The abstract art of algorithms (harmonic graphs)

R is a powerful computer programming language designed to facilitate statistical analyses of large data sets and visually represent them. With a different approach, the same functions can also create art. Here, I have implemented the power of algorithms to automatically generate data frames composed thousands to millions of data points and then plot them in two-dimensional space. However, due to sheer size of the data frames and the nature of the algorithm, I (and no one else for that matter) can conceive how the images will look like after being visualized. Despite having no predictability, I appreciate the results of the algorithm that span noise and poetry.

The Illusion of reality

In an unprecedented era of false facts, misinformation, and conspiracy theories, teasing apart reality from click-bait is an everyday task. To explore this further, I have taken some familiar images from the internet and stochastically removed lines of code that produce the image thus distorting them. In this way, familiar images become distinct from their origin in a style reminescent of cubism.

Pyramids

Katy

Onno

Minimalist drawings in powerpoint

Prior to investing in a program to create vector images, I initially started drawing in powerpoint. The following are collections from this time.

Bonkers, the cat

Rowboat

Coffee cups

To raise awareness of critically endangered animals, I have drawn their minimalist outline with dots in the background depicting the decrease in population size. More specifically, each dot represents one year.

Hawksbill turtle

Black rhino

Science-themed posters

After seeing a twitter post (I sadly cannot find it again!) that showcased posters of scientific research labs and their area of study, I decided to make some of my own for the lab of my PhD advisor, Antonis Rokas. The Rokas lab studies factors that influence phylogenetics (left), evolutionary and functional genomics of yeasts and molds (middle), and the evolution of human pregnancy (right).

Logos

Evolutionary Studies Initiative at Vanderbilt University logo (left). 2018 Department of Biological Sciences, Vanderbilt University, T-shirt design contest winner (right).

As part of my thesis work, I have developed computational tools that help researchers analyze or parse their data. The logo for an alignment trimming software (left) and a phylogenetic tree pruner (right) are shown here.

Miscellaneous pieces

A portrait of budding yeasts

An ode to frogs killed by chytrids

Metamind

Starry Network

Ode to Basquiat

Holiday card