ALIAJ ANGÉLUS

2016

Aliaj Angélus offers an immersive evolution of Jean-Francois Millet's painting, “L'Angélus.” Crafted as my final student project during a three-week intensive assignment in my second year of Master's at Arts et Technologies de l’Image, Paris 8 University, this installation transforms the static painting into a dynamic, interactive landscape. I conceived the multi-agent systems which govern the landscape's behavior and evolving dynamics, utilizing Openframeworks.

Vegetation springs to life in response to real-time meteorological conditions and evolves through a genetic algorithm. Characters, designed with finished-state machines by Alexandre Gomez, shift between working, sleeping, and praying, syncing with the day's progression. Visitors can directly interact by touching real potatoes in front of the projected painting, signaling the birth of the next generation in this landscape. While I was responsible for the landscape's design and behavior, the painting effect shader, character designs, and vegetation organization were masterfully handled by Alexandre Gomez.