Fractal // The Daily Render by Nikolas R. Schiller

The Daily Render

A Digital Scrapbook for the Past, Present, and Future

|| 6/8/2010 || 1:40 pm || + Render A Comment || ||
DFW Quilt #2

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Dallas-Fort Worth Airport Quilt #2 by Nikolas Schiller

Using a portion of DFW Quilt, I created this recursively sampled Octagon Quilt projection map. The muted tones from the airport’s concrete tarmac contrasted with the planes and the built environment make this quite a unique map.

View the Google Map of Dallas-Fort Worth International Airport.

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Detail of Dallas-Fort Worth International Airport Quilt #2 by Nikolas Schiller

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|| 3/13/2010 || 9:46 pm || + Render A Comment || ||
The Gershman Y Quilt #3D

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The Gershman Y Quilt #3D by Nikolas Schiller

Based off of one sample of the Gershman Y Quilt #2, I developed a series of 8 different tessellations, and I selected the four maps that were the most visually appealing. This map will be printed out for my upcoming exhibition in Philadelphia. This map concludes this series. I’m looking forward to seeing how they all look printed out.

View the Google Map of Philadelphia.

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|| 3/12/2010 || 2:39 pm || + Render A Comment || ||
The Gershman Y Quilt #3C

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The Gershman Y Quilt #3C by Nikolas Schiller

View the Google Map of Philadelphia.

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|| 3/11/2010 || 3:37 pm || + Render A Comment || ||
The Gershman Y Quilt #3B

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The Gershman Y Quilt #3B by Nikolas Schiller

View the Google Map of Philadelphia.

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|| 3/10/2010 || 3:34 pm || + Render A Comment || ||
The Gershman Y Quilt #3A

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The Gershman Y Quilt #3A by Nikolas Schiller

View the Google Map of Philadelphia.

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|| 3/9/2010 || 3:31 pm || 4 Comments Rendered || ||
The Gershman Y Quilt #2

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The Gershman Y Quilt #2 by Nikolas Schiller

Using a portion of the Gershman Y Quilt, I rendered this derivative map.

The forthcoming series of four maps will be based on one portion of this map.

View the Google Map of Philadelphia.

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|| 2/19/2010 || 1:45 pm || + Render A Comment || ||
Harborside Quilt #3

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Harborside Quilt #3 by Nikolas Schiller

This final edition is derived from sampled imagery from the previous two renderings. I chose the layout for this version based on the beautiful geometric design that is created at the center of the map. These two recursive samplings have created an almost crystalline map of the area.

View the Google Map of Oakland Habour.

Here’s another YouTube video that shows Harborside Health Center on KTVU:

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|| 2/18/2010 || 1:45 pm || + Render A Comment || ||
Harborside Quilt #2

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Harborside Quilt #2 by Nikolas Schiller

This version of the map is derived from sampled imagery from the previous map to create this Octagon Quilt Projection map of Oakland. The recursive sampling employed in this map creates a more geometric geography.

View the Google Map of Oakland Habour.

Here’s another YouTube video that shows Harborside Health Center on CNN:

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|| 10/22/2009 || 5:22 pm || + Render A Comment || ||
Washington Monument Quilt #2

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Washington Monument Quilt #2 by Nikolas Schiller

When the 2005 USGS aerial photography was released to the public in the spring of 2007 there were a few places that were censored through pixilation. On this blog I documented how the White House was censored. I documented how the U.S. Capitol was censored. And I even experimented with a QR-Code to show that the Washington Monument was censored. After doing some exploration within the newly obtained 2008 Washington, DC orthophotography, I discovered that the White House and the U.S. Capitol are STILL censored.

However, now that the construction of the new visitors center at the Washington Monument has been completed, which is the reason, I am told, why the Washington Monument was originally censored in the 2005 imagery, the imagery of the monument is now available without pixilation. Moreover, its the exact same imagery that is being used on Google Maps. While I expect to showcase the censorship of the White House & U.S. Capitol in some future entries, I decided to make make my first map of this new dataset of the Washington Monument because I wasn’t able to make it using the last batch of imagery.

To construct this map, I first rendered a full-size Hexagon Quilt Projection map using the original imagery, then sampled a portion of the resulting map, and used the sampled portion to create this derivative map. I chose to sample the portion in the first map because of two underlying aspects of the map. First, I really liked the way the shadows of the Washington Monument combined together. Secondly, I liked the way the apex of the Washington Monument was combined (see detail below) to create a pyramid. Over the years I have enjoyed playing with the notion of aerial & architectural chiaroscuro, as in, using shadows generated by buildings within the original aerial photography to create a new, larger shadow. This map embodies this ongoing design element perfectly.

View the Google Map of the Washington Monument on the National Mall in Washington, DC.

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|| 10/16/2009 || 3:11 pm || + Render A Comment || ||
National Gallery of Art Sculpture Garden Quilt [COMMISSIONED MAP]

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National Gallery of Art Sculpture Garden Quilt by Nikolas Schiller

After making eight different drafts, the client liked a modified version the best. Using derivative imagery from Draft #4, I was able to create the map above. It features the area around the fountain at the National Gallery of Art Sculpture Garden on the National Mall in Washington, DC. The client is having this map printed at 20″ x 16″ so the final printed version will look slightly different than the version above. As always, contact me if you interested in having a custom map created for you.

View the Google Map of the National Gallery of Art Sculpture Garden on the National Mall in Washington, DC.

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|| 6/29/2009 || 2:23 pm || 1 Comment Rendered || ||
Metro Crash Quilt #2

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Metro Crash Quilt No.2 by Nikolas R. Schiller

Continuing on the theme of my last map, I decided to focus on the merging of the two Metro trains for this version. To create this map I first sampled a portion of Metro Crash Quilt, then I used that portion to create an intermediate map (that I chose to not publish), which I then sampled again to create this fractal Hexagon Quilt Projection map. This process of recursive sampling allowed me to focus more and more on the portion of the map where the two train merge together. The result is a weaved pattern of train tracks and merging Metro cars; a far more intricate map than my previous version. What is lost, however, is the area around the crash site and the crash site itself, in their place are more trains and more train track. I have sampled a portion of this map and am in the process of seeing what a third iteration will look like.

View the Google Map of the crash site in upper Northeast Washington, DC.

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A location somewhere within the map

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|| 6/20/2009 || 10:15 pm || Comments Off || ||
Front Range Quilt #2

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Front Range Quilt no.2 by Nikolas R. Schiller

Using this portion of Front Range Quilt, I created this derivative map. I sampled that portion because I like the nature of how the shadows of the ridge presented themselves and I wanted to include the tarn at the base of Andrews Glacier. I opted for the Dodecagon Quilt Projection because I felt it that it would work nicely since I am not trying to capture any specific buildings or streets in the source imagery (there are none!).

View the Google Map of the Front Range in Rocky Mountain National Park in Colorado.

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A location somewhere within the map

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|| 4/17/2009 || 7:06 pm || Comments Off || ||
Fashion District Quilt #2

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Fashion District Quilt 2 by Nikolas R. Schiller

Using this portion of Fashion District Quilt, I composed this derivative map. I chose this layout because I liked the way the tessellation created almost-circular building clusters.

View the Google Map of the Fashion District in Los Angeles, California

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A location somewhere within the map

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|| 4/11/2009 || 6:24 pm || Comments Off || ||
Phoenix Quilt #2

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Phoenix Quilt 2 by Nikolas R. Schiller

Using this portion of Phoenix Quilt, I created this derivative map of downtown Phoenix, Arizona. For this map I decided to employ the Dodecagon Quilt Projection because its been a little while since I’ve used that projection. I also liked the way the rooftop of the Sandra Day O’Connor US District Court creates a nice design around the center.

View the Google Map of downtown Phoenix, Arizona

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A location somewhere within the map