Kubikino is the result of a collaboration between artist Carolina Melis and creative coder Enrico Penzo. The project is informed by notions of choreography, modular pattern composition and character design.
Kubikino is an idiosyncratic face, made of a combination of graphical elements and colours generated by code. Using an essential library of geometries - all deriving from the circle - and primary colours, the code randomly creates new faces resembling human physiognomy, animals or traditional masks.
Drawing upon the influential dance theories of Rudolf Laban and Merce Cunningham, Kubikino's device process for the creation of its faces is underpinned by a sophisticated framework of modular pattern composition. The project's generated output is organised into a grid-based structure, where each section corresponds to a phrase, and the relationship between the various sections collectively generates the final composition. Referencing Laban’s Movement Analysis, each section is paraphrasing LMA's four key components: body (loop), shape (direction), dynamic (colour), space (relationship within the space).
Kubikino also adopts the principles of "chance" and "structured improvisation" articulated by avant-garde pioneers John Cage and Merce Cunningham in the 1960s. The Kubikino identity is constructed from a selected array of animated graphics, rules, and paradigms that correspond to motifs, scores, and ensembles found in conventional art forms such as dance, music, or paintings.
Through the deliberate reference to a face, Kubikino prompts contemplation on the traditional notions of identity, similarity, and persona, as well as the ongoing need to establish one's own representation within a community - from traditional masks to digital avatars. For centuries, human identity has been a source of cultural fascination, with the word "identity" stemming from the Latin term "identitas," signifying both "sameness" and "oneness.”
Inspired by Bruno Munari's "Faces", a collection of abstract portraits created using basic geometric shapes and lines, Kubikino reflects on the simplicity, playfulness, and power of design to communicate across cultures and generations.
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Kubikino et al. A summary.
Every generation starts from a +, and I chose this symbol deliberately as it represents one of the core concept of the project. Kubikino is a face. Each generation is an addition: a plus.
The sum creates a community. In Latin, plus means literally more; in mathematics + stands for positivity and summation. Each generation begins with a + that evolves into a nose. The animation concludes with a +, alluding that another Kubikino will join the community. While working on Kubikino,
I was drawn into the origin, semantics, and etymology of the + sign. I found particular fascination in the development of the + sign as a simplification of the Latin word 'et' and the evolution of the ampersand &. From the Latin et alia (et al), meaning "and others": welcome to Kubikino et al.
