Fall 2026 (September Back-to-School)

MARKS

Matt DesLauriers x William Mapan

Real-time, experiential mark-making. Two pioneers of generative art create an immersive multi-screen experience that encourages audience movement through the space. A study in how human gesture translates into algorithmic form.

Status

In Discussion

Target Opening

Fall 2026

Next Milestone

Concept Doc (Jan 2026)

Duration

Quarter-based (3 mo max)

NODE Space Configuration

NODE Foundation is a new digital art space in Palo Alto near Stanford University. Equipment can be reconfigured in ~30 minutes, allowing flexible exhibition design.

Four Rooms

Room 1: LED Wall

35ft LED wall - primary visual anchor

Room 2: Immersive Node

Two 6ft circular screens + ceiling screen - the "node within node"

Room 3: Projector Wall

4:1 aspect ratio with three 4K projectors

Room 4: Modular LED

40 square meters of LED modules - any shape, hang from ceiling or mount on floor

Three Exhibition Levels

Level 1: Screens

Use existing screens as-is. Can be done immediately - send content, see it on the wall today.

Level 2: Custom Config

Individual room concepts. Hang LEDs from ceiling, make cubes, custom arrangements. Requires planning.

Level 3: Takeover

Single concept takes all four rooms. Extended development, may push boundaries of what's possible.

Operating Hours: 11am-10pm public access (free, no tickets). Screens remain on 24/7, visible through street-facing glass wall. High foot traffic from Stanford students walking to/from campus.

Technical Capabilities

All systems run on-premises with dedicated media servers per room. NODE's infrastructure supports real-time, experiential work - exactly what Matt and William want to explore.

Compute & Sync

Real-time WebGL and browser-based content supported
GPS-synced time server for screen synchronization
Custom websocket sync capabilities available
Dedicated media server per room

Audio System

Zone-based control per room
Four-channel spatial audio in center immersive room
Additional targeted directional speakers available

Interactivity

NFC chip readers (prototyped with Matt/John for Punks)
Camera system API for motion detection
Open to building new sensor infrastructure for permanent use

Philosophy

Every artist helps add to NODE's toolbox
Infrastructure built once, reused by future artists
Software feedback cycle, not gallery hardware cycle

Exhibition Concept

MARKS brings together two of the most respected voices in generative art for their first major collaborative work. Matt DesLauriers (Meridian, Subscapes) and William Mapan (Dragons, Anticyclone) share a deep interest in mark-making and color - how lines are applied to surfaces, how digital processes can feel tactile and human.

Real-time and experiential. Not static outputs. The goal is to make engaging experiences that utilize the medium - encouraging visitors to move from one screen to another, discovering connections between different parts of the work.

Site-Specific Considerations

Target Audience

"Wandering professors" and "restless students" - Type A people looking for something unexpected. First intersection walking from Stanford into Palo Alto.

Bilingual Text

Wall text in Solidity primary, English secondary. This audience writes code - they'll appreciate the joke and the statement.

On-Chain Integration

Possibility for live blockchain activity visualization. The system as cultural, economic symphony.

After-Hours Opportunity

Screens visible 24/7 through glass. Bar across the street closes at 2am - students walking back to campus see the art. What do we show them?

The "Node Within Node"

The center immersive room with circular screens doesn't change - it's NODE's signature space. Architecturally, it functions as the intimate interactive heart of any exhibition. When visitors go into it, it's a built-in moment of focus and intensity.

The Artists

Matt DesLauriers

London / PhD Candidate / @mattdesl

Pioneer of generative art and creative coding. Known for mark-making systems that explore organic structures through computational processes. Meridian, Subscapes, Inflection.

"A lot of what we're focused on is the way that a line is applied to a surface... these little marks, these little stipples and little points to create a whole sort of texture."

William Mapan

Paris / Generative Artist / @williamapan

Painter and generative artist exploring the intersection of traditional mark-making and algorithmic systems. Dragons, Anticyclone. Brings color theory and painterly sensibility to code.

"The way you make your pen flow or your brush flow on the surface - this is mark making style. Matt and me always try to bring this thing into digital creations."

Collaborative Work

This will be a true collaboration - not two separate works shown together, but a single unified piece blending their practices. Matt brings scientific exploration of form; William brings painterly intuition and color theory. First time collaborating on a major work together.

Project Coordinator: Hugo Pouchard

Hugo coordinates artist development, meeting facilitation, and timeline management for MARKS. Cultural bridge between the Paris generative art community and NODE's Silicon Valley venue. Will deliver concept document in early-mid January 2026.

Timeline & Next Steps

Dec 18, 2025

Strategy Call Complete

Phil, Seth, Matt, William, Hugo aligned on direction

Early-Mid Jan 2026

Concept Document Due

Hugo delivers one-pager: learning objectives, audience takeaways, concept direction

Jan-Feb 2026

Internal Approval

Phil gets NODE internal approval based on concept doc

Ongoing

Regular Calls

Weekly/bi-weekly with artists (Hugo leads), monthly with NODE

Fall 2026

Exhibition Opens

September back-to-school timing. Artists required in person for opening + educational programming.

Note: Phil expecting first child in April 2026 - should have good rhythm by September.

Dec 18, 2025 Meeting Notes

Strategy call with Phil (NODE), Seth, Matt DesLauriers, William Mapan, Hugo Pouchard

Phil on NODE's Philosophy

"We've spent a lot of brain cycles trying to design a space that removes a lot of the constraints that digital artists most often run into... You can design the physical space around the art that you're creating instead of the other way around."

Matt on Real-Time Experience

"A lot of what excites me with this space is figuring out how we can connect multiple screens and almost make a reason for the audience to move from one screen to the other... something that's a bit bigger and a bit more like of an experience."

William on Engagement

"It's about how to make it engaging. Usually with just static outputs, digital static outputs, it doesn't represent the best... it's always a challenge to make it engaging."

Seth on the Center Room

"The central node area is like a node within the node. And somehow that feels like the heart - the most immersive, most engaging, most interactive heartbeat of the site."

Interactivity Discussion

Matt asked: "Is interactivity something where that would be more in the level three? Like, let's say you walk past a screen and it triggers a certain color, a certain effect?"

Phil's response: NODE has NFC chips (prototyped with Matt/John for Punks) and camera systems. "If we don't have it, as long as it's something that isn't just a one-off use... we're happy to build it."

Key principle: Every artist helps add to NODE's permanent toolbox.

Full transcript: notes.granola.ai

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