Silver Generative, Algorithmic, Parametric and AI-Assisted Design · 2025
Curiosity Blocks Digital Art
by Yuko Suzuki
- A' Design Award 2025 Silver Winner in Generative, Algorithmic, Parametric and AI-Assisted Design
- Awarded April 15, 2025
- CLIENT: NTT InterCommunication Center (ICC)
- Estimated Number of Design Views: 167,898
- Verification code 0D2A5E4D85 · Verify this award
About Curiosity Blocks Digital Art
This work was created for an exhibition aimed at introducing children to the fun of coding. It is an animation using a technique called anamorphosis, where images are distorted in advance to appear correctly when reflected in a cylindrical mirror; essentially, a moving anamorphosis. Multiple animation parts are combined to represent the idea that new discoveries are born when curiosity connects and overlaps. The artist, who is also a printmaker, superimposed the relationship between a block and a print onto the relationship between the image on the display and the image in the mirror.
Curiosity Blocks Digital Art by Yuko Suzuki emerges from the contemporary practice of generative and algorithmic design, a domain where computational processes collaborate with artistic intention to produce visual outcomes that balance systematic logic with aesthetic surprise. This collection of nine circular compositions demonstrates the designer's sophisticated engagement with parametric variation, wherein a foundational set of rules generates diverse individual expressions while maintaining cohesive visual family relationships. Each medallion functions as an autonomous visual statement, yet the grid arrangement invites comparative reading, encouraging viewers to trace the algorithmic threads connecting seemingly disparate forms. The work participates in traditions extending from early twentieth-century geometric abstraction through the systematic investigations of concrete art and into digital-age explorations of emergent complexity. Technical accomplishment is evident in the precise color relationships, the balanced distribution of chromatic temperature across the ensemble, and the careful calibration of density and openness within individual units. Thematically, the work appears to meditate on unity within multiplicity, suggesting how consistent underlying principles can generate apparently infinite variation, a concept resonating with natural phenomena from snowflakes to galaxies. The title evokes childhood building blocks transformed into instruments of wonder and inquiry, positioning the work within a framework of playful discovery and intellectual curiosity. Art historically, one might note affinities with the color investigations of Johannes Itten, the systematic variations of Sol LeWitt, and the generative experiments of contemporary computational artists. The black ground functions not merely as negative space but as a conceptual framing device, suggesting laboratory specimens, cosmic bodies, or the infinite potential of the unmarked digital canvas from which these forms emerge. Viewers are invited to consider: how might structured systems and creative freedom collaborate to reveal unexpected beauty?
Press Kit
- Unique Properties
- This work is an animation that uses a technique called anamorphosis, in which images are drawn that are distorted in advance so that they will look correct when reflected in a cylindrical mirror.
The artist used a technique of combining multiple animation parts to imagine how curiosity connects and overlaps to create new knowledge and discoveries. - Dimensions & Packaging
- 1920 × 1920 pixel, 5 minutes 42 seconds, 2 pieces
- Tags
- Generative Art, Coding, Trick Art
- Production Technology
- This work was created using a programming language called Processing. The animation is designed with a structure that combines multiple parts like blocks, and has a layered structure for each color like a print. 16 different animation parts and their variations were created, and the program transformed them from a flat surface to a circular shape.
- Design Challenge
- The most difficult part was converting the flat animation into a circular animation using a program, and then experimenting to see if the design would look visually interesting when projected onto the mirror.
We projected a number of patterns onto the mirror and adjusted the overall balance to determine the optimal shape. This process involved trial and error to get a visually appealing and consistent result, and it took a lot of time and effort, especially adjusting the design when reflected in the mirror. - Project Duration
- This work was exhibited at "ICC Kids Program 2024 you().code().world()." held at NTT InterCommunication Center in Tokyo from July 23rd to August 25th, 2024.
- Operation Flow
- In this animation, pre-distorted images are used so that they appear in the correct form when reflected in a cylindrical mirror. The interaction occurs primarily as the user observes in front of the mirror, with the deformation of the animation changing based on the angle and viewpoint of the mirror. The interaction is visual and depends on how the user perceives the image. To achieve better results, it is crucial to carefully adjust the patterns of distortion and the timing of the animation. The performance stands out due to its consistent visual deformation and movement, providing a strong visual impact through the mirror.
- Research
- In this study, we used a program to distort an image and observed how it changed when projected onto a cylindrical mirror. Through various observations and feedback, we were able to gain a deeper understanding of how the distorted image was shaped by the mirror, and we confirmed that it was possible to create visually appealing and innovative designs. In addition, the animation incorporated mathematical elements (such as trigonometric functions and vectors) that students will learn in junior high and high school, allowing them to visually experience concepts they will learn in the future.
- Inspiration
- The artist, who is also a printmaker, has overlaid the relationship between a block and a print with the relationship between an image reflected on a display and an image reflected in a mirror, incorporating into the animation the way that, like a multi-colored print, each color has its own unique layer and overlaps to form a layered structure.
The title "Blocks" contains connotations such as "a mass," "a section divided into grids," "a series of commands in a program," and "a woodblock print." - Image Credits
- Image #1: Photo courtesy NTT InterCommunication Center, Curiosity Blocks, 2024.
Image #2: Photo courtesy NTT InterCommunication Center, Curiosity Blocks, 2024.
Image #3: Photo courtesy NTT InterCommunication Center, Curiosity Blocks, 2024.
Image #4: Photo courtesy NTT InterCommunication Center, Curiosity Blocks, 2024.