In this talk, Eugene Afonin and Yan Kalnberzin will describe how they integrated Python between the genetic simulator, Framsticks, and TouchDesigner for their multimedia installation Genome of Luck, which was produced for the exhibition Orient Express, featured as a special project at the 2015 Moscow Biennale.

For the installation a table was placed in the centre of a room, on which, two virtual organisms could be seen running a race. The organisms for each race were selected randomly from a pool of 30 creatures and were bred with the help of the Framsticks simulator. Framsticks uses genetic algorithms, rigid body simulations, and simple neuron networks to simulate the evolution of a creature with a random structure defined by the fitness function. In this case, the condition of survival for the organism was based on its ability to run quickly for a set distance. The evolution of each racer on the simulator took from one to several days. Before each race started, the evolution of the two participants in the race were sped up and displayed on two separate screens. The viewer was able to bet on the organism they believed would be the fastest by dropping their money in a glass jar placed beside each of the screens.

In this presentation Eugene Afonin and Yan Kalnberzin will discuss the process of rendering, mapping, and designing this interactive installation.