'Emerald City' was inspired by looking at emerald crystals embedded in granite rock. The crystals are partly transparent and some of the rock can be seen through them. There are interesting parts just visible while others are only guessed at because they remain hidden within the rock. There is a clear difference between the orientations and colours used by crystals when compared to the way the rock expresses itself. Some rocks are almost totally filled with crystals others only have a small vein of emerald.
All of these aspects I tried to translate into the rule system using a series with increasing density and complexity to do justice to the difference in the samples.
In the computer the form becomes a reality. I can fly through it and explore each hidden corner. The object becomes more accessible than the crystals themselves. (So, no need to call it a 'virtual' reality!) And I can explore the full extent of each of the form decisions I have made during design. The object becomes a city in which I am a traveller and can visit each building block at leisure. There are some amazing perspectives to be seen which can only be experienced interactively in real-time.
The main object of these experiments, of course, is to come closer to the essential nature of a thing by 'wrestling' with its aspects and trying to express (or maybe even force) it within a set of self imposed rules.


Technical Background

HW: PC 486
SW: Artist's Proprietary

Laurens Lapre (NL), born 1961, is the bead of Research and Development at RenderStar Technology’s Amsterdam office. He bolds a Master’s degree in Experimental Psychology from the University o f Leiden, is a co-founder of Modern Medium and RenderStar Technology and an independent artist. He has won prizes in tbe annual AutoDesk Images Award for the last three years running.