Transformación
“Transformation” is a piece inspired by the work of Vera Molnar, recognized for being one of the first women to use computers for artistic purposes. In this piece, I draw on conceptual art, where the idea takes priority over the technique. My goal is to represent the concept of the transformations that people go through over time where we mutate constantly and cyclically, but maintaining our essence. The squares on the canvas shift, reaching a point where the initial image is never the same again. However, even when the image changed completely, we can still make out the squares, the essence of the piece. This visual representation is intended to reflect how our individual transformations never completely distance us from our identity, but rather allow us to connect with our essence and strengthen it.
Technical, aesthetic and conceptual development
To work with squares as a primitive figure, I was inspired by the work of Vera Molnar, who “explored the profound possibilities of the contrast between order and disorder through geometry.” Following that line, I came up with the idea of using squares in my work to represent the concept of transformation, a turbulent, difficult and uncomfortable process that we often experience. After going through these processes, it seems that everything tends to calm down and vibrate more slowly, only to then repeat itself cyclically. In this way, the squares on my canvas shift, creating a contrast between what changes and what remains. The figure is never exactly the same as at the beginning, but neither is it completely different; It retains its essence over time, as does the contrast between order and disorder in Molnar’s work.
Taking into account the words of Nathalie Heinich: “The concept of the work is the work, since ideas are considered as works. In conceptual art, what matters above all is the idea, the intention and the choice of the artist” I find a direct connection with my work, by deciding to work around the concept of transformation. The moving squares visually represent the materialization of this idea.
While I was experimenting with how to carry out my ideas, I found unexpected results that surprised me. In an interview, Vera Molnar expressed: “Randomness in a computer works just like intuition, allowing a world of possibilities that with our limited imagination, we could not have thought of.” In this moment of experimentation, where I was surprised, I understand the words of Jose Luis Brea when he states: “The work itself, the activity that concretizes it, is actually what produces us.”
Taking into account the words of Nathalie Heinich: “The concept of the work is the work, since the ideas are considered as works […]. In conceptual art, what matters above all is the idea, the intention and the choice of the artist” ¹ I find a direct connection with my work, by deciding to work around the concept of transformation. The moving squares visually represent the materialization of this idea.
While I was experimenting with how to carry out my ideas, I found unexpected results that surprised me. In an interview, Vera Molnar expressed: “Randomness in a computer works just like intuition, allowing a world of possibilities that with our limited imagination, we could not have thought of.” In this moment of experimentation, where I was surprised, I understand the words of Jose Luis Brea when he states: “The work itself, the activity that concretizes it, is actually what produces us” ².
Literature
HEINICH, Nathalie. (2014, 2017). “La obra más allá del objeto” en El paradigma del arte contemporáneo: estructuras de una revolución artística. Madrid: Casimiro, pp. 95-119.
BREA, José Luis. (2008). “Redefinición de las prácticas artísticas (s. 21)” en El tercer umbral. Estatuto de las prácticas artísticas en la era del capitalismo cultural. Murcia: CENDEAC, pp. 106-113.
HEINICH, Nathalie. (2014, 2017). “La obra más allá del objeto” en El paradigma del arte contemporáneo: estructuras de una revolución artística. Madrid: Casimiro, pp. 95-119.
BREA, José Luis. (2008). “Redefinición de las prácticas artísticas (s. 21)” en El tercer umbral. Estatuto de las prácticas artísticas en la era del capitalismo cultural. Murcia: CENDEAC, pp. 106-113.