On Fractals, Roots, and Portals

Lucreccia Quintanilla and Suvani Suri: In your thinking of roots and portals, personal histories and connections to one’s own language, how does an algorithmic thinking feature? What role has it played in shaping your ideas in the past few months?

Fileona Dkhar: As the residency progressed, my research expanded beyond traditional letter writing to a broader exploration of correspondence, encompassing text, speech, and the interconnection of pasts and futures. The residency has prompted me to view poetry as arising from the concept of an offering (of correspondence), although I am still navigating how to link this with ideas of algorithmic thinking. Perhaps, as you (Suvani and Lulu) suggested, there’s a way to incorporate the instructive quality of letter writing into algorithmic thinking. I am encouraged to see what this could mean going forward.

In an attempt to use a computational element while offering roots and portals, I utilized 3D-generated images. I employed the Mandelbulb algorithm to create the initial video using the open-source software Blender. Designed for exploring three-dimensional fractals, the Mandelbulb algorithm generates intricate 3D fractal structures. Although I do not get the full math of it all, its virtual symbolism inspired me to contemplate world-building and shapes. While there was no direct computational link between the letters and the 3D animation, I used the algorithm as a tool to present a narrative. The 3D-generated loop of roots involved adjusting parameters through the Blender software, simulating natural growth patterns. It resembled an improvisation with algorithms to narrate a story. The intention was for the website to serve as an offering to the future, with the story told through sprinklings of algorithmic imagery.

Lucreccia Quintanilla and Suvani Suri: How do instruction and improvisation work together in your practice?

Fileona Dkhar: I view my artistic practice as rooted in the legacy of oral tradition within the Khasi language. Since letter writing is inherently textual, I find inspiration in borrowing instructions from oral myths. One significant mythology that holds particular importance for me is the Khasi myth of the jingkieng jri, translated as the »Bridge of Rubber Roots.« This origin myth emphasizes a key instruction: that humans entered the earth as stewards, not as its possessors. This instructive quality of oral communication is woven as the first incantation of the »roots and portals,« letters addressed to my descendants.

Improvisation plays a role in adapting the oral myth into the context of a letter. The contextual adaptation is personal; as a Khasi person, my connection to the land is nuanced, influenced by a varied and somewhat westernized upbringing. I acknowledge this complexity and find myself picking, choosing, and remixing elements of Khasiness that resonate with me. Improvisation becomes integral to my practice, allowing me to navigate and express these tensions within my Khasi identity. Also, the visual videos and animations serve as a nonverbal improvisational element that strives to collaboratively shape a narrative alongside the instructional letters.