Bulok

bulok (Filipino) -- rotten, decayed. Used colloquially to describe something that has gone bad, whether food or systems.

An algorithmic ASCII art piece exploring the commodification of our food systems.

Artist Statement

An apple is a classic symbol of temptation. This project uses that symbol to mirror the greed driving modern capitalism: profit-seeking that inflates prices until basic necessities become hard to afford.

The medium is live, algorithmic ASCII art rendered inside a terminal. As the script runs, it rots the apple, replacing its organic texture with financial symbols (₱, $, %) and blank space. That decay is the argument: unchecked financial extraction consumes and corrupts the food systems we depend on.

The apple's organic warmth against the terminal's cold, analytical environment is the point. A terminal is the language of corporate efficiency; using it to render decay shows how spreadsheets and algorithms degrade the physical world they describe.

I'm a second-year Management Engineering student who has coded since childhood. This project bridges those two things, code and food, to critique the corporate systems I'm learning to optimize.

— Keene Brigado

Prerequisites

This artwork runs on Python 3 and is specifically designed for the macOS Terminal environment. It utilizes ANSI 256 colors.

How to Run (Two Ways)

Method 1: The Exported Script (Double-Click)

If you have Python installed but don't want to use the command line:

1. Locate the file named run.command in this folder.
2. Double-click run.command.
3. A terminal window will automatically pop up and start the artwork.

Method 2: The Standalone Executable (No Python Required!)

I have also packaged this project as a standalone macOS executable. This means it will run on any Mac even if they do not have Python installed!

1. Locate the file named bulok_app (it has a black terminal icon).
2. Double-click bulok_app.
3. It will launch a terminal automatically and run the artwork.

Troubleshooting: If macOS blocks either of these files because they were downloaded from the internet, you can Right-Click the file and select Open to bypass Gatekeeper. If it says you lack permissions, run chmod +x <filename> in your terminal once.

Method 4: Windows Users (Double-Click)

Windows does not natively support the Python curses library out of the box, but this project includes a script that handles it automatically!

1. Locate the file named run.bat in this folder.
2. Double-click run.bat.
3. It will briefly install the necessary Windows graphics library (windows-curses), resize your command prompt, and run the artwork.

Note on Standalone Windows Executables: Because this was compiled on macOS, the bulok_app executable will only work on Mac. Generating a standalone .exe for Windows would require compiling the code on a physical Windows machine. However, as long as they have Python installed, run.bat will work perfectly!

Running from Source (For Developers)

If you prefer running it directly from the source code:

1. Open your terminal app and navigate to the project folder.
2. Make sure the window is large enough (at least 120 columns by 45 rows), or simply maximize it.
3. Run the script using Python 3:

   python3 bulok.py

4. The piece will start with a 10-second title card, play through its 90-second cycle, pause for 15 seconds, and then loop continuously.
5. Press q or Q at any time to exit the program.