story
Mettle is a story of human perseverance and the inherent good within. Michael’s latest work transports the viewer into a future world where urban settings are steeped in cyberpunk aesthetics and dystopian themes. Despite the bleakness, echoes of ancient motifs persist. Urban city walls, plastered with posters of the latest craze, are not relics but are instead distressed, broken down, and worn through neglect, creating scenes that are both abstract and recognizable. Graffiti, congruent with the times, is at once modern and nostalgic, linking past and present. These urban landscapes carry clear messages of ideals that still endure. Though these ideals might seem abstract in a world often forgotten, they stand as powerful testaments to the unbreakable human spirit and its will to endure.
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design
Minimal in form, Mettle navigates the space between minimalism and abstraction, balancing structure and random distortion, dark and light. In this futuristic world, color is a rare and cherished commodity. Bright, vivid, and overly saturated hues become the most treasured elements, expressing profound emotions whenever they appear. The interplay of color with the stark, often monochromatic backgrounds invites viewers to look closer, revealing the layers beneath the noise. This design choice underscores the contradictions inherent in a future that values both the muted and the vibrant, the structured and the chaotic.
code
The code driving Mettle is a symphony of addition and subtraction. Forms are meticulously laid on the canvas, only to be distressed and erased through the introduction of random noise particles. This interplay between Michael’s code and the computational power of the machine creates unique, irreplaceable paintings. Each piece is a product of this dynamic tension, a contradiction to be cherished and nurtured. It mirrors the unknown future, embracing the unexpected and the unplanned. The code not only generates art but also simulates the process of decay and renewal, embodying the project’s themes of resilience and transformation.