In physics, chaos is not synonymous with disorder. Here we are referring to deterministic chaos, which reflects the existence of a group of nonlinear physical phenomena in nature that are sensitive to initial conditions and whose geometric structures are fractals. In deterministic chaos, there is a certain order within apparent disorder.

This project utilizes the Clifford attractor to move points. The Clifford attractor is a mathematical formula that allows a point to be moved from its current position using four constants (four numbers that never change). You can see a possible application of this attractor on Paul Bourke’s website.

Most visuals generated with attractors involve a point placed at the center of space that is moved X number of times, often thousands, millions, or even billions of times, while changing its color. With each movement, the point stretches the line, creating curves and convolutions. Everything is determined by the four constants, which are typically within the range of -2 to +2. Sometimes, certain values of the constants can cause the point to never move.

The idea behind the Lost in the Attraction/Abstraction program is to use random constants. The problem is that, in some cases, as described above, nothing happens. To address this, a list of possible constants can be created, and random selection can be made from that list. This idea is already employed in the Attractors series, but I wanted to experiment further by evolving these constants. This involves introducing a tiny value to each of the four constants with every movement. As a result, the sketch no longer draws just one attractor but an interpolation between many attractors. In the movement of each point, you can perceive sudden jerks, abrupt changes, and moments of pause.