Jonathan Barbeau
Generative Artist based in Québec City
Recent Work
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STARMAP
March 2024 - Show: Under Neith - Curated by: Forever Projects - Hosted by: Foundation
Description
STARMAP serves as an homage to the captivating mysticism of the cosmos and the insidious fear that accompanies the exploration of the unknown. This artwork invites viewers to embark on a cosmic journey, celebrating the vastness of the universe. Each pieces put you in the perspective of an unnamed space explorer. Alone and fully committed to charting the vastness of the cosmos. The explorer is never shown; instead, the viewer shares his point of view, experiencing both the awe and wonder of discovery and the profound feeling of solitude in a place that is far greater than us. This generative collection conveys the acute sentiment that returning home is never guaranteed. As the explorer delves deeper into the cosmos, emotions like wonder and curiosity becomes entwined with the dread of isolation and the weight of emptiness that begins to envelop them. The artist is showcasing the paradox of discovery mingled with the fear of losing connection with the familiar, a dichotomy resonating within every soul, akin to the emotions associated with significant life changes. ||==NOTES==|| STARMAP is a meditative piece that paints itself over time. The artist uses a high number of particulate to paint each piece of this series. This collection has been built with contemplation in mind so take the time to kick back and enjoy the automated painting process (around 60s). Made with Javascript on <canvas>
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Traces
April 2024 - Intefaces - Funded by the federal government commissioner for culture and the media, Hanover, Stuttgart, Germany - OBJKT.
Description
TRACES is a multi-artist collaboration. It is part of the Interfaces project which bridges the world of dance and generative art. The interfaces team motion-captured dance choreography using ml5.js. All choreography where the converted into a json file which mapped all the limbs and movement from the dancers into javascript object. It's kind of a coordinate system. Using this, I was able to use the data to paint on a digital canvas using a particle system but instead of having all the particles starting on a random place on the canvas, they’re divided into nodes. These nodes match the limbs of the dancers. For example I mostly uses the Head, Wrist,Shoulder, knees and feets as starting point for the particles. When I start generating an output, the particles start from these points. I'm also using a MIDI controller where I mapped the size, hue, saturation and brightness on the 4 top knobs and mapped all the frames from the dance on each of the 4 sliders. So 1 slider is really 1/4th of the whole sequence. So using this I could influence what was happening on the screen but still left the particles free to do their thing while moving the dancer on the timeline.
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EX-LIBRIS
January 2024 - fx(hash)
Description
The idea of EX-LIBRIS emerged only days before my pilgrimage to the Artblocks Marfa Weekend in September. What began as an intent to craft exquisite bookmarks for a select circle swiftly transformed into a revelation of the creative potential within this seemingly modest format. From this first batch only 32 bookmarks came into existence. These bookmarks, meticulously designed and infused with the desire to learn, served as more than placeholders within pages. They encapsulated a narrative of artistic exploration, self discovery and interpersonal connections. It was in this moment of realization that the decision to immortalize this project on the blockchain took root. The EX-LIBRIS project stands as a testament to the union of creativity and the possibilities made possible by blockchain technology. Each bookmark, a work of art in its own right, represents a fragment of this creative journey. With an ethos of uniqueness and individuality, each holder will have the opportunity to redeem their bookmark (or set) after minting, offering a tangible and signed testament to this unique artistic endeavor. EX-LIBRIS encapsulates the essence of a moment in time, where I found my tribe as an artist and transformed into an enduring testament to art's evolution—an ode to tradition, knowledge, innovation, and the limitless horizons of art in the digital age.
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Jeu de Ligne
June 2023 - 256art.com
Description
'Jeu de ligne' is a generative artwork that uses particles, movement, and constraint. As the initial composition glides across the canvas, columns and rows emerge from the particles getting trapped on the margin.
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Exhibit-A
May 2023 - Self curated - Exhibited at La Korrigane in Quebec city - Certificate hosted by Highlight.xyz
Description
This collection features 10 artworks made in pair by 5 different algorithm. This collection was exhibited at La Korrigane in Quebec City during the summer of 2023. All pairs of artworks uses Perlin Noise as the main algorithmic foundation and shows how a similar techniques can yield such different results.