peripeteia is a 3d+ equivalent for the 4d+ spaces i observed watching sweetgum leaves fall in the murphy sculpture garden at ucla. the sculpture represents qualitative and quantitative observations from a third of a second in which the leaf turned over on itself as it fell to the ground. i attempted to show both the predictable and unpredictable nature of a leaf’s movement, and the simultaneously perceived dilation of time as the leaf momentarily floated and changed direction. this work began as a focus on the space defined by the leaf’s contours, and became an exploration of the space through time as it fell.

video was shot at 60 frames per second with a sony hdv-hc3 video camera. maya was used for the 4d modeling, and rhino and zprint were used to prepare the model for a z corp 3d printer. studies were completed in processing and norrkross morphx. special thanks to ben toam and hugo martinez at morphosis architects for their help creating the 3d print.