kuramoto cycles

video with sound

Kuramoto Cycles explores the rhythmic complexity inherent in networks of coupled oscillators. This dynamical system, known as Kuramoto Oscillators, model many of the synchronistic behaviors inherent in many of the biological and chemical systems found in nature (e.g. firefly synchronicity, bioluminescent algae, pacemaker cells, etc.). This piece examines the self-organizing behaviors that emerge as a result of their communicative interplay. The polyrhythmic complexities that emerge are a result of different groups of oscillators settling into unusual metrical regimes that suggest the musical dynamics of jazz, west-african, and tabla drums.