Attitudes towards generative music are mixed, it’s fair to say. One man’s ‘innovative non-linear musicality’ is another man’s ‘load of old ambient plinky plonky rubbish’. It’s fair to say Pixel Flowers 2010 won’t appeal to anyone in the latter camp.
It’s an iPad app that’s a collaboration between developer Miguel Chevalier and composer Jacopo Baboni Schilingi, which lets you create a ‘mini generative virtual garden’.
Eh? Essentially, you choose virtual seeds, tap on the screen, and watch them blossom into a 3D garden, with music being generated to match your flowers as they grow and wilt.
You can swipe to look at the garden from any angle, and fiddle with the plants to alter the music as it’s playing. You can also save snapshots of your garden to use as wallpapers or send to friends.
Okay, so Pixel Flowers 2010 costs £9.99, which is a lot of money for an app that’s effectively a stress-reliever – albeit a beautiful one. Still, relaxation is hard to come by these days, so this app may be worth a look.
Leave a Reply