Droste Lab implements the Droste effect — a recursive visual effect where an image contains a smaller copy of itself, which contains an even smaller copy, and so on to infinity. Named after the Dutch cocoa brand whose packaging featured this self-referential design, the effect is mathematically realized through logarithmic spiral conformal mapping.
The shader uses complex logarithm transformations to map the image plane into a spiraling recursive space. The Cartesian-to-polar transformation followed by the complex exponential creates seamless infinite zoom into the image's own reproduction. The spiral pitch and rotation parameters control how the recursive copies are arranged — from simple concentric nesting to dramatic logarithmic spirals.
Interactive controls expose spiral angle, zoom level, rotation speed, and branch count. The effect works with both procedural patterns and uploaded images, creating mesmerizing infinite regression visuals.