Itzel Yard–recognised as Ix Shells–is a Panamanian-based artist and self taught coder. By playing video games during her childhood, Yard was able to tap into her creativity which prompted a deep fascination for coding at an early age. In recalling her pathway towards where she is now, Yard attributes a lot of her growth to her five-year stay in Toronto, where she studied architectural technology. Though this period was a tumultuous time in her life, it pushed her to find her own voice and creativity, through the safe space of computer science. By combining her observations of patterns in nature with her appreciation for Brutalist architecture, Yard had allowed computer science research to act as a digital simulation of an extension within her own mind, ultimately translating into generative art. While her creations portray a visual interpretation of the physical world, Yard intends every work to act as a metaphor of internal exploration. This narrative is written within each of her works through lines of code, acting as a context-based portrait of what Yard is experiencing at the time. She explains that her home is in her head– welcoming her audience to open a digital door into the artist’s own visual portrayal of self reflection. Her gentle nature, personable warmth, and sincere appreciation for the creation of her work produces a visual form of ingenuity that is unmatched.
