Issue 005: Fractals ft. Can Büyükberber
Letter from the Curators
Welcome to our fifth issue! We talked a little bit last week about how our focus is on producing great content, not a lot of content. To that end, we don't want to get bogged down by metrics, but it is worth noting that we've been blown away by just how quickly our subscriber list has grown. It truly seems like every time we talk about the beauty of physical digital convergence, endless doors open in response.
With that expansiveness in mind, this week we delve into a theme that embodies complexity and beauty, both in the natural world and in digital creation: fractals. These intricate patterns, defined by their self-perpetuation across different scales, offer a glimpse into the underlying order that governs our chaotic universe.
From the branching of trees and the formation of coastlines to the design of computer algorithms and digital art, fractals are a unifying thread that connects diverse aspects of our existence.
We brought artist Can Büyükberber and his wonderful curiosity along on the journey this week. We can't wait to hear what you think of this interview.
Thanks for joining us,
Lee & Dorothy
Featuring
Can is a visual artist and director who works on immersive audiovisual experiences that blur the boundaries between physical and digital spaces. He sat with us to discuss fractals, cinema, and magic.
As a true multimedia artist, he talked a bit about working across forms:
There is an artistry in understanding your media and how to use it more effectively to present better experiences.
And his entry into convergent media:
That was a eureka moment for me. I understood that I don't have to design things for screens anymore. I can put this in a space.
The computerization of all the disciplines also creates a common dialogue and creates a platform to collaborate.
Synesthesia Curated
If you enjoy our featured artist, here are other projects you might like:
Timely
News, tools, and launches you should know about.
New Opportunities
Interesting positions we've discovered this week.
Freelance Senior Experiential Designer at Mirrored Media, Santa Monica, CA, USA
Senior Network Engineer at Cosm, USA
Creative Producer at flora&faunavisions, Berlin, DE
Managers, Immersive Entertainment at Layered Reality, London, UK
Senior Knowledge Exchange Technician, Digital and Immersive Media at STEAMhouse, Birmingham, UK
Technical Fellow, Immersive Technologies at CAE, Orlando, FL, USA
Divergent Inspiration
We believe some of the most powerful inspiration comes when we least expect it. Each week we'll share something that has us excited, outside of our normal source of material.
Time, oh time!
Time is the elusive river we're all floating down, isn't it? I've always found it fascinating, this intangible force that governs our lives yet remains so abstract. Sometimes it feels like we're racing against it, desperately trying to catch up or stay ahead, while other times it slips through our fingers like sand, leaving us yearning for just a little more. It's both a comforting constant and a relentless taskmaster, reminding us of our mortality with every tick of the clock. Yet, despite its omnipresence, time remains a mystery, its true nature as elusive as ever.
And then there are those moments when time seems to stand still, when everything aligns perfectly and we find ourselves suspended in a fleeting pocket of eternity. It's in those moments that we catch a glimpse of something beyond the confines of our daily lives, something timeless and eternal. Perhaps time isn't just a linear progression from past to future, but rather a vast tapestry of moments woven together in a complex dance of cause and effect. Whatever it may be, one thing's for certain: time is both our greatest ally and our most formidable adversary, shaping our lives in ways we can scarcely imagine.
-Dorothy
Pi (1998)
The theme this week took me back to 1998, when a then unknown filmmaker named Darren Aronofsky was causing stirs with his debut feature film, Pi.
The protagonist is obsessed with finding the underlying pattern of the world (and specifically stock market). While his obsession ended poorly for him, it was my first introduction to the concept that there are patterns we can find across multiple scales, ultimately leading to me discovering fractals.
I gave it a watch again and it's no surprise Aronofsky has remained one of my favorite filmmakers for nearly 25 years. His work is a wonderful reminder to not get overly lost in linear, reality-based storytelling, and to not be afraid to allow your audience to feel the story, as much as you tell them the story.
-Lee
This newsletter is brought to you by
Lee Billington & Dorothy Di Stefano.