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Seemingly complex and intricate patterns in nature are based on simple mathematical operations, applied over and over again.
The screen shows a so-called ‘Wolfram cellular automaton’. Cellular Automata (CA) consist of sequences of rows of black and white cells, where each next row is based on the configuration of the previous row, following a specific ‘rule’. The simplest CA sets the colour of a cell (black or white) depending on the colour of the 3 neighbouring cells in the previous row: the cell right above the new one, and the ones to the left and right. Because there are 2 possible states (black or white), there are only 8 possible sequences of black and white cells in a group of 3 neighbouring cells.
Another example of these patterns in nature is the Fibonacci sequence (0, 1, 1, 2, 3, 5, 8, 13,…), where each number is the sum of the 2 preceding ones. This sequence provides a simple mathematical framework for a wide collection of naturally occurring shapes and phenomena. Striking examples of the “Fibonacci spiral” are the Romanesco broccoli, the seed pattern arrangement in sun flowers, and pineapple and pine cone patterns. The number series also produces the ‘golden ratio’, already known by the ancient Greeks and Romans and re-discovered by the Renaissance. It was used by Le Corbusier and Salvador Dalì in their works; nowadays it is plentifully being applied in graphic design, architecture and music.
In this manner, the Wolfram cellular automata pose the question that occupies all of us: will we be able to control the changes into the earth system – or are we unwitting victims of societal laws of which we do not even know that they exist?
Installation by Rita van Dingenen.
22 May 2026 | 15 Jul 2026
