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A Delicate Interplay Between Color and Luminance: New Build Practice #1, One Monitor, One Camera (2024)

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Adding Complexity - Light Communicating with Light, Spirals Made of Spirals Within Spirals: New Build Practice #2, Four Monitors, Three Cameras, Secondary Input (2024)

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The God Machine II (2023)

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Made of maple, mahogany, aluminum, three cameras, five HD feedback monitors, three Roland video switchers, two viewing monitors, two sheets of beam splitter glass, and a video input.

The device now has two monitor structures. 

Both structures have two HD monitors (with analog hue/contrast/saturation knobs) at right angles to one another, with a sheet of beam splitter glass between them. The feedback loop between these two monitors, the reflection in the glass, and the camera, creates fractals in real-time, without a computer.

Using the video switchers, the left monitor structure can interact with the right monitor structure, and vise-versa. When they both interact with each other at the same time, yet another feedback loop is created, producing unexpected and strange results.

There is also a feedback loop between the third camera and the rotating HD monitor. The output of this loop can be folded into the other loops. 

 Music:Toyo y Moi, The Medium

Insanity Mode: Fractals Made of Fractals Made of Fractals... (2023)

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In this mode of the Video Feedback Kinetic Sculpture, each of the four monitors effects every other monitor, and the image on the left is composed of the image on the right, while the image on right is composed of the image on the left - all at once (they create each other!) - making fractal sets within fractals sets within fractal sets within fractal sets...

Here, there's a feedback loop between two cameras and two monitor structures (each monitor structure has a top and bottom monitor with a sheet of beam splitter glass between the two). There's also a feedback loop between the monitor structures themselves, where the image created on the left structure is sent to the right structure, while the image created on the right structure is sent to the left structure.

Music: the Kingdom of Leisure 

Ty and Dave use the Device at the Palm Beach Cultural Council Gallery (and other weirdness)

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A Long, Traditional, 1 Camera 1 Monitor Feedback Session

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This was created before the introduction of the very smooth motion of the linear bearings. This video will be replaced with a better one in the coming days...

Music: 

Danielson, Eagle

Pink Floyd, Live at Pompeii 1972


Malinowski Collaboration #1

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This is the first collaboration with Stephen Malinowski. In this video I'm using one of Stephen's musical animations as an input to the Device.

Read about Stephen on his website, and his Wikipedia page. Check out more of his musical animations on his Youtube channel.

Music: Bach, Cello Suite No. 1, 1st movement; Performed by Vito Paternoster

A Sentient Fractal Lives at the Psychedelic Shack: At the Gallery Aternate Version

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A Two Year Ontogenetic Review (2022)

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High Definition video feedback has been made before, but this is the first tightly controlled feedback using HD monitors with analog hue / contrast / brightness / saturation knobs. These knobs are normally found only on old, Standard Definition TV sets, and are all-important when making video feedback.

The Device has evolved naturally since its first iteration, as have the images it creates. This video chronicles the evolution of the Device from 2020 to 2022.

TV Boy Fractal Logo Treatment (Feb, 2022)

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TV Boy Productions in New York gave me a great deal on some monitors in return for making them a video feedback video with their logo.

Thanks again, and here's your video!

Music: Wilco, Kicking Television

Forward Chronology
 

Reverse Chronology

Lafayette Electronic Arts Festival [LEAF]: April, 2022

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Had a great time in Colorado with the folks of LEAF. Check out part of the performance in this video.

Bach Segment

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This is a portion of the Exhibition video.

Check out how this was made here.

Bach's Musical Offering used as a tribute to
Douglas Hofstadter.

Zemlinsky Segment

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This is a portion of the Exhibition video.

These images were made with Phase I of the Device.