the hermgrid
A system constrained to a cubic lattice of side length . An emitter’s state is determined by a discrete random walk, confined to the centers of the lattice’s cells.
Each step reconfigures the sonic and visual output. The artwork is the direct observation of this system in motion.
Generative Principle
The emitter’s trajectory, , follows a discrete-time stochastic process:
where is a random unit vector along a cardinal axis. The state is bounded within the lattice:
Sonic Architecture
The state vector maps directly to the parameters of a frequency modulation (FM) synthesizer. The position is simultaneously a point in Euclidean space and a point in a timbre space.
- Vertical Axis (): Defines the carrier frequency, .
- Horizontal Axis (): Defines the modulation index, .
- Depth Axis (): Defines the modulator frequency, .
The Ghost Interface
Floating above the lattice are three semi-transparent “ghost” nodes. These XY pads allow the observer to intervene in the otherwise autonomous system, shaping the global timbre of the Moog cubes:
- Red (Filter): Controls the spectral character. The horizontal axis expands the filter envelope (brightness), while the vertical axis increases resonance (Q).
- Blue (Vibrato): Modulates frequency instability. Horizontal controls the LFO rate, and vertical controls the depth.
- Yellow (FX): Manipulates space and time. Horizontal increases the reverb send, while vertical extends the release time of the amplitude envelope. Clicking this node cycles the harmonic quantization scale.
The Virtual Singer: A Red Hermética
Incorporated into this stochastic volume is a Virtual Singer, an abstract wireframe entity that serves as the system’s “Talking Object.” Unlike the mathematical purity of the random walk, the singer introduces the tension of mimesis. Using the meSpeak.js library, the entity vocalizes fragments of Héctor Libertella’s theory on hermeticism, transforming the Brownian motion into a linguistic “chatter.”
Process Commentary
The technical bridge between the text and the geometry is an Audio Analyser. As the voice synthesizes Libertella’s English-translated prose, the resulting frequency data is used to modulate the mesh’s vertex buffer. The lower vertices—the “mouth” of the abstract sphere—are pulled downward in proportion to the vocal amplitude, creating a procedural mouth-shape that never repeats. This realizes Libertella’s concept of the “parrot” (loro): an entity that oscillates between the silence of the lattice and the proliferation of a borrowed discourse.
lyrics
The singer’s repertoire is drawn from a randomized array of Libertella’s Ensayos o pruebas sobre una red hermética, emphasizing the “stuttering” of the digital spy:
“Repression is health, a genetic origin.” “The subject simulates being a digital spy.” “Madness rhymes with obsessive reading.” “Piercing the model through imitation.”
@book{libertellaEnsayosPruebasSobre1990,
title = {{Ensayos o pruebas sobre una red herm'etica}},
author = {Libertella, H{'e}ctor},
year = 1990,
series = {{Colecci'on Escritura de hoy}},
edition = {1a ed},
publisher = {Grupo Editor Latinoamericano : Distribuidor exclusivo, Emec'e Editores},
address = {Buenos Aires},
isbn = {978-950-694-130-7},
langid = {english},
lccn = {PN85 .L55 1990}
}