Penal Strokes (2018) is performative drawing project, where the simple
drawing gesture is developed (e.g. pressing a brush dipped in ink against
the paper) and then repeated until the paper is filled. Each drawing is
performed under different constraints (e.g. with the eyes closed), and while
the same gesture is used, the resulting drawings are radically different from
each other. The idea leans on instruction-based artworks by Sol LeWitt, where
he devised a set of instructions to be executed for his series Wall Drawings.6
In each iteration of the work, although using the same instructions, the work
exhibited considerable differences through different interpretations of the rules
and varying degree of the ability of the performer. Another critical aspect of
those drawing is the fact that they, although produced by the human, resemble
an algorithmic procedure strongly, belonging to the realm of machines, rather
than to a human artist. In the next step of the project, I programmed a robot
to execute the penal strokes for me, embodying a gesture I developed, and
tracing that movement on the paper. If algorithms already take our ability
to act, in this instance, they also have to bear some punishment. Again
due to the translation of the ideal movement into the physical world, the
robot was deviating from the given instructions and displayed its disobedience
against given rules. In the further development of the project, the rules will
be devised by algorithms, which will learn from both drawing books as well
as contemporary art assignments for art students to create their own sets of
rules7.
drawing gesture is developed (e.g. pressing a brush dipped in ink against
the paper) and then repeated until the paper is filled. Each drawing is
performed under different constraints (e.g. with the eyes closed), and while
the same gesture is used, the resulting drawings are radically different from
each other. The idea leans on instruction-based artworks by Sol LeWitt, where
he devised a set of instructions to be executed for his series Wall Drawings.6
In each iteration of the work, although using the same instructions, the work
exhibited considerable differences through different interpretations of the rules
and varying degree of the ability of the performer. Another critical aspect of
those drawing is the fact that they, although produced by the human, resemble
an algorithmic procedure strongly, belonging to the realm of machines, rather
than to a human artist. In the next step of the project, I programmed a robot
to execute the penal strokes for me, embodying a gesture I developed, and
tracing that movement on the paper. If algorithms already take our ability
to act, in this instance, they also have to bear some punishment. Again
due to the translation of the ideal movement into the physical world, the
robot was deviating from the given instructions and displayed its disobedience
against given rules. In the further development of the project, the rules will
be devised by algorithms, which will learn from both drawing books as well
as contemporary art assignments for art students to create their own sets of
rules7.
