- What do we learn about the process of the designers and the artist discussed in the text? What is the role of “process” in their overall activity?
Process is seen not only as an integral part of the final product, but rather as a product itself. It is argued that every good work has to portray a seamless transition from the process to the final form. Process is what is important as it is the goal of Conditional Drawings, the activity of creation becomes the goal.
- Describe how their approach differs from designs or drawings you have created in the past and what the impact on the resulting work is.
For most of my Visual Arts practice, the goal of my creative endeavor was the final product: the painting, the drawing, the prints, the sculpture, etc. I believe this approach is quite static and thrives on the idea of uniqueness of the “artist’s hand”, which, of course, is not bad, however it usually does not provoke a question “How is it done?”.
- The text introduces the concept of the conditional drawing, where the artwork is the result of a series of instructions (rules) being performed. Can you imagine a (short) set of rules that, when followed on a sheet of paper, might produce an interesting, or unexpected, result?
1
Maybe something like: start with a triangle (2cm sides) in the center and then increase the amount of angles in each following shape. (rectangle next, then pentagon, etc.). each next figure should share a side with already existing shape.
2
Or maybe: start with a diagonal line (3 cm long at one of the angles of the paper sheet and then each next line should be perpendicular to the previous line (but the same length (or increasing by 0.5cm??))
- Describe your thought process when devising your rules. Can you imagine the resulting image in your head, or are you tempted to act out your own rules on a sheet of paper – just to get an idea of what the result might look like? (If the latter, try to identify what part of your rules made you do so.)
When thinking about the rules, I was trying to imagine how the product would slowly unravel (so I have identified the starting points and the sizes). However, I am tempted to try out the rules on the paper because it seems quite unpredictable. I believe it would be even more unpredictable with several people (and their interpretation of rules).