surprisal between generative structure and emergent form
nina manning 


Similar to the process of constructive inference where the brain uses lower-dimensional information incident on the retina to create a higher-dimensional world of visual experience, the viewer here experiences a 3D form generated from a 2D contour. This 2D image is created from shadows of spheres constellated in space, which cohere into an emergent form. The surprise lies in the generative method of this piece, whereby a 3D form typically associated with another source is created in a novel manner.