Livefeed
Livefeed began as a continuation of an earlier piece, Underwater. Back then, I was imagining a small, contained world with swirling currents, fragments of skulls and strands of plant life; something that hinted at the quiet damage we do to the sea without spelling it out. As I worked, the fish I had planned gave way to a single human figure. That one change shifted the atmosphere completely. The open space became enclosed, almost watchful and the work started speaking in a different voice.
Building the figure
I built the figure in MakeHuman, posed her in Blender and brought her into TouchDesigner as an FBX model. It took some trial and error to understand how a rigged character behaves in that space. I gave her a dress and hair with their own weight and texture, so she felt present rather than just placed. The plants around her grew from procedural L-system structures. I shaped their surfaces to contrast with hers, connected to the same world but not lost in it.
- MakeHuman is an Open Source tool for making 3D characters.
- Blender is free and Open Source computer graphics software.
- TouchDesigner is a node-based visual programming language for real-time interactive multimedia content.
- L-system or Lindenmayer system, is a formal grammar with a set of symbols, production rules and an axiom; it was introduced in 1968 to model plant growth and can be used to generate self‑similar, fractal‑like forms.
Controlling the space
The cube is not just a stage; it is the boundary that defines this little ecosystem. Inside it, plants bend and weave but never push past the walls. Light catches on translucent surfaces, greenery folds over the figure and a single eye hangs outside, still and unblinking. These layers and interactions build a quiet tension, as though everything is aware of its limits.
Spin‑off from a spin‑off
While Livefeed was taking shape, I began sketching another scene. This became Hoverstate, a woman floating in meditation with small horns curling from her head. It is calmer and more abstract, but it shares Livefeed’s sense of still observation. Having already worked through the challenges of FBX models, building this second piece felt natural. The two now sit side by side, connected by mood more than by setting.
Sound and atmosphere
The track for Livefeed came together in GarageBand, with slow, suspenseful tones that hold the space without pulling focus. Paired with the restrained motion inside the cube, the audio keeps you within that small world, watching and listening.
- Blender
- MakeHuman
- TouchDesginer
- Garageband
Afterword
Underwater set the tone. Livefeed and Hoverstate carry it forward, each bending the theme in their own way. I could explain them more, but I prefer to let them stand quietly, leaving you to decide what you see.