Beiherhund das Oder die Flipperwaldt gersput

Ingredients: -2225 letters, -858 numbers, -3063 special characters, -a fresh and warm p5.js, -internet connection, -paper, -markers/colored pencils.

Recipe:

1. First of all, we will start with a 512x512 canvas, the basis of all our work, why 512? I could say that they are the number of minutes it took me to count each character by hand, but it wouldn’t be correct, so I’ll leave it to you, the reader, to choose.

2. From now on, if the canvas was our mass, this will be the filling, the works that will fill our micro-museum, a micro-situation of socialization (José Luis Brea’s concept) even, if you want to fulfill the mandate of the work. 2.1. First, we will base ourselves on “Pixillation”, by Lillian Schwartz, and on those very shocking frames, where square and rectangular figures quickly changed color, we will try to reproduce that feeling, the shapes are left to your liking, just try to recreate that essence that affected you so much. 2.2. then and secondly, we will go for A.Michael Noll, with his “Vertical-horizontal number three”, which has those intriguing and quadratic shapes, when you see it, your gaze gets lost, almost as if you were counting characters by hand, trying to see where those shapes begin and end, so why not try to recreate the feeling? You start making the squares, the order is to your liking, but then, how do you recreate the feeling of mystery? Easy, the squares and rectangles slowly appear on the screen, merging into each other.

3. For the third work, we will go with Frieder Nake, and his “Matrizemultiplikation”, this is quite simple, draw on paper and marker/pencil a square, making columns of 4 different colors, from each other, try to make differences between the squares, think, how do you want to make them distinguish, without changing the basic structure too much? I think it is quite explanatory and easy, like counting characters by hand. After that, pass it to your p5js code, and this time, leave the colors fixed. 2.4. Finally, and with our latest work, “1%DÉSORDRE”, by Vera Molnar, make a series of squares, with more squares inside, all the same, 4x4, very good, now grab 4 of them, and think, How can you give them slight changes? It seems similar to the previous one, but no, here you have to be more subtle, one has one more square inside, another is a little smaller, one even changes color randomly every time it restarts, the possibilities are endless.

4. Ah, you finally have your works, it’s time to put the filling, right? It’s simple, put some points on your canvas, and in those points, the different works you made will be reproduced. It is not necessary that you imitate my order, of course, nor was it necessary to count the characters by hand.

5. Filling ready, right? But it’s still somewhat empty. Clearly, it’s because you haven’t put the text in yet, you silly, this is where most of the characters that later have to be counted come from, in addition to being the first view of the work and what, at least according to Brea, ends up ruling, the aesthetics of the work, if it’s not aestheticized it probably won’t sell, and consequently, it won’t end up taking on importance in the modern world. For my personal taste, I was inspired, to a certain extent, by the net art aesthetic, with those words on the screen forming different patterns; Another inspiration was Mondrian, with the idea of ​​his paintings that leave the painting, that maintain that movement, that is why the letters come out, come to life and are part of another plane, they are a text that leaves the frame and you cannot read; my latest inspiration, The Silver Case, its aesthetic was also a motivator for the aesthetic. 4.1. Chosen aesthetic? Let’s get to work, then, put titles, artists, informational text, whatever you want!

6. Finally, you are going to add a way to explore that micromuseum, in this case, we will put a point that moves with the keyboard keysDo, up, down, left and right, although you can also put it to move with the mouse, if you are more passionate about it, in the end, any way of moving is more fun than counting numbers by hands. Then you have it interact so that the works appear at the points you chose, illustrating Brea’s idea about the viewer’s active participation in the work quite well if you ask me.

7. As a last step, all you have left to do is enjoy the world fame, the millions of dollars, the fan clubs, the numbers counted by hand. Although to personal taste, I am not so much of that style, I am something simpler and simpler, I identify with what the artist and philosopher José Carlos Guridi once said, “I always lived in the darkness, of moving in the slums, in the caves”, but that is up to each individual.

8. Ok, maybe I didn’t count the numbers by hand.

Literature

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.