Visualizing Aldo Giorgini’s Ideal Flow

Abstract

This paper offers a more detailed analysis of the mathematical methods that Aldo Giorgini used and aims to serve as a supplement to the biographical sketch of Giorgini’s life, Cybernethisms. Giorgini’s career as a civil engineer led him to become a pioneer of computer art, as he repurposed the frameworks for turbulence visualization into works of art. Specifically, we studied Giorgini’s original materials to gain insight into the mathematical methods that Giorgini used in his visualizations of fluid dynamics. Given today’s computer memory and specialized frameworks, the limitations that Giorgini worked with in his time now seem foreign. We wanted to further understand Giorgini’s use of technology and make it more accessible by creating an interactive web tool named Ideal Flow, that allows users to see fluid dynamics variations in real time. Using WebGL, we were able to implement Giorgini’s frameworks using a modern tool and thus fully enable new viewers to celebrate Giorgini’s contributions. Future generations now have the opportunity to familiarize themselves with Giorgini’s unique approach to art and science, as well as computer art history in general.