F l o c k (a.k.a. Bird Machine) is a generative art machine that displays a brand-new abstract painting of a flock of birds every day.
What is this thing?
Flock was inspired by birds and fish and the otherworldy forms they create en masse.
The walnut-framed device generates a new murmuration every morning. A custom p5.js script generates an abstract flock on a Raspberry Pi and displays it on an e-ink screen. The paper-like quality of the display makes it feel like a natural object rather than electronics—you wake up to a different image each day, but it blends into your space like a picture frame.
The birds are generated using a custom-designed "flocking" algorithm. There is a "Wizard of Oz" aspect—can you spot it? No two murmurations are ever the same, yet they all feel organic and natural.
Why e-ink? E-ink displays consume almost no power except when refreshing, and they look like paper rather than a glowing screen. The display holds its image indefinitely without power, creating a sense of permanence for each day's generation—until tomorrow arrives with something new.
Tech: Raspberry Pi 4, 12.48-inch tricolor e-Ink panel, p5.js, Python, hand crafted walnut frame and laser-cut enclosure
Left: my original concepts for F l o c k . Right: the final product. Featuring fish mode!
P.S.: A Note on Woodworking
I often use wood in my projects. You can read more about that here. I'd like to call your attention to an often-overlooked aspect of fine woodworking.
Grain is important. Wood is alive, and like the trees they came from, no two boards are alike. Each piece of wood contains within it a unique pattern of grain lines determined by myriad overlapping factors: sun availability, rainfall, milling technique, to name a few.
To no one is this more obvious than musical instrument makers, who hand pick their woods for not just beauty, but the quality of sound certain grain patterns will produce. Interestingly, there is an observable correlation between visual beauty and sound quality. If you need proof, take a close look at a fine, hand-made acoustic guitar vs. a cheap mass produced one.
F l o c k does not produce sound, but grain is still important. In the image below, note how the grain pattern appears to wrap around the frame's corners.
These details matter. The visual harmony of grain-matching affects our enjoyment of the piece, and you don't have to notice the detail to be affected by it.
