Caos sobre blanco

This work is inspired by Polygon Random (1963) by Frieder Nake, a work that impressed me with its minimalism and, at the same time, its complexity. I was struck by how something as simple as lines generated by a machine could form such dense compositions, as if they contained thoughts or emotions. From that, I started thinking about how chaos can also appear in the simple, and how that relates to the human mind.

The image I made is randomly generated every time it runs, and I like that it’s never the same. For me, it represents how anxiety or overthinking works: thoughts that go in all directions, that intersect, repeat, overlap… all on a white background that, in some way, is nothing. That “nothing” can be calm, but it can also be a space where mental chaos becomes more visible. The work plays with that duality.

Although it is a very simple piece from a technical point of view, I feel that it visualizes an invisible part of the human experience. It is a drawing generated by code, but also by emotions.

Technical, aesthetic and conceptual development

I used lines connected by random points, which change each time the mouse is pressed. The code is simple, but that allowed me to focus on the visual composition and what I wanted to convey.

Aesthetically, the direct reference is Polygon Random by Frieder Nake, one of the first artists to work with computers. I was very interested in how his work, even though it is generated by algorithms, has a very strong visual sensitivity. In my case, I tried to take that same logic of repetition and chance, but take it to something more emotional.

As I worked, I began to see more than shapes in the image. I saw thoughts, paths, entanglements. I realized that what was forming could represent what happens inside the head when one is overthinking or feeling anxious. The lines, which sometimes cross meaninglessly or pile up in one place, made me think about that: about how the mind works when it is saturated. The white background represents nothingness, that void where all that mental chaos appears. I like that contradiction: that something as clean and simple as a white background can contain so much confusion on top of it.

Conceptually, the work talks about how digital can also represent emotions. Not everything you do with code has to be cold or logical. In this case, chance and mathematical decisions are at the service of something more subjective: an image that represents mental noise. You could say that it is a drawing of anxiety, repetitive thinking or internal overflow.

José Luis Brea, in The Postmedia Era, talks about how art today moves away from traditional formats and expresses itself in new media. He also mentions that art can be a way to activate senses and emotions from the digital. That gave me more confidence to think that this work, although simple, could say something real. Furthermore, it made me understand that generative art is not just programming: it is also a way of thinking, of representing the invisible.

In summary, this work mixes a historical reference with a personal experience. The code generates forms, but it also generates a sensation: that of a busy, tangled mind, seeking order within disorder.

Literature

• BREA, José Luis. (2002). “Breve (y desordenado) antiglosario –o diccionario de tópicos- sobre el arte electrónico” en La era postmedia. Acción comunicativa, prácticas (post)artísticas y dispositivos neomediales. Salamanca: CASA Editorial, pp. 4-8..
• 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. Nake, Frieder. Polygone Random (1963)