About
Alta combines topographic mathematics and generative art to depict terrain in a unique and elegant way. Discover the process.
Grégoire | Founder of Alta
BACK TO THE ROOTS
My name is Grégoire. I’m the founder of Alta.
I grew up in the mountains, and my heart remains tied to them, even when I’m far away.
I wanted everyone to be able to have a little piece of home, even when they’re far from home.
With Alta, I’ve devised a new way to depict mountain terrain and reveal its complexity.
JOY DIVISION
In 1979, the band Joy Division released the album Unknown Pleasures, whose cover would become iconic.
UNKNOWN PLEASURES
The cover of the album Unknown Pleasures features a succession of wavy lines representing the activity emanating from the first discovered pulsar (PSR B1919+21): ridgeline plots.
THE IDEA
Alta sees a new potential in ridgeline plots for representing the surrounding landscapes. The landscape is artificially recreated through the juxtaposition of lines that cut across it, thus revealing the subtleties of its topography.
THE BEAUTY OF PRECISION
Lines dance together to reveal all the surface villosities with a precision of 25m and over areas up to 100,000km2.