An Ecology of Aleatoric Drawings is an 8m (l) x1.5m (h) composition in black ink on Fabriano paper comprising 50 unique, unrepeatable drawings created by a series of machine assemblages each driven by a small modified turntable.
A combination of contrived and uncontrolled variables ensure each drawing outcome is largely unpredictable. The drawing system is set in motion and runs for up to an hour to produce a drawing. The mark-making is intricate, repetitive and cumulative. The drawing changes as it develops, evolving toward a moment of decision to halt the process.
The work was created during a gallery residency at Stacks Projects in Potts Point, Sydney. I performed the making of the drawings over ten days, visible to people passing by the street-front space. The 8m long work was gradually created on the floor of the space by unrolling a new blank section each day.
On the last day, it was installed on the gallery wall for the exhibition.
During the residency, I made recordings of the rhythmic sounds produced by each assemblage in the act of drawing. A three-speaker soundscape derived from these recordings accompanied the first exhibition of the work.
This video documents the process of making the drawings:
Here are excerpts from the soundscape: