The above RGB orbital is an abstract depiction of how energy within the visible spectrum is emitted from an atom to form its elemental fingerprint.

Ideation

The artefact went through different renditions before the final abstracted depiction of energy emission that causes the formation of spectral lines. The ideation process started with a brief study of how spectral lines are formed and recorded (process 1), followed by a visual study on atomic orbital, structure and vibrations (process 2 and 3). These explorations were done with the aim of capturing the essence, identity and behaviour of the elements. The greyscale tones used are akin to the true colours of the elements in their purest form, whereas the sizes are based on their atomic number, with 1 being the smallest particle and 14 as the largest.

Process

After analysing an atom’s structure and behaviour using p5.js, there was an attempt to scale out to view them from a macro perspective (process 4). This hints at the concept of a planet’s elemental composition being identifiable from a distance just based on the spectral lines emitted from it. This thought process further progressed to the manipulation of the spectral lines to resemble a human thumbprint (process 5). Although this specific code was too heavy and not viable for the project, the final idea of representing energy emission was derived from this exploration.

Final Artefact

The final coded sketch on p5.js illustrates how energy is being dispersed to produce an element’s unique set of spectral lines, specifically emission lines. These are discrete bright coloured lines portrayed on a black background. Hence, the RGB colour choices are based on how the elemental fingerprints formed are portrayed within the visible spectrum, which has wavelengths in the range of approximately 400nm-700nm. The orbiting behaviour is attributed to how electrons circle the nucleus. Although the ‘dance’ is randomised, it remains that overall, the dotted lines take on the appearance and shape of an atom.