Meditation profoundly affected me; transcending debilitating depression into vibrant awareness, acceptance, and fuller reality.
Reflect and find your own insights by direct participatory experience, as you explore and co-create this artwork.
created by epok.tech, crowdfunding on Artizen
Locus
A digital kinetic sculpture that embodies meditative experiences, co-created with your natural interactions.
Support our team to bring Locus to life and own part of the artwork; a physical installation, free online exhibit, and collectible editions.
Locus is an interactive digital artwork
Aiming to engage audiences in direct participatory experiences evoking meditation, it will be exhibited as a physical installation, a free online experience, and an NFT series of editions.
As flowing particles trace layers in a translucent human form, the audience and artwork interact by natural motion to co-create meditative experiences.
To explore aspects of the artwork, you can scroll down, turn and zoom the 3D scene, and open the points highlighted with “+”.
Aesthetic and concept
Millions of particles in fluid motion pass through a translucent human bust – their colours match the forms they flow within (skin, bone, muscle, organs), tracing ephemeral hints of shapes and colours layered into the depths.
Observing this fluid motion elicits a meditation on our own subjective sensations (bodily, thought, emotional) – each dynamic, interconnected, chaotic processes.
Meditation can’t be truly be known conceptually or discursively, only by direct participatory experience, here enabled by interactive digital media – real-time visuals, motion, and sound.
The bust and internal anatomy, a clear glass sculpture where particles trace colours, is a 3D volume using Signed-Distance Fields.
The bust’s face matches yours, using a hyper-realistic 3D facial scan via Gaussian Splatting technology.
Interact with your natural motion
Your natural motions affect the flow – movement agitates it into turbulent flurries, clouding outer surfaces; stillness settles it into smooth filaments, revealing intricate details of inner depths.
In this way the artwork reveals itself by your still mindful reflection, in contrast to busy activity – as still water’s clearer than an agitated surface, you see more deeply within.
Your body’s intuitive motion affects the artwork via its camera:
Optical-Flow tracks any motions to influence particle flows.
AI Head-Tracking mirrors your viewpoint by the turn of your head.
AI Hand-Tracking lets you slice the visuals along your palm’s surface.
Peer into the Flow explores interactions via AI Head-Tracking to intuitively mirror your viewpoint – in an NFT series of interactive sketches supporting and prototyping parts of Locus, our crowdfunder supporters are rewarded with random editions.
Sound composed dynamically for immersion
Spatial audio is generated in real-time by each particle’s motion – individual particle sounds culminate into an immersive collective sound; as the sound of wind moving a leaf is to that of a forest.
Dynamically generating sound driven by the emergent motions of millions of interacting particles is an experimental process – we’ll explore the potential of procedural audio and aim to create aleatoric music.
Hear how aleatoric music can be composed in an emergent process.
Motion and fluid dynamics
Locus’ highly-realistic fluid dynamics are powered by Material Point Method simulation – a cutting-edge physics simulation method handling many types of matter interacting in one model.
This project will adapt MPM technology to real-time web – from its origins in film and games industries and research – and release it as Open-Source Software.
See how MPM simulates hyper-realistic fluid physics; here, here, and here.
Exhibited in complementary interacting forms
Physical installation: The main exhibit; a projection on a large circular screen, camera participants interact with, wider area for observers, and spatial audio system for immersive sound.
Online digital: The experience can be explored anywhere by anyone on their own web devices for free, supporting equity of access to the artwork.
NFT series: Editions varying across the artwork’s range of aesthetics and themes; driven by on-chain data and collectors’ input. Early supporters and installation attendees earn rewards that interact with these NFT editions.
Explore more
Explore the aesthetic references and inspiration for a fuller impression of how Locus will appear.
See the progress and development achieved so far, our team and exhibition partners.
Locus is crowdfunding on Artizen
Locus has been curated for the Season 3 Official Selection of the Artizen fund for human creativity!
On this crowdfunding platform, creators engage their communities to support projects, multiplied by match-funds, and compete for the Artizen Prize.
If this project resonates with you, Artizen is an ideal way to support the team creating it.
What Locus gets
Artizen and their sponsors match your contributions, amplifying your impact on the project!
You can support Locus by buying Artifacts, a token per Ξ0.01 / US$23 you contribute.
Artifact sales directly fund the project, unlock more match-funding, and move it up the leaderboard for the Artizen Prize.
What you get
Locus rewards you for your support, both right now and in the future integrated into the final artwork.
Each Artifact is an NFT asset that benefits both you and the project.
Your Artifacts are investments in Locus, a stake whose worth grows with the project and its community.
The Artifacts you own also grant you access to private Locus and Artizen communities, and votes to curate future Artizen seasons.
How to support Locus on Artizen
You can contribute to Locus on Artizen using crypto or card payments until late January 2024.
Need some help?
We can sort out simpler ways to make a contribution, just contact us for help.
Crypto payment
Ξ0.01 each; minimum transfer Ξ0.01
Until 29 January 2024
Your contribution goes directly to the project, and you can receive all Artifacts and rewards directly to your crypto wallet.
See full details in the crypto supporter guide.
Crypto supporter guide
- If you don’t have a crypto wallet, you can get one on services like MetaMask (free, recommended).
- Check out Locus on Artizen to connect your wallet and buy Artifacts to support the project.
- Each Artifact is
Ξ0.01, collect as many as you like to contribute and earn rewards! - Buy all your Artifacts in one transfer to pay less in fees –
gasfees apply per-transfer, big or small.
You can monitor the current gas transfer-fees to time your support to minimise the cost.
This crypto payment option remains open until Season 3 ends on 29 January 2024.
Card payment
US$23 each; minimum transfer US$75
Until 27 January 2024
To pay by card you must enter “Locus” as the project you want to support, and transfer US$75 or more. No crypto needed.
See full details in the card supporter guide.
Card supporter guide
- Visit the card payment page to specify the project you’re supporting and enter your details.
- Copy the name “Locus” into the field “What project do you want to support?” then enter your details.
- Transfers must be over
US$75minimum to cover fluctuatinggas. Each Artifact is aboutUS$23. - Buy all your Artifacts in one transfer to pay less in fees –
gasfees apply per-transfer, big or small.
You can’t receive Artifacts or any rewards that need to be sent to a crypto wallet.
Part of your contribution goes to cover the gas transfer-fees required to convert funds. You can monitor the current fees, to time your support to minimise the cost, and add enough to secure the number of Artifacts you want.
You can pool transfers with other backers to transfer below the US$75 minimum or pay less gas.
Contact us for help arranging a backer pool.
Artizen’s community treasury receives any remainder funds below Ξ0.01 / US$23, along with Artifacts that couldn’t be sent to a crypto wallet.
Card payments take up to 48 hours, so this option ends on 27 January 2024, earlier than crypto payments.
Your Rewards
You can earn rewards for supporting the Locus project – each unlocked in tiers for every 1× or 2× or 3× Artifacts that you buy.
Some rewards can only be sent to you if you have a crypto wallet.
Some rewards require further information like your email or photos.
1×Artifact ~ A Locus Artifact edition
Pay by crypto ~ must be sent to your wallet.
Own a part of Locus in its earliest phase with every crypto contribution, as an Artifact NFT edition of the Locus concept art, sent to your wallet.
Each Artifact is an NFT crypto asset – its value may grow with the project and its community, and can be traded on the blockchain.
Your Artifacts give you a voice to curate projects for Artizen funding seasons – each grants you a vote you can give to projects you believe in and would like to give the chance to be funded on Artizen.
Ownership also grants you access to private communities of:
- Locus: backers, team members; shaping the project, insights, progress, exhibitions, events, connecting collectors with art.
- Artizen: curators, creators, supporters; meeting online and at events around the world, driving positive-impact projects.
Artifact collectors will be connected to the final artwork, as sponsors credited by name or brand or alias, and by unlocking extra features of Locus.
2×Artifact ~ A Peer into the Flow edition
Pay by crypto ~ must be sent to your wallet.
For every 2 Artifacts you buy via crypto, your wallet also receives a random unique NFT edition of Peer into the Flow, while this limited series of 66 lasts.
Own an edition of these digital interactive kinetic sketches, exploring flowing forms and natural interactions with your look and touch, evolving with their on-chain context.
Here your touch or cursor influence the particles, while the view mirrors the turn of your head with AI camera interaction enabled.
This series was created by epok.tech to support Locus with sales to collectors, and to prototype some of its elements – AI body-tracking for natural interactions, complex motions of millions of particles.
A free random edition from 2 Artifacts at Ξ0.02 / 52MATIC is discounted from Ξ0.04 / 92MATIC. See it on Olta or OpenSea to learn about the series, interactions, controls, dynamic on-chain effects, and specify an edition to mint (at full price).
Peer into the Flow collectors will see their editions dynamically update and connect with the final Locus artwork.
3×Artifact ~ A 3D face scan shown in Locus
Coming Soon ~ this reward will apply retroactively when released.
No wallet needed ~ pay by crypto, or by card and add your email.
Further information required ~ contact us to set up this reward.
For every 3 Artifacts you buy from Locus, a hyper-realistic 3D scan of your face will feature as artwork!
Using an exciting new technology, Gaussian Splatting, we’ll process a video or several images of your face at different angles, to generate a physically-realistic 3D reconstruction.
Your 3D face-scan will then be integrated into the art as:
- A unique digital artwork of your face, given to you as digital assets and optionally an
NFT- soon after we receive your imagery. - One of many faces that fade through the Locus artwork while nobody’s interacting with it - when the final artwork is exhibited.
This is the same technique to be used in the final Locus artwork, to reflect to you faithfully, in near-real-time.
Gaussian Splatting rendering. Gaussian Splatting capture and rendering. Aesthetic references and inspiration
Examples of key aesthetic elements of Locus:
Fluid particles, fluid dynamics physics simulation, translucent 3D volumes.
The Locus concept art sketch blends these elements together.
Material Point Method simulation of fluid particles by Grant Kot. 
Progress and development
Approach and intention
Embracing subjective experience and interaction through digital media, this project engages people to deeply explore their own consciousness and subjective experiences.
Embodying meditative experiences, and exploring by interaction – artwork and audience affect each other in a reciprocal dialogue, to create the experience together.
Team and partners
We’ve assembled talented people into a multi-disciplinary creative team to bring this project to life:
- Creative Consultant, Technical Producer, Designers, Photographers, Public Engagement Consultant.
- Sound-Designer and Musician collaborating on experimental generative sound.
- Steel & Form metalwork studio for set-design and fabrication.
- Innovation Creative Director support by Amplify creative agency.
- Meditation Consultant, interviewing other meditative practitioners and audiences to keep this artistic interpretation authentic.
Milestones reached
We’ve deeply researched key elements:
Material Point Methodfor physics realism, in real-time web-tech onGPU, with the advice of leading academic researcher Raymond Yun Fei PhD.Signed-Distance Fieldsfor the anatomical bust 3D forms to influence fluid particles’ colour and matter properties; and related methods.
Developed Optical-Flow, AI-Tracking, GPU-optimised real-time simulation elements, splitting parts into smaller projects supporting this main artwork:
- Peer into the Flow:
NFTseries of sketches editions on Olta; usingAI Head-Trackinginteraction to control the viewpoint; and optimisedGPUsimulation and rendering; with development and proceeds supporting this artwork. Optical-Flowinteraction: developed natural-motion interaction, for participants’ movements to directly influence the particle flow.
Completed the detailed production timeline and budget.
Exhibitions confirmed and expected
- BETA Festival in Dublin, Ireland.
- Peckham Digital in London, United Kingdom.
- Among others expecting confirmation…