In the ever-changing landscape of contemporary art, the symbiosis between artistic expression and technological innovation has emerged as a force shaping creative discourse. As canvases extend beyond traditional mediums, the dialogue between art and technology unfolds in captivating narratives. This synergy transforms the viewer's experience and challenges conventional notions of artistic creation in a fusion of art and tech, blurring the lines between the physical and virtual worlds.

Ronen Tanchum is an artist associated with the transformations taking place in the field of technology and art. His artistic practice showcased on screens, projections, and as art installations, resides on the borderline of the man-made and the organic, the structured and the chaotic. Employing 3D simulations, artificial intelligence, and an array of coding languages as his chosen tools, Tanchum endeavours to unveil aesthetic possibilities within the realm of computational errors. His practice extends beyond a visual language to an immersive engagement with multiple dimensions and realities, ensuring the artworks are experienced, felt, and actively interacted with.

Describing his approach, Tanchum reflects, "My practice mirrors nature's organic growth—thriving, blooming, nurturing new ideas, and shedding outdated ones. It's an ongoing exploration where the discovery of new technologies facilitates profound self-expression, echoing nature's constant evolution. Inspiration is harvested from the cutting edge of technology and the intricate behaviours of the natural world. How biological systems provide feedback and natural processes can be mimicked with technology fuels my creativity. I am continuously inspired by the work of scientists, programmers, and both contemporary and traditional artists, seeking a synthesis between the precise logic of innovation and the organic unpredictability of nature."

With a background in the film industry, particularly as a Lead FX Technical Director specialising in fluid simulations, Tanchum helped develop memorable sequences in Hollywood blockbusters. His interest in contemporary visual art began over seven years ago. This shift represented a deliberate move towards a more expressive application of his technical knowledge. Navigating from the structured world of cinematic visual effects in Vancouver to the boundless realm of artistic expression, Tanchum’s path reflects a transformation from crafting detailed, technical visuals for films to exploring the boundless, evocative possibilities of digital art. The foundation of Phenomena Labs, a creative studio dedicated to crafting immersive art experiences, marked a pivotal moment in this journey, creating a space where live visuals, generative art coding, and large-scale visual installations coalesce to form a unique, interactive spectacle.

Drawing from his experience in the film industry, Tanchum acknowledges the art of exaggerating realistic parameters for compelling visuals, even if not physically accurate. This ability to tweak and manipulate natural simulations becomes a recurring motif in his works. It serves to infuse the digital and synthetic realm with organic behaviours, patterns, fractals, and stimulations.

In his pursuit of creating believably realistic computer-generated images for movies, Tanchum often grappled with a paradox. He discovered that what appeared convincing to an audience did not always adhere to the laws of physics, while images grounded in realism were often deemed unbelievable. It inspired him to come up with organic forms within computer-generated images. The artist says, “Inspired by nature, my work pulsates with themes of synthetic nature, blooming phenomena, and digital-human synchrony and studies human-machine-environment relationships.”

Reflecting on his mission and practice, he adds, “My mission is to continually expand the role of the artist as a creator of new narratives and a facilitator of accessibility. I aspire to inspire creativity, to provoke learning from nature and its life-affirming processes rather than contributing to its destruction. My practice is about pioneering and storytelling, shaping new narratives that echo the complexity and beauty of the natural world."

Nature remains a central theme in his body of work, particularly focusing on flowers and the rich spectrum of emotions they encapsulate. AI, machine learning, and big data mining, integrated to create new media art via mathematical modelling, accompanied by a fascination with natural phenomena, persistently emerged, resonating with Tanchum's deep magnetism for the organic patterns and chaos found in nature.

Take, Rococo, a piece showcased on several screens comprising a series of digital paintings, which were created entirely with code that interprets and processes the dichotomies of the natural world. Rococo is an artwork that is in constant movement, generating new images of digital flowers every 45 seconds on each screen. This painting algorithm is a fusion of 500 artworks minted on the Tezos blockchain, an intricate code, crafted through the implementation of p5js, glsl, and custom software. In capturing the very essence of expressive painting, Rococo draws inspiration from the venerable tradition of floral artworks. The primary objective was to devise a code capable of generating flowers, infused with an unmistakable expressionist style. Each floral arrangement within the series emerges as a distinct entity. The outcome is a visually diverse collection, resonating with the nuanced expressiveness akin to a painter's deliberate brushstrokes. Rococo stands as a testament to the amalgamation of historical aesthetics and contemporary digital innovation, navigating the frontiers of artistic representation and blockchain technology.

The artwork Perach, 2021, a collaboration with an electrical engineer Eden Offer, focused on botanical research and biofeedback, powered by a multi-sensor IoT device (bioimpedance sensor, soil sensor, light sensor, EMG sensor, and other sensors) and a web platform. The project delved into methodologies for quantifying the internal electric activity of plants and translated this dynamic data into a symphony of both music and visual representations. The art installation functioned as a sensing platform, which allowed the audience to touch the plant, installed on a podium, observe the projected images of the plant, showcase the interior of its activities, and listen to musical interpretations of this life form.

Addressing how the dialogue between the viewer and the artist takes shape, Tanchum comments, “The dialogue is sculpted through immersive and emotive experiences. My aim is for audiences to feel my artwork, and engage with it on a deeply emotional level. While my work is universally approachable, it particularly resonates with those who are at the intersection of art, technology, and the natural environment—individuals seeking to find harmony within this triad and who are open to experiencing art beyond mere visual appreciation.”

With a belief that art should permeate public and personal spaces alike, Tanchum sees a future where art becomes an accessible and integral element of daily life, inspiring and engaging communities in a dialogue that explores the evolving relationships between humans, machines, and their shared environments.