23 / 25·WebGL & 3D
HELIX
Public genomics lab. Scroll the molecule like a reading head.
About the work
A public genomics lab where scrolling walks a reading head along an instanced DNA double helix. Base pairing is enforced in the geometry — every adenine faces a thymine — and a live 42-base readout spells the sequence as you pass it.
How it was made
Instancing keeps thousands of rungs cheap, but the site's integrity is the pairing rule — the readout lets a biologist verify it. Late passes moved the camera so the helix lives screen-right and gave the readout a blur backing for legibility.
Like every work in the exhibition, it passed three full iteration passes — a visual critique, a deepening pass, and a QA pass at 390px with reduced motion and zero console errors — and documents itself in its own build guide.
Key features
- Two CatmullRom backbones with four instanced rung types
- Base-pairing enforced: A–T and G–C only, checkable on screen
- Scroll-driven reading head with a live sequence readout
- Composition holding the molecule clear of the headline
Technology
- three.js
- InstancedMesh
- GSAP ScrollTrigger
In its own light
