For Artists & Designers

Visualize the Invisible

The Colony Is Beautiful. Show Us.

Scientists see data. Engineers see systems. Economists see markets.

You see beauty.

Pheromone landscapes. Trail formation. Emergence in motion. The dance of 101 agents becoming one intelligence.

This is art waiting to be made.

What You’re Working With

The Pheromone Landscape

Imagine a map where every path has a “heat” value — the pheromone level.

At first, everything is cold. Equal. Blank.

Then the ants start moving.

t=0:     ░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░    (uniform, no trails)
t=100:   ░░░▒░░░░░▒▒░░░░░░░░░░   (weak trails forming)
t=1000:  ░░░▓▒░░░░▓▓▒░░░░░░░░░   (some paths strengthening)
t=10000: ░░░█▓▒░░░███▒░░░░░░░░   (highways crystallizing)

This is a living painting. It never stops changing.

The Agent Dance

101 agents moving simultaneously. Each one:

• Sensing pheromone
• Making decisions
• Leaving trails
• Dying and being reborn

Choreography without a choreographer.

The Emergence Moment

There’s a moment when random movement becomes organized.

When chaos becomes pattern.

When many becomes one.

Can you capture that moment?

Art Track Challenges

Challenge 1: Visualize Pheromone Evolution

Create a visualization of how pheromone changes over time.

Approaches:

• Heatmaps
• Flow fields
• Particle systems
• Topographic landscapes
• Abstract color fields

Prize: $1,000 for best visualization

Challenge 2: Animate Emergence

Create an animation showing the transition from chaos to order.

Requirements:

• Based on real colony data
• Shows the “moment” of emergence
• Duration: 30 seconds to 3 minutes

Prize: $1,000 for best animation

Challenge 3: Colony Portrait

Create a single image that captures the essence of the colony.

Approaches:

• Generative art from pheromone data
• Interpretive illustration
• Data sculpture (3D)
• Photography/mixed media

Prize: $500 for best static piece

Challenge 4: Interactive Experience

Create an interactive piece where viewers can influence the colony.

Approaches:

• Touch/gesture interface
• Sound reactive
• Physical computing
• VR/AR experience

Prize: $1,500 for best interactive

Challenge 5: Album Art / Visual Identity

Design the visual identity for Ants at Work.

Deliverables:

• Logo variations
• Color palette
• Typography
• One hero image

Prize: Your work becomes our official branding

Data Access for Artists

We’ll give you:

Raw Data

• Pheromone levels over time (CSV, JSON)
• Agent positions and movements
• Graph structure (nodes and edges)
• Event logs (what happened when)

Processed Data

• Heatmap snapshots
• Trail formation sequences
• Emergence metrics
• Network visualizations

APIs

• Real-time pheromone stream
• Agent activity feed
• Query interface for custom data

Tools

• Python visualization libraries
• Processing/p5.js templates
• Three.js starter code
• TouchDesigner patches

Artistic Inspiration

From Nature

• Time-lapse of real ant trails
• Mycelium network growth
• Neural activity visualization
• Murmuration of starlings

From Art

• Casey Reas (generative systems)
• Ryoji Ikeda (data visualization)
• teamLab (interactive emergence)
• Olafur Eliasson (natural phenomena)

From the Colony Itself

• The power-law distribution (few highways, many paths)
• The exploration-exploitation balance
• The crystallization moment
• The collective knowledge that no individual holds

Technical Workshops

Day 1, 15:00 — Data Visualization Basics How to access and interpret colony data.

Day 1, 16:00 — Real-Time Graphics Working with live data streams.

Day 2, 10:00 — Generative Art from Colony Data Turning pheromone into pictures.

Collaboration Opportunities

With Scientists

They have the data. You have the vision.

“Can you visualize this correlation we found?” “Can you make this understandable to non-scientists?” “Can you show what emergence looks like?”

With Engineers

They build the tools. You push them.

“I need the data in this format.” “Can we add this parameter?” “What if the visualization fed back into the colony?”

With Philosophers

They ask the questions. You illustrate them.

“What does consciousness look like?” “How do you show collective knowledge?” “What is the visual language of emergence?”

Exhibition

Post-Hackathon: Best works will be featured in an online exhibition and potentially physical gallery shows.

Credits: All artists retain rights. Exhibition is promotional only.

Catalog: We’re producing a hackathon catalog. Best art will be featured prominently.

What You Need

Skills

• Any visual art practice (digital, traditional, interactive)
• Willingness to work with data
• Curiosity about science

Tools (Bring Your Own)

• Laptop with your preferred software
• Tablet/stylus if you use one
• Any physical art supplies

Provided

• Data access
• Technical support
• Visualization templates
• Printing for physical works

Register

[REGISTER FOR ART TRACK]

Include in your registration:

• Portfolio link
• Preferred medium
• Any data/technical requirements

“Art is not what you see, but what you make others see.”

— Edgar Degas

Scientists describe the colony.

You reveal it.

[JOIN THE COLONY]