Catalogue > At random

Vladimir Todorovic

the snail on the slope

Animation | dv | noir et blanc | 7:42 | Serbia, Singapour | 2009

The Snail on the Slope is a generative movie based on a book of the same title by Strugatsky brothers. The novel is set on an unknown planet, where humans have a base from which they are investigating and trying to conquer the Forest. The Forest, which is a huge single organism is constantly changing and fighting back. It is also dangerous and there are a lot of unexplained phenomena that they are discovering, frequently. The movie is made of five chapters, which critically address the questions of artistic and scientific efforts to understand nature. The topics that arise in those chapters and that are rendered in semiotic relationship with nature are: sublime view, role of knowledge, escape from ubiquitous bureaucracy, and apocalyptic tone that comes with the destruction of nature. By applying an organic narrative structure to the generative dynamic forms, a spectator witnesses a definition of a novel cinematic experience. In the movie, all the scenes are generated with computer programming language Processing. They are created as abstractions and visualizations of the atmospheres in which all of the action takes place. The music is generated with various analog, digital synthesizers and software instruments.

Vladimir Todorovic, born 1977. Zrenjanin (Serbia), studied visual arts, at the Academy of the Arts in Belgrade and University of California Santa Barbara. Currently, he is working as Assistant Professor at the School of Art, Design and Media, NTU, Singapore. He co-founded the new media art collective called ʻsyntfarmʼ based in Singapore and the Institute for Flexible Cultures and Technologies `NAPON` in Novi Sad, Serbia. His research and art practice focus on generative art forms that are defining novel approaches in new media art and design. In his work, generative forms are utilized in the development of media performances and installations. They are used in various media including: generative video, audio-visual installation and performance, rapid-prototypes, computer games, mixed-reality systems, nano-fabrication, and various others. His projects were exhibited at events and venues like: ICA Singapore, ISEA08, Wired NextFest, Dislocate07, Enter3, ISEA06, Siggraph 06, Transmediale 05, File 2004, MuseumsQuartier Vienna, Machinista, Entermutlimediale 2, WRO05 Biennale, Museum of Contemporary Arts Belgrade, etc; and reviewed at/by: Channel NewsAsia, Reuters, ?Smart Surfaces? ? Springer/Birkhäuser, Wired, New Scientist, Gamasutra, Futures-labs, Neural.it, Res Magazine, Selectparks.net, Turbulence, Artmagazine, Remont, Danas, etc. Recently, he served as the chair of Ludic Interfaces theme and the organizer of ISEA08 in Singapore.