This application is a diagnostic thinking tool for examining what happens when two artworks, images, or presences are placed in relation to one another.
The Concept:
It does not interpret artworks, explain their meaning, or judge artistic quality. Instead, it records structural shifts, how attention, dominance, balance, and proximity change when two presences share a space. The system operates through explicit, deterministic calculations where identical inputs will always produce identical results.
What the App Does:
The app analyzes adjacency, how one work affects another purely through spatial and formal conditions. It calculates structural risks such as:
- Dominance: One work overwhelming the other
- Amplification: Mutual reinforcement or escalation
- Flattening: Loss of distinct identity through proximity
- Narrativization: Pressure to read the pairing as a story
- Resolution Pressure: Expectation of synthesis or conclusion
These are not predictions of viewer response. They are arithmetic descriptions of relational conditions that arise from proximity, sequence, and contrast.
How It Works:
- Enter two works: Use the form interface (sliders and fields) or JSON view to define each work's structural attributes
- Define their relationship: Specify distance, overlap, and whether the works are encountered sequentially
- Run the calculation engine: The system computes all structural relationships using fixed formulas
- Read the outputs:
- The Log shows every calculation step
- The Summary aggregates risks
- The Indices display structural balances
- Optional visual reasoning is presented separately and labeled clearly
Optional AI Layer:
In some sections, an optional AI-assisted visual layer may offer possible visual observations. This layer is clearly marked as non-deterministic and does not influence the core calculations.
What Makes It Different:
The app does not tell you what to do. It shows what is happening structurally so you can decide. It's a deterministic, transparent calculation system rather than an interpretive or judgmental tool.