Aubrey Birdwell

Unit Cell is a modular sculptural and projection-based installation that investigates the tension between geometric order and material decay. Crystalline forms that are sharp, faceted, and architectural serve as physical anchors for algorithmically generated Voronoi patterns, which are animated in real time to echo the distressed paint cracks that form in historic spaces. The work is shown here, staged in a site-specific configuration at the Georgetown Steamplant. The projection mappings become haunting images in which color fields are blown out in contrast to the rough textures of their surroundings.

Across installations, the work activates disused or transitional spaces, allowing projected textures to merge with existing surfaces. The crystalline modules operate as both object and screen, binding still-life composition with generative animation. Through adjustable parameters that include cell density, fracture depth, degeneration rate, and chromatic range, Unit Cell adapts to varied architectural contexts while maintaining its core investigation into structure, entropy, and surface instability.

The system functions as a research platform that positions sculpture and algorithm in dynamic exchange, where static form is confronted by ephemeral surface and structural clarity is disrupted by computational fracture.