To thank our early supporters who joined us in the Arboretum before Phase 1 – the Origin came to an end, we had commissioned a good friend of ours, a computational designer that goes by the name Unlagia, a former researcher at Harvard GSD, to develop a custom algorithm and parametrically simulate a series of leaf growth dynamics!
Trees grow slow, but strong; and flourish in time when nurtured.
For one week, each and every Tree Guardian will be able to claim a piece of animated art with beautiful leaves sprouting and growing. Claiming this exclusive token is free; you’ll only have to pay the gas fee for the transaction! Snapshot of token holders was taken at 2am EST on August 6th.
This surprise event will become the inaugural set for the ongoing Absurd Arboretum – Reserves collection. The pieces will be revealed the day after the first mint. Minting will be closed after a week, on August 13th at 11pm EST.
Tree Guardians (ARBO token holders) may claim
this token after connecting your MetaMask wallet!
In the publication Modeling and visualization of leaf venation patterns*, the authors outline a flexible and fast algorithm that mimics the growth of veins within a leaf. The algorithm simulates the placement of a hormone known as auxin and the subsequent growth towards and consumption of the hormone. By tuning parameters such as the distance at which auxin is consumed and the rate at which the leaf grows, a number of species can be convincingly mimicked by the algorithm. A modification of this algorithm drives the growth of the leaves in these animations. The procedural animations are overlaid with textures from naturally iridescent minerals and organisms such as opal and beetle shells to create an otherworldly bloom.
*Runions, A., Fuhrer, M., Lane, B., Federl, P., Rolland-Lagan, A. G., & Prusinkiewicz, P. (2005). Modeling and visualization of leaf venation patterns. In ACM SIGGRAPH 2005 Papers (pp. 702-711).
