Visual System · 2025
Lichen
Organic computation: a living surface that grows as you watch
2
equations, one surface: patterns that never repeat
A Gray-Scott reaction-diffusion system running on canvas. Coral-like forms emerge from two simple equations. Your cursor deposits catalyst; the colony answers back. No loop, no sprite sheet: biology improvised in code.
Problem
Generative work often chases spectacle: particles, blobs, noise. Rarely does it feel like something is alive, growing, negotiating space.
Approach
We implemented Gray-Scott on a lightweight grid and tuned the feed/kill rates for slow, branching growth. The palette stays mineral: stone dark, lichen green, occasional amber spore.
Outcome
A piece that rewards patience. Come back after thirty seconds and the surface has changed. Screenshot it and you already have a fossil of something that kept moving.
Touch · live form
Client
Self-initiated
Year
2025
Stack
Canvas APIReaction-DiffusionGray-Scott Model
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