The I’Ching as a 6-bit State Machine
“[the I’Ching] is based on the recognition that the ever-changing diversities of existence have an underlying unity of order, in which everything is related to everything else.”– Gyorgy Doczi
Originally installed at the Red Fez in Austin, TX on December 11, 2001. Programmed by Jared Tarbell. Design and XML poetry library by Lola Brine. Commissioned by the Austin Museum of Digital Art.
Generated excerpts of beautiful poems.
Photographs from the original event, December 11.
See the show online (requires Macromedia Flash 5 player).
Images
The I’Ching as a 6bit State Machine
The I’Ching interface presents the observer with 64 uniquely generated states as based on a 6-bit architecture. Initially, there is no state selected. The first interaction detected by the machine stops a random state selector at one of the 64 nodes in the circle. The value for that node is displayed, and the generative phase of the installation has begun.
The observer is allowed to make five state changes. State changes are made by selected active nodes in the circles. Active nodes are logically defined by changes in each of the hexagram’s six bits.
Energy particles stream from the position of the selecting mechanism.
English labels for each of the 64 states were written by hand, and are of great relevance to the meaning of the poem generated.
Words within the poem are generated behind the viewer. Slowly, each word comes into view as it travels a path through three dimensional space, in real time, as controlled by the observer. The words eventually destabilizes after traveling into the distance. Destabilized words behave erratically and fly off into oblivion.
Poems are fine lines each and approximately 30 words. Some poems enter a looping phase, creating much longer narratives.
After each poem generates and displays all of its words, the I’Ching interface returns, and the observer begins supplying the seeds for the next poem.
Photographs
The I’Ching as a 6bit State Machine
Austin Museum of Digital Art Installation
Originally installed at the Red Fez | Austin, TX
December 2001
Photos from the event:
Josh Knowles of DXM, Red Fez, Dec 2001
Even with the stage falling down around him he kept the show going. Josh produces strange prose, algorithmically generated audio, and stories of his experiences in the future.
Rear stage, Red Fez, Dec 2001
The I’Ching interface hangs like the harvest moon, while somewhere in the room a user interacts with the piece using a wireless mouse.
David Robbins, Red Fez, Dec 2001
Jared and friend, Austin, TX, Dec 2001
The Red Fez in Austin, TX, Dec 2001
Honeycomb Traveling, Red Fez, Dec 2001
Ginny and Wade enjoying the soundtrack of David Robbins’ film. Many thanks to Ginny for her hard work setting things up.