Animating abstract mathematical concepts offers a rich intersection of sciences, art and storytelling, creating visually striking narratives. By using specific techniques and mathematical principles, this animator transforms complex ideas into capturing representations. 

From ordinary to extraordinary 

Unlike typical artists who might feel an intrinsic connection to their craft from an early age, Mike’s path was different. He spent his childhood feeling different from other kids; while others were engrossed in sports, he was captivated by the mechanics of objects, dismantling them to uncover their inner workings. This inquisitiveness did not translate into traditional artistic skills, despite his father's artistic inclinations.

This uniqueness had a profound explanation: he possesses synesthesia and hyperphantasia, conditions that allow him to think purely in visuals without an internal monologue. These unique cognitive traits initially posed challenges in learning, especially in understanding verbally taught concepts like mathematics. It was not until his late 20s, after experimenting with psychedelics such as DMT, that he began to grasp mathematical concepts in a visual context. This epiphany led him to dive into animation in 2013. Over a decade of honing, his craft has culminated in the artist we see today, whose work synthesizes abstract math into mesmerizing visuals.

The creative process behind 3D Math Art

Mike says: “First step is getting it out of my head and generating it in Cinema 4D software. The great thing about Cinema 4D is that it has a lot of generative tools for creating and manipulating 3D objects without the need for manually sculpting them which also saves a lot of time. After that you can control their structure and motion with all sorts of 'effectors' such as math formulas, fields, shaders etc. With the parameters of anything able to connect to anything else I can easily translate something I'm imagining into a 3D animation and play with it in infinite ways. With Cinema 4D's L-system coding I can also create recursive spline structures that can grow and repeat infinitely for some complex fractal-style geometry, then apply math formulas to it, then apply lighting patterns to the texture also driven by other formulas. Over the years I've built a vast library of math formulas and L-system code I've used in the past so I can just re-apply them to new animations I make which also saves time, it's why I can output so much content consistently!” 

Mike does not believe in a simple balance between technical precision and artistic expression. For him, the constraints of current hardware dictate the extent of his creations. Memory limitations, rendering speeds, and software crashes are everyday hurdles. Despite these challenges, continuous hardware upgrades mark significant leaps in the quality and complexity of his work.

“I also try and push the limits of the platforms I post my content on. When youtube started allowing 360/VR content, I was one of the first to post VR animations there... even in stereoscopic 3D! I was one of the first 3D animators to post HDR content on YouTube, the very first to publish an HDR 360/VR video there when that format isn't officially supported (even before HDR VR headsets existed!), and when Instagram started allowing iPhone HDR content on its platform, I did a sorta reverse-engineering of the codec to be the first to post my animations in HDR there! Since my art is so full of insane color spectrums mixing, HDR with 1.07 billion colors is the best way to view what I'm trying to create so I jumped into that as soon as I possibly could!” Mark says.

Moreover, his use of up to 20 lighting layers per rendering enhances post-production versatility, enabling sound-reactive visuals that synchronize with music in real time, a groundbreaking feature for live performances.

Can you share a project that was particularly challenging and explain why?

“The most recent project I did with Jon Hopkins, the music video for RITUAL (Palace)! Whenever I work on a big project I like to push the limits of what I can do to a whole new level. With this one, it was a 6 minute long journey, no cuts, through a particle structure so complex it would break both Cinema 4D and Octane render spectacularly! So I had to invent a new method of generating them as an illusion using custom materials that generate light patterns in 3D space. Not only that, the deadline was short so I had to pull off something really crazy - editing the content while it was rendering at the same time. Usually I can't use my computer while it's rendering, but I found a way to pull it off by sharing system resources. First, I rendered a low quality draft version of the 20+ layers I'd be working on, then while I worked on those the full quality versions would render and at the end, I could swap out the drafts for the full quality files. The amount of crashes were mind-boggling, when I was away from my computer I had to remotely connect to it and restart the render if it crashed! Then there was the task of putting it all together while editing, I broke Adobe After Effects in novel new ways with 26 layers of video in endless nested compositions mixing and masking each other such that at some points, those 26 video layers were being accessed 30-60 times per frame! The amount of tricks I had to use to combine everything was quite insane, but mostly I had to bake out chunk of completed layers into their own videos to ease up on maxing out my memory. In total I generated 14 terabytes worth of files in the making of this video, and while the deadline had to be extended to bring out the best quality animation I've ever attempted, it really shows when you watch it on a 4H HDR TV! I'm so very proud of that achievement, and with better hardware in the future I'm excited to see what I can create without being hindered by today's hardware limitations!”

A glimpse into an exciting tomorrow

Though Mike remains tight-lipped about specific upcoming projects, he hints at ambitious goals on the horizon, including screening his content in 16K at the Las Vegas Sphere and introducing animated wallpapers in vivid HDR for mobile devices. He also aspires to extend his dynamic HDR backgrounds to gaming.

Then, he surprisingly shares with us: “Somewhat unrelated, I wanted to be a film director when I was younger. I have some wild story ideas and there may come a point soon where I can combine my animation skills and AI trained on them to create an entire film myself at home. I love mind-bending sci-fi and horror. Like how I push visual limits with my visuals, I'd love to someday create storytelling experiences that push new limits in the way they make you feel. That's probably years from now, I toyed around with some rough concepts for making an insanely unsettling graphic novel about the effects of a fictional new drug (which I won't even hint at because I can't believe no one's thought of it yet!). Effects so unbelievably horrifying, but there's a part of you that would still want to try it even after seeing what a nightmare it would unleash on the world. I think this would be an easy first step when I eventually get into storytelling, but my other story ideas are definitely suited for films!”

When asked for an inspiring song, Mike chooses Pink Floyd's Time: “One of the first songs I ever listened to since my dad was a big fan, and the lyrics really stuck with me. I felt time pass by faster and faster as I grew up and it made me realize early on how short life is, so I have to make the most of it and take my passion for making visuals as far as I can possibly go! Also, putting more of an effort into making time to have fun and enjoy life with those closest to me, sometimes I get lost into doing my work and the days/weeks flash by in an instant!”

Mike’s UON Visuals ability to turn abstract ideas into mesmerizing visual experiences is not just a testament to his talent, but a glimpse into the future of digital art. Mike stands at the intersection of technology, imagination, and mathematical beauty, and with each new project, he continues to redefine what is possible in both art and science. The world of visual art will undoubtedly be richer and more dynamic as he pushes the boundaries even further.

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