My System

My project grows based on spins.
and the five elements
I use red to represent fire, brown to represent earth, yellow to represent medal, blue to represent water and green (which i blended yellow and blue using those blendable color pencils) to represent Wood. Because the concept that fire generates earth, earth generates metal... etc., I arrange them in this order and put their symble at the end of each spin which points the direction of the nxt spin.

and the spins creats a large spin in the same direction as the small ones (clockwise).

"Game System"

In my research of the artist that inspired this project, I found that I was immediately attracted to the series that involved stars. Each image in the set that Sol Lewitt created involved the addition of one more point to the star shape, increasing the intricacy as the series and system moved along. However, his other works that had a feeling of three-dimensionality also intrigued me. I wanted to figure out a way to create a system that combined the feeling that something was 3D using triangles, allowing me to limit the use of the actual squares on the graph paper; I knew from the start that I didn’t want to use them as features in my system.

The idea I had involved looking at my system as if it were a game involving the placement of triangular “game pieces” into a ring. On each “board,” one more piece needed to be placed into the ring than on the previous “board.” The catch was that you could only place the game piece underneath those that had already been placed into the ring. For example, on board number three, the third triangle must be placed under both triangles one and two.

To create the “boards,” a circle was drawn on graph paper using a compass. Each circle was between seven (for the smaller number of triangles used) and nine squares wide at the most clear diagonal (for the boards that would require more triangle space). In order to make sure that the triangular game pieces were the same size, the compass was used again—set to a certain width, marks were made on the page to indicate the length of the base of the rectangle. A ruler was used to keep the sides of each triangle straight when being drawn in. The coloring happened last, and was done in a more arbitrary fashion so as to allow the overlapping and layers I created to be better seen.

The lack of rigidity when it comes to structuring can make it seem as if the system I’ve created is weak. However, my project is a system in the sense that you are systematic in your approach and handlings of what you, in repeating it, are trying to accomplish.

(I'd add images, but Bill has all of my pages!)

Transformation

For my project, I did a continuous ten page piece based on the linear transformations in MC Escher’s Metamorphose. After an initial dot is drawn on the left-most or top page, it is transformed into numerous geometrical shapes and patterns over ten pages until being transformed into a dot again on the right-most or bottom page. There are several general requirements to producing a work similar to mine. First, the medium must be 8.5 x 11 inch graph paper with four squares per inch. Secondly, only HB pencils should be used (a red, blue OR yellow colored pencil may be substituted for the HB pencil). A circle guide and compass are allowed, and encouraged when constructing this piece. Also, it is recommended that one sits down in an armless swivel chair when drawing on the graph paper. The only food that may be consumed during the construction of this piece are Reese’s Pieces and Three Musketeer candy bars. Water and Red Bull are acceptable beverages.
There are several rules governing the entire piece as a whole. All of the pages must be in a linear manner (horizontal or vertical lines). They also must be draw in order. Next, the first and last pages must start and end with a single dot that is exactly half-way (4.5 inches) between either long side of the paper. Now, each successive element in the piece must contain some aspects of the previous element. If the piece is done horizontally, each element will be split roughly into vertical columns with a repeated shapes and lines. Also, every not circular line must go start and end on the intersection of four squares on the graph paper. It is recommended that one goes through as many of these intersections as possible. Half circular lines only need to be tangent to three of these intersections, and full circles must be tangent to four of the intersections. The maximum allowed circle size is 2.5 inches. The maximum allowed square size is 12 x 12 squares. I recommend that most lines and shapes have lengths and proportions that are an even number of squares. If odd numbered lengths are used, the maximum allowed length is 17. There is no limit on even-numbered lengths. Elements may be touching or may be separated by an integer number of squares.
Each transformation in the piece consists of roughly vertical strips that contain the following: straight lines, line patterns, squares, three dimensional prisms, mobius strips (triangular are the easiest to make given the design constraints), triangles, diamonds, parallelograms, octagons, rectangles, hexagons, circles, and/or cylinders. Do not draw lines separating each element – sew them together by adding, removing, or moving elements from the previous strip. One can repeat a strip up to five times. Each strip must contain at least three copies of the same element. They should be arranged so that each strip visually fits together with the next one. One way to do this is to have a large shape containing a small one. The large shapes can be staggered, and subtle changes can be made to the interior shapes.
There is no set order for this work. One may do any transformation whenever one desires. However, as stated before, a dot (no bigger than the intersection of four squares) must be the first and last element. Also, the second and second to last transformation must be ripples that transform out of the dot as if it were thrown in a pond like a stone. Below is the order of transformations that I used:
After the initial dot is drawn, one must create ripples outward from the dot. These ripples then must turn into diamonds, which then morph into three dimensional blocks. Next, the blocks must transform into mobius strips, which then goes to an octagon. The octagons may contain an opening in the middle. The octagons should then become diamonds, which then turn into circles. After the circles, the next vertical strip should contain cylinders. The cylinders can be connected to form “conveyor belt” elements. These can be bent into a rainbow. Regardless of one’s decision, the cylinders must eventually be followed by three dimensional blocks that the morph into squares. From the squares, one then goes back to the initial ripple pattern. Finally, the ripples are followed back to the dot.

The above photograph shows three of my pages.

instructions for my maze production system

begin by placing two blue dots and two yellow dots anywhere on the page. dots of the same color can't touch. connect the blue dot and the yellow dot.

get a new page and place it directly over the first page such that you can see the previous page's blue line through your new sheet. trace this line. in a gestural fashion, trace around this new blue line in yellow, staying approximately 1/4 inch away from the blue line all the way around, and making a yellow line approximately 1/4 inch thick.

now make 10 red circles anywhere within the 1/4 inch thick yellow line. next to each red circle, draw two red lines perpendicular to the blue line -- these two red lines should be approximately 1/2 inch apart from each other.

now trace the 1/4 inch thick yellow line with a red pencil (this red line should not be 1/4 inch thick, but rather just the width of the pencil lead) but do not trace in the 1/2 inch space between the red lines perpendicular to the blue line.

next, make 180 blue dots (one dot per graph paper square) that are either adjacent to (branching from) the 1/2 inch separations between the red lines perpendicular to the blue line or adjacent to a previous blue dot. these blue dots must connect to at least three perpendicular red line separations. they can meander anywhere on the paper so long as a continuous string of blue dots is maintained and the dots never pass over a red line.

connect at least three 1/2 inch red line separations by making paths in this fashion: demarcate 'path squares' by placing a red 'X' in each square adjacent to the 'path square' other than those squares that will also be in the 'path' (so, if you wanted the 'path' to move to the right 10 squares, you would have a horizontal line of 10 red X's, a horizontal line of 10 blank squares, and then another horizontal line of 10 red X's).

get a new sheet of paper. place this new sheet over the second sheet. using a red pencil, trace the red line following the yellow line, trace the 1/2 inch separation red lines (not the red circles next to them), trace the general path of the red X's with lines the width of the pencil lead, and trace the 'outside' of the 'path' made by the blue dots. this will have constructed a maze.

place a blue dot on this new sheet at either end of the blue line on the sheet beneath. connect these two blue dots in any fashion so long as the new blue line remains within the new red maze. place two yellow dots anywhere within the maze, and connect these dots along any path within the maze.

get yet another sheet of paper, trace the blue line and the yellow line. this begins the entire process over again.

graphing system

Each of my ten pages of graph paper all followed the same set of rules, rather than a progression or digression from one page to the next.  So instead of the pages being a continuation from one page to the next, it was more of a selection of ten possible variations.  Many more variations exist, especially when factoring in the color.  The rules that I followed in each separate page consisted of placing four 5 x 5 boxes on the page, each are the same distance from each other- it was the only constant in all ten images.  Then I would add four more boxes in descending order, each attached to the first 5 x 5 box. Starting with a 4 x 4 box on the top left or right corner of the 5 x 5 box, rotating the page so the center of the page was always above the 5 x 5 square when adding the next box.  Then the 3 x 3 box attached to any of the corners on the 4 x 4 box that is not the same corner attached to the 5 x 5 box.  then a 2 x 2 box attached to the 3 x 3, and a 1 x 1 box attached to the 2 x 2 in the same manner.  There are many different possible solutions to this system of rules, because of the varying corners available to pick.  After there are four sets of boxes (it is possible that they will end up attaching in the middle) I made an outline of the entire end product by drawing a line exactly one box away from all of the boxes.  Then, when coloring in the different end products, I would start by designating one color for the one box outline (R,Y,or B).  then the two remaining colors would be used for filling in the 4 sets of 5 boxes.  one color would be chosen to either each 5 x 5, each 4 x 4, each 3 x 3, each 2 x 2, or each 1 x 1 box in the four sets, and the remaining four boxes would all be the same of the last color.  

I found that although they followed the same guidelines, because of the many variations in where the boxes could be placed and which colors were picked, the results produced very different end results.  

An artist that just came to mind (and maybe whom I was subconsciously inspired by) is Josef Albers- because he used squares as well, and he also chose descending sizes.  Although his were all within one another, whereas my boxes are completely separate. (i posted his 1-homage to a square: Soft Spoken, and 2- homage to the square:with rays, above)

My system focuses on rotation and reduction. It starts out with the full picture and two lines are taken away on each page and the entire thing rotates clockwise until it's all seemingly sucked into a black hole. Then it explodes.

Yay.

So here is my finished system. The top row is to be read left to right, and the bottom, right to left.

The Power of Two

My system included a variation on a square made up of four color blocks: red, yellow, blue, and black.  The first page included two-by-two squares, the next two pages included four-by-four squares, the following three included eight-by-eight squares, and the final four pages included sixteen-by-sixteen squares. Within each page, the squares rotated counter-clockwise by each descending row.

Graph Paper Project

Final System

I decided not to use color, but my system still consists of a randomly placed point and 3 boxes of different sizes also placed randomly. The number of sets of 3 boxes corresponds to the frame number in the series.

System!

Mine is a system that alternates, focusing on the "patches" and the background in separate pages. From the first page to the second a new patch is added, and from the second to the third a new element is added to the background (the color blue). From the third to the fourth, another patch is added... and for the next one, something will be added to the background. As the patches are added they become more complicated and colorful just as the background becomes more complicated and colorful. I will be adding two more patches in the course of ten pages that will be the same sizes as the two smaller ones that I have already added, except of course they will be more colorful and complex. I also plan on using white later in the series.

System Project

Mine is a system of circles that bleed out. The colors will be repetitive going from darkest to lighest. I used a compass to make the circles, but I'm still not sure exactly what I want to with the background, but I want it to be more complicated than the central circle design.

Jack's System

My system is more based on the progression. I think I am going to redo it though and make the progression with even numbers so that it can be more symmetrical. For some reason it will not let me upload them, but I can just show them in class.

system project

i've settled on an idea, but as of yet i have only rules and no visuals

to begin, make a large-ish (vague now, yes, i'll tighten that up) blue dot on any intersecting point in the grid. from this dot, 'travel' with 1/4 inch lines up and over and around anywhere along the grid so long as each 1/4 inch line touches the last without tracing over it and the lines stay on the grid. whenever you wish to stop, pick up your pencil and make another large-ish blue dot at your end point. count the number of 1/4 inch lines you made. subtract any amount over 30 (if you made 35, subtract 5) from the number 30 (so if you had 35 initial lines, subtract 5 from 30, leaving you with the number 25). with this new number, draw that many vertical blue lines from approximately 3 inches from the top of the paper to approximately 3 inches from the bottom of the paper. with each blue line, try to trace a vertical line in the grid. any time your blue line strays from the vertical grid line, draw 10 red lines of any length anywhere on the page, and draw one yellow line horizontally along the grid. with these yellow lines, again try to trace the grid line, and for each failed attempt draw 10 rd lines of any length anywhere on the page and 1 blue vertical line to join the earlier blue lines. this system continues recursively unless the artist is able to trace the grid lines directly or is willing to quit and/or lie about their efforts.

this is compelling to me because 'messing up' ultimately produces more visual interest, and that's a nice notion. i let the red lines be of any length and at any point so as to be a relief in the face of frustration; and because i imagine that if a person ends up having to perform these tasks for upwards of twenty minutes they'll come to see many more red lines than blue and yellow ones, and perhaps see that the volume of red lines is not only evidence of their poor tracing but also evidence of their independent choices, when they were apart from the rules for a bit.

but, of course, the freedom exists because a rule allows it to -- is that really freedom? i've come to see now that these ten drawings are ultimately representative of governments and their manipulative suggestions regarding our own freedoms within their rule structures and how even our fleeting moments of freedom are dictated by a rigid, bureaucratic grid. and i encourage you to read as much as you possibly can into whatever system you create.

System Based on Squares and a Point

This is an image of the 10th frame of my system. The number of squares of a particular size depends on the number associated with the frame. From the edge of each square, excluding the one(s) fartherest away, has a line connecting the corner to one point. Both the point and the postition of the squares is decided at random. However, as the number associated with the frame increases, the complexity of the image increases as well. At the moment I have not totally decided whether to go with colors or just black.