Ilmo Kapanen (b. 1995) works as a designer and creative technologist based in Espoo, Finland. He graduated as an architect from Aalto University and has studied computer science in University of Helsinki. This has led to projects in the fields of parametric architecture, art, and programming, consisting of applications and physical structures. Ilmo’s practice spans web applications, and his artistic interest is directed at examining large and universal phenomena through the lens of contemporary technology.
Loom Of Reality is a computational artwork studying the themes of identity, traditions, craft, past, and future within the framework of the current digital era and its creative tools. As the viewer follows the eternal weaving process, one can see the past, present, and future. This Javascript-based artwork is a finalist & winner of the the Combine24 computational art competition hosted by the Finnish national gallery. This competition merges art and technology, using the Gallery’s collection data and blockchain technology.
Terra mapper is a personal project and browser based react-application, that allows users to inspect and download earth’s topographical elements 3D format (.OBJ) and in other data formats. App is free to use and is based on free API’s providing coordinate and elevation data around the world. First version of the application will be published on Autumn 2024.
A fullstack project of mine, I created this web portolio utilizing javascript frameworks such as React. Portfolio’s backend, using Node.js runtime and following REST-architecture, fetches project related data from Mongo Atlas-database. The UI-design and illustrations are made by myself as well, with goal of clear yet playfull look.
The waterflow simulator shows the path of a waterdroplets / streams on a given surface type. This simulator was scripted as a part of my thesis, to help me find design variations which would allow the water to flow to each brick on my green façade. The idea behind the algorithm is quite simple: if the angle between the xy-plane and the plane perpendicular to the surface’s normal vector at a given point is between the critical movement angle and the dropping angle (which are characteristical to the given surface material), the droplet is moving. Outside of that range, it either stops or drops.
I scripted my own shortest path finder-tool on Grasshopper, based on an A-star search algorithm. These algorithms are particularly useful in cityplanning and complex floorplan design, when estimating the accessibility of different areas. The script utilizes mesh faces as nodes, each of which has a different weight number describing its desirability as a next step for the path.
New terminal stop for tram at shopping center Sello, Espoo Finland, created a need for an element that leads passengers from one stop to another. The new low ceiling that stretches from the entrance to the other meets this need. The new, undulating shape of ceiling is designed with Grasshopper and ArchiCAD software, and my role as a computational designer / architect was to create fully parametric model to study design variations, design and create fully automated construction drawing pipeline using Python and Grasshopper. In general, the architectural design and project management were handled by Bolder Development.