What do we leave behind?

Nothing truly vanishes in nature, nor does anything arise from nothing. According to the Law of Conservation of Matter, the total amount of matter in a closed system stays constant over time, only changing its form. Some living creatures have been luckier than others, as we can still find remnants of organisms from millions of years ago, serving as silent witnesses to mankind’s flourishing.

Yet, the human race is exploiting the planet at an unprecedented pace. We are depleting its resources, polluting its atmosphere, producing hazardous materials, disrupting the natural balance of all things. We are causing harm while still expecting the earth to nurture and delight us. We’re just a small dot on the timeline, and yet so much damage has been done.

Through this project, I humbly attempt to create imitations of fossils and other forms of natural matter. These made up forms may appear attractive, reminding us of nature, but what emotion would they evoke in a natureless world, built of concrete, iron, and plastic?

What do we leave behind?


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20% of the primary sales go directly to One Earth, non-profit organization working to counteract the climate crisis in multiple, innovative ways.

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Technical notes:

- By default, an output image size is based on your browser size (x1.25, with a maximum of 1800)
- The script is quite heavy, so it may take some time on higher resolutions (but it’s worth it)

Desktop controls:
- To change the output resolution, use [1..6] on your keyboard (1250..7200px, roughly A5..A0 print sizes on 300dpi) or [0] to restore the default
- Press [S] to save the current image
- Press [F] to switch fullscreen mode

Mobile controls:
- Hold two fingers for 2s to save
- Tap twice to switch fullscreen mode

URL params
- Add `&density=[number]` (0.5..1) to change calculated field’s density (default is 0.65)
- Add `&size=[number]` (1..6) to render with desired resolution

- Add `&save=1` to save image when ready

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Developed in Javascript, using p5.js (2D Canvas) and chroma.js.
License: CC BY-NC-SA 4.0

© February 2023, MadeUpLifeforms (mulf)