AMIGA APPLETS:

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A set of Java remakes of my early experiments in AmigaBasic.

The original webpage (by Marco Willems) has been modified to run the new versions
   -which are based on, but not faithful copies of, the orininal works.

To start Java Applets -click on the relevant image
(To bring up process menu: right click on Java image  when Applet is running)

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ARCS -A Java remake
 
 

     Trevor Batten:
     Some Notes on the Works in the BASIC SYSTEMS Series:
 
 

  I.    The Concept:

       After a period of producing static images using a plotter coupled
       to a PDP-15 computer, the Amiga offered the opportunity to develop
       real-time moving images.

       The earlier work had been concerned with translation and the
       ontological implications of language and so the idea of taking the
       basic graphic commands of Amiga Basic as primitive concepts to
       explore the new universe of moving images seemed completely logical.

       The commands define worlds: A world of dots, a world of lines,
       a world of arcs and circles and so on....

       The first task is to explore these silent worlds in terms of aesthetic
       categories such as chaos/order, rough/smooth, expectation/surprise etc..

       Initially (in the BASIC SYSTEMS series) random data are used to
       control simple image generating processes.

       The images are therefore experiments with structured randomness where
       the graphic primitives provide the basis for the structuring. The
       use of random data implies that the source of the data is not important
       and opens the possibility for later experiments with data generating
       processes. Perhaps the images can be analyzed, and become themselves
       a source of data.

       Eventually it may be possible to define primitive procedures and to
       integrate them in a basic system capable of bootstrapping itself to
       further complexity through dialogues between the worlds. Even if this
       fails, the process should be capable of bootstrapping the artist.

       In the meantime (hopefully) anything may be possible...
 
 


 II.    The Works:

   "CIRCLE"  1987

ARCS -=A java remake ARCS -A Java remake
 

       Random (and other) variation in the begin and end angles of a circle segment
       generate abstract forms. (To bring up menu: right click on Java image  when Applet is running)


   "FILL"    1987

FILL -A java remake.FILLS -A java remake
 

       The "paint" function of AmigaBasic was used to randomly fill either
       the inside or the outside of a circle segment with colour.
       (To bring up menu: right click on Java image  when Applet is running)



 
    "POINTS"  1988

AMIFLY -A java remake.AMIFLY -A java remake
 

       A set of linked mathematical functions based on a number of flies
       chasing after each other generate a set of moving points which can
       be connected by textured or coloured lines.
       (To bring up menu: right click on Java image  when Applet is running)



 
"CURVE"   1988

CURVES -A java remake.CURVES -A java remake
 

       A hidden grid is made partly visible by randomly generated connecting
       lines and textured Bezier Curves arc around the chosen points.
       (To bring up menu: right click on Java image  when Applet is running)



 
 "SCAN"    1989
 
SCAN -A java remake SCAN -A java remake
 

       The history of a one dimensional cell automat is shown mirrored in
       two-dimensions. The transformation rule is modified every cycle.
       (To bring up menu: right click on Java image  when Applet is running)
 


    "WEAVE"   1989

WEAVE -A java remake.WEAVE -A java remake

       Essentially a cell automat except for the fact that there is no
       internal memory and the automat directly processes the video image.
       The situation is also made slightly more complicated by representing
       the processed information by rotated line segments (and in other ways).
       (To bring up menu: right click on Java image  when Applet is running)
 



 
"FOLD"   1990

FOLD -A java remake.FOLD -A Java remake
 

       The same cell automat is again used for image processing. This time
       the read and write scans have become independent, sometimes even
       horizontally reading and diagonally writing -so the space becomes
       folded. (To bring up menu: right click on Java image  when Applet is running)
 



                                                     Trevor Batten
                                                Amsterdam, March 1998Manila 2009

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