Spatial Encoder

A Vertical Grammar of Stored Matter

10 min read
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One of the first works I developed within the broader Sculptural Storage Format series was Crystal Towers. This system expands on the idea of spatial mapping introduced in the previous article, where information translated into spatial relationships and composition rules. The inspiration comes from the abacus as one of the earliest spatial computing devices: a system where numbers are not written as symbols, but arranged through position, movement, and relation.

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The abacus became widely used because it turned arithmetic into a physical and spatial process. Long before calculation was automated, merchants, tax collectors, engineers, and administrators needed a reliable way to count, add, subtract, and manage quantities quickly. The abacus answered this need by giving numbers a position inside a frame: value was not only remembered mentally or written on a page, but moved, grouped, and carried through beads. Its strength was simplicity. It required no paper, no ink, and no abstract notation beyond the logic of place value. Because of this, it travelled across cultures and economies as a practical instrument for trade, accounting, measurement, and education, becoming one of the earliest examples of computation as an arrangement of matter in space.

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System components

The Spatial Encoder starts from a very simple idea, similar to the abacus: every character in a word can be understood as a numerical value that can be placed inside a spatial system. A letter is treated as a number that defines: position, count, proportion, and markers. This is computed as a set of horizontal and vertical rules that shape the final object.

Input Text

The raw word, sentence, or phrase entered into the system.

Numerical Conversion

Each character is converted into its ASCII numerical value.

Parameter Derivation

The numerical values are used to derive the generative parameters of the sculpture, including layer size, number of vertical elements, spacing, proportions, and marker placement.

Mesh Composer

The derived parameters are translated into geometry. The system builds the horizontal and vertical elements, adds the markers, combines the parts into a single sculptural object, and prepares the mesh for display or export.

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Converter

ASCII is a standard table that gives every character a numerical value. Letters, numbers, symbols, and spaces each have their own code, so a computer can store and process text as numbers. For example, the letter A has the ASCII value 65, while B has the value 66. In the Spatial Encoder, this table is used as the bridge between written text and numerical value.

Each number is treated as having three positions: the first position, the middle position, and the last position. These positions allow the system to read one numerical value in several ways. The full number defines the general structure, while each individual position is used to control a specific marker rule.

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First Rule

The length of each vertical strip is defined by the total sum of the three digits in the ASCII value. The system reads the number as three separate positions, adds these digits together, and uses the result as a basic measurement for the vertical element. This creates a simple link between the character’s numerical value and the physical proportion of the sculpture.

For example, the letter A has the ASCII value 65.

  • The system reads this as a three digit structure: 0, 6, 5.
  • These three digits are added together: 0 + 6 + 5 = 11.
  • This means that the vertical strip connected to A receives a length value of 11.
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Artist Key

The Artist Key is a unique number created by the author. It does not change the encoded meaning of the text, but it changes how the object is composed. For example, different people can choose to encode the same text, such as Hello World, but each person can use a different Artist Key.

The text still produces the same underlying numerical structure, because the ASCII values remain the same. What changes is the composition: the Artist Key shifts how the vertical elements are arranged, spaced, and proportioned. This means that the same text can generate many different sculptural objects, each one carrying the same encoded information but shaped by a different authorial seed.

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Second Rule

Once the length of the domain is established, the system divides it horizontally. This is done by looking at the three digits of the ASCII value and selecting the highest digit as the number of divisions. These positions become the places where vertical strips can be placed, counted, and later marked. In simple terms, the number first creates a measurable space, then subdivides that space into a set of possible locations.

For the letter A

  • the ASCII value is read as 0, 6, 5.
  • the highest digit is 6,
  • the domain is divided into six horizontal positions.
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Third Rule

The system marks the position of each digit. Each digit in the three digit structure is assigned a specific marker type. The digit value decides which vertical bar receives the marker, while the digit position decides what kind of marker is added. This means the number is read in two ways at the same time: the value of the digit gives the location, and its position in the sequence gives the marker shape. In this way, the sculpture stores the internal structure of the number directly on the vertical elements.

Each position has its own marker geometry:

  • Position 1 : two rectangular geometries placed on opposite sides of the vertical beam
  • Position 2 : one simple rectangle placed in the middle of the beam
  • Position 3 : vertical bar placed perpendicular to the main one
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For example letter A

To read the object, we move from left to right: first we count the total number of vertical bars, then we identify the marker type on each bar, and finally we read its position within the sequence from right to left.

  • The system reads this as a three digit structure: 0, 6, 5
  • Since 0 is ignored we are left with two makers.
  • 6 is in position 2 || 5 is in position 3

The system is also designed to handle cases where multiple digits refer to the same vertical bar. This happens when the same number appears more than once inside the three digit structure. For example, the letter B has the ASCII value 66, which the system reads as 0, 6, 6. Since the digit 6 appears twice, both markers are placed on vertical bar 6. The markers overlap, but each keeps a distinct geometric appearance so the encoded value can still be read and decoded later.

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Assembly

When the encoded letters are placed one above another, they begin to form a larger composition. Each letter produces its own horizontal layer and its own set of vertical bars, but these bars do not always have the same length, position, or alignment. Because of this, some vertical elements may not naturally reach the layer above them.

To resolve this, the system introduces an assembly rule: each vertical bar extends upward until it collides with the next horizontal layer. This connects the separate encoded characters into one continuous structure, while also introducing a degree of unpredictability. The final form is therefore shaped not only by the original text, but also by the way different encoded layers meet, overlap, and force the geometry to adapt.

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Output examples

Using this technique, I produced a series of sculptural commissions for people who wanted to encode personal words, names, or short messages into physical objects. This makes each object both a generated coded structure and a carrier of a personal message.

Link to example: https://in-dialog.com/projects/c-r-s