Wind Study by Jitish Kallat: An Interactive Digital Drawing Experience

In dialogue with Mumbai-based artist Jitish Kallat, Google Arts & Culture Lab launched this interactive project, extending his physical drawing practice into the digital space, shaped by real time planetary wind data.

This project is a meditation on our place in the natural world, based on Kallat’s physical studio "elemental rituals": drawing a continuous Hilbert Curve with flammable liquid on a page, igniting it outdoors, and allowing the wind to direct the flames, leaving a "transcript of the silent conversation between wind and fire."

The digital experience translates this process into code, utilizing a WebGL pipeline and shaders. It integrates real-time atmospheric data sourced from NOAA's NOMADS/NCEP, updating every six hours to turn the world into a drawing studio.

How to Play:

1. Choose a location on the rotating globe.

2. Ignite the line by moving a digital matchstick along the Hilbert Curve.

3. Observe the wind as virtual flames respond to real time wind speed and direction.

4. Save your drawing as a unique snapshot of the atmosphere.

As Kallat states, "By using real-time atmospheric data, the screen becomes a sensory portal. It reminds us that whether we are in New York, Tokyo, or Mumbai, we all breathe the same air and are moved by the same currents."

About the artist

Born in 1974 in Mumbai, Jitish Kallat’s practice spans painting, sculpture, and drawing, exploring the intersections of science, historical memory, and the natural world. His work consistently prompts reflections on our planetary presence by shifting focal lengths to juxtapose the cosmic with the everyday. He uses studio rituals mediated by natural elements and time, often incorporating archival materials as tools of reflection.