Boom or Bust [2014]
Digital Video, 4:26 loop
Created with Processing.
This work depicts the turn-based or iterative process of Cellular Automata (CA), whereby large scale
emergent patterns arise from local interactions. Rudy Rucker, in The Lifebox, the Seashell, and the
Soul [2005] describes how his discovery of CA sparked his interest in the potential of the
computer as ‘an interactive “microscope” for exploring this new land.’ (p467)
Boom or Bust follows the rules of ‘The Zeldovich CA Model of the Formation of Cities’ (p351):
| Diffusion. First average each cell’s population with the populations in its neighboring cells. This models the notion that people spontaneously move around. | |
| Boom or bust. Then flip a coin for each cell. If the coin is heads, double the cell’s population value; if the coin is tails, set the cell’s population value to zero. This models the notion that at any time, a given area can prosper or collapse. |
