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2003 •
Since their discovery by Mandelbrot (The Fractal Geometry of Nature, Freeman, New York, 1977), fractals have experienced considerable success in quantifying the complex structure exhibited by many natural patterns and have captured the imaginations of scientists and artists alike. With ever-widening appeal, they have been referred to both as ‘‘fingerprints of nature’’ (Nature 399 (1999) 422) and ‘‘the new aesthetics’’ (J. Hum. Psychol. 41 (2001) 59). Here, we show that humans display a consistent aesthetic preference across fractal images, regardless of whether these images are generated by nature’s processes, by mathematics, or by the human hand. r 2003 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.
Frontiers in human neuroscience
A Complex Story: Universal Preference vs. Individual Differences Shaping Aesthetic Response to Fractals Patterns2016 •
Fractal patterns offer one way to represent the rough complexity of the natural world. Whilst they dominate many of our visual experiences in nature, little large-scale perceptual research has been done to explore how we respond aesthetically to these patterns. Previous research (Taylor et al., 2011) suggests that the fractal patterns with mid-range fractal dimensions (FDs) have universal aesthetic appeal. Perceptual and aesthetic responses to visual complexity have been more varied with findings suggesting both linear (Forsythe et al., 2011) and curvilinear (Berlyne, 1970) relationships. Individual differences have been found to account for many of the differences we see in aesthetic responses but some, such as culture, have received little attention within the fractal and complexity research fields. This two-study article aims to test preference responses to FD and visual complexity, using a large cohort (N = 443) of participants from around the world to allow universality claims ...
Frontiers in human neuroscience
Aesthetic Responses to Exact Fractals Driven by Physical Complexity2016 •
Fractals are physically complex due to their repetition of patterns at multiple size scales. Whereas the statistical characteristics of the patterns repeat for fractals found in natural objects, computers can generate patterns that repeat exactly. Are these exact fractals processed differently, visually and aesthetically, than their statistical counterparts? We investigated the human aesthetic response to the complexity of exact fractals by manipulating fractal dimensionality, symmetry, recursion, and the number of segments in the generator. Across two studies, a variety of fractal patterns were visually presented to human participants to determine the typical response to exact fractals. In the first study, we found that preference ratings for exact midpoint displacement fractals can be described by a linear trend with preference increasing as fractal dimension increases. For the majority of individuals, preference increased with dimension. We replicated these results for other exac...
Nonlinear dynamics, psychology, and life sciences
Perceptual and physiological responses to the visual complexity of fractal patterns2005 •
Fractals have experienced considerable success in quantifying the complex structure exhibited by many natural patterns and have captured the imagination of scientists and artists alike. With ever widening appeal, they have been referred to both as "fingerprints of nature" and "the new aesthetics." Our research has shown that the drip patterns of the American abstract painter Jackson Pollock are fractal. In this paper, we consider the implications of this discovery. We first present an overview of our research from the past five years to establish a context for our current investigations of human response to fractals. We discuss results showing that fractal images generated by mathematical, natural and human processes possess a shared aesthetic quality based on visual complexity. In particular, participants in visual perception tests display a preference for fractals with mid-range fractal dimensions. We also present recent preliminary work based on skin conductan...
Frontiers in Psychology
Aesthetics and Psychological Effects of Fractal Based Design2021 •
Highly prevalent in nature, fractal patterns possess self-similar components that repeat at varying size scales. The perceptual experience of human-made environments can be impacted with inclusion of these natural patterns. Previous work has demonstrated consistent trends in preference for and complexity estimates of fractal patterns. However, limited information has been gathered on the impact of other visual judgments. Here we examine the aesthetic and perceptual experience of fractal ‘global-forest’ designs already installed in humanmade spaces and demonstrate how fractal pattern components are associated with positive psychological experiences that can be utilized to promote occupant wellbeing. These designs are composite fractal patterns consisting of individual fractal ‘tree-seeds’ which combine to create a ‘global fractal forest.’ The local ‘tree-seed’ patterns, global configuration of tree-seed locations, and overall resulting ‘global-forest’ patterns have fractal qualities....
Frontiers in psychology
Preference for Fractal-Scaling Properties Across Synthetic Noise Images and Artworks2018 •
A large number of studies support the notion that synthetic images within a certain intermediate fractal-scaling range possess an intrinsic esthetic value. Interestingly, the fractal-scaling properties that define this intermediate range have also been found to characterize a vast collection of representational, abstract, and graphic art. While some have argued that these statistic properties only serve to maximize the visibility of the artworks' spatial structure, others argue that they are intrinsically tied to the artworks' esthetic appeal. In this study, we bring together these two threads of research and make a direct comparison between visual preference for varying fractal-scaling characteristics in both synthetic images and artworks. Across two studies, viewers ranked and rated sets of synthetic noise images and artworks that systematically varied in fractal dimension for liking, pleasantness, complexity, and interestingness. We analyzed both average and individual pa...
2008 •
Springer Series in Computational Neuroscience
Fractal Fluency: An Intimate Relationship Between the Brain and Processing of Fractal Stimuli2016 •
Design4Health Conference
Fractal Dimension in Designing Future Health and Wellbeing: Designer Fractals and Wallpaper Patterns2021 •
In recent years, the environmental psychology theory of biophilia has been presented as a solution for what the WHO has called the epidemic of the 21st century—stress (Stress, n.d.). The biophilia hypothesis poses that when we are exposed to nature we feel better, and this wellbeing is proven to manifest both psychologically and physiologically as increases in visual interest, visual preference, and mood, as well as reduced heart rate and diastolic blood pressure, increased alpha in the frontal lobes and increased beta in the parietal lobes. One of the compelling reasons for our affinity to nature is found in the visual organization of nature into fractal patterns. This paper introduces my work-in-progress research into the perceived wellbeing effect to patterns inspired by nature's geometry. The novelty of this research lies in the type of nature-inspired patterning used as stimuli, which were inspired by a historical retrospective of wallpaper and upholstery fabric patterns. Seven "Designer Fractal Patterns" were designed through an interdisciplinary collaboration between design, psychology, and mathematics, in accordance with a set of fractal characteristics and a range of prescribed fractal dimensions. This research looks to past design trends and approaches as a foundation to build a visual language, bringing into our spaces ordered visual complexity, improving our psychological wellbeing and mood while maintaining our link with nature through practical biophilic design practices.
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2021 •
Frontiers in Human Neuroscience
Perceptual and Physiological Responses to Jackson Pollock's Fractals2011 •
British Journal of Psychology
Predicting beauty: Fractal dimension and visual complexity in art2011 •
… Psychol Life Sci
Perceptual and physiological responses to the visual complexity of Pollock's dripped fractal patterns2005 •
The frontiers collection
The Sinai Light Show: Using Science to Tune Fractal Aesthetics2019 •
International Journal of Bifurcation and Chaos
THE AESTHETICS AND FRACTAL DIMENSION OF ELECTRIC SHEEPBridges Conference 2007
Fractal Art: Closer to Heaven? Modern Mathematics, the art of Nature, and the nature of Art2007 •
Environment and Planning B: Planning and Design
Fractals and picturesque composition2002 •
For All Practical Fractalish Purposes
For All Practical Fractalish Purposes Gateway One: Encountering Fractals in Nature1998 •
Nonlinear dynamics, psychology, and life sciences
The museum of unnatural form: a visual and tactile experience of fractals2009 •
Congress of the International Association of Societies of Design Research
Perceived Wellbeing Effects of Designer Fractal Patterns: Visual Complexity and Interior Spaces2019 •
2021 •
Journal of Environmental Psychology
Fractals in architecture: The visual interest, preference, and mood response to projected fractal light patterns in interior spaces2007 •