Dezeen Magazine

Julius Horsthuis creates hypnotic fractal visuals for Isometric music video

To create the visuals for Fraction's music video, director Julius Horsthuis used software that generates "unpredictable and infinitely complex shapes".

Horsthuis met the electronic dance act while they were both at a festival in the Netherlands. His artwork was showing in the same dome that Fraction – AKA Eric Raynaud – was performing, and the musician contacted him afterwards to suggest a collaboration.

DMP Fraction Isometric by Julius Horsthuis

The video is typical of Horsthuis' signature aesthetic, which involves using fractals – geometric patterns – to create hypnotic visuals.

"[Raynaud] called the music a 'slow morphing landscape made of noise and textures', and wanted to see an 'infinite zoom or slow metamorphosis'," the director told Dezeen.

DMP Fraction Isometric by Julius Horsthuis

"I thought this was interesting, and I knew why he has approached me – I have a particular style. I felt confident that, after letting the music get to me and playing around, I would get something that he would like."

As the music is without lyrics, Horsthuis opted not to follow a story and instead just went with the concept of change.

DMP Fraction Isometric by Julius Horsthuis

Throughout the video, a series of monochrome shapes are constantly morphing and evolving, something Horsthuis describes as a visual representation of the "morphing landscape in the music".

"I think this type of imagery would appeal to synaesthetic – people who interpret music as shapes," he said. "You can also see music as colours, but for some reason I thought that the shapes were much stronger in black and white."

DMP Fraction Isometric by Julius Horsthuis

To create the visuals, he used a technique called called 3D fractals. The process involves creating the shapes in a special software that interprets mathematical equations, rendering these shapes, and then composing the final elements to make it fit to the music.

"The technique creates mathematical formulas that generate unpredictable and infinitely complex shapes," he said. "The software that produces this sometimes feels like magic to me – there is an incredible amount of possibilities in terms of shapes that can be made."