Week 2 - 3rd-7th October - Drawing Machine

In this week I focussed on the 'Drawing Machine' mini brief. I created a frame and first suspended a pen as a pendulum from the middle. I tried initially spinning the pen to attempt to create a drawing but the physical act of the pen nib swinging against the page was enough to slow the pen to a complete stop after a couple of passes. This was frustrating, as from this failed attempt I could begin to visualise the forms created in the swinging motion, even if they were ultimately uneffective, and could see there was something interestng being created if I could work out the correct way to do it.


In an attempt to mitigate the slowing effect of the pen nib I instead created a hopper out of half an upturned plastic bottle with a hole in its lid. By filling this with acrylic I hoped gravity would cause the ink to drip through the hole, leaving a mark without actually coming into contact with the surface or causing the pendulum to slow. This second attempt was more succesful than the first yet still the acrylic didn't fall through fast enough, leaving occasional drip marks but not tracing the path of the pendulum properly. It became clear I needed to dilute the acrylic to an inkier texture and so I underwent the slow process of gradually adding more and more water to my solution until the ideal thickness was achieved. I did this slowly as adding too much water could cause too much ink to drain through, creating a mess. As well as this it allowed me to observe the differences in results as gradually more and more of the pendulum's motion was traced.

When the mixture was perfectly diluted I was impressed with the results, as the pendulum's motion traced a spirograph-esque pattern which I had not expected. Watching the pendulum rapidly create the intricate diagram produced an personal response in a mixture of excitement and dissociation, as I watched the creation of an image which I felt part ownership for, despite having had no part in the finer details of its drawing.

I also tried creating another ink hopper with three holes instead of one however this technique didn't preserve the visual integrity and the result was messy and unclear. As well as this I tried laying bigger and smaller patterns over each other in different colours which produced a nice layered effect. I had lots of ideas for how to develop this machine in different ways to produce new effects by scaling different elements up and down and as ways to systematically interupt the pendulum's motion, potentially implementing a lead string to allow me to pull and push the pendulum during transit. However at this point I didn't have the resources to spend on the already unpredictable and messy machine, but I will definitely revisit it with renewed purpose at a later date.

The final product was not only reminiscent to spirography but also to the mathematical works of Fibonacci (see sacred geometry), as the gradual slowling of the pendulum's movement created a gradient effect similar to the spiral within a snails shell, or other natural forms. With both this link to the natural world and scientific theorem I feel this technique could be easily implemented into my own practice as both of these themes are a regular occurance within my own work. I also liked the rough, unpredictable nature of the pattern produced, water-based blemishes and accidental splashes combining with the almost computer-generated spirograph visuals to create an appealing juxtaposition and pseudo floral/science aesthetic.