Made Exclusively for Felt Zine
Jerod S. Rivera is a musician and designer based in Oakland, California. His latest music project, “Virgo” explores environments that fluctuate between reality and synthetic fabrication, adding in fictional elements that seem almost plausible. Using custom 3D software developed by animator, Peter Larson, an environment unfolds that merges the parallels to a familiar place in nature and energy.
This reflective kinetic form illustrates the innate potential that we all carry each day. The surrounding foliage and rainforest is an abstract version of the technological reality around us. This can be viewed as an observation of the juxtaposition between nature and technology.
Larson used a 3rd party nodal toolset called SOuP, in conjunction with Autodesk Maya. SOuP nodes can be used to hijack and repurpose Maya’s existing tools in many unexpected ways. A custom mesh solver loops through scripts, incrementally deforming the geometric data that makes up the central element.
Rivera’s music comes from a deep interest in synthesizers, sci-fi, techno, hip-hop, video games, and contemporary art. You can listen and purchase the entire album “Virgo”, at j-s-rivera.bandcamp.com. Available on vinyl, digital and CD.
Music: Jerod S. Rivera
Typography & Design: Jerod S. Rivera
3D Modeling & Rendering: Peter Larson