DRAWING
11" x 11" pen & pencil on vellum "Spring" is one in a series of pencil and ink drawings, made using architectural drafting techniques. The series explores how playing out a system of very simple rules (restricting the angles of lines, repeating components, fractal logic) can yield an effect that is seemingly complex, even chaotic, and that transcends the sum of its constituent rules. Thematically, the drawings look into contemporary manufacturing practices, consumer culture, and the replacement of natural processes with artificial ones. Historical and contemporary mechanical elements usurp the functions of living systems, much like the complex infrastructure of ductwork and pipes hidden away in modern buildings take the place of natural systems (passive heating and cooling, natural ventilation, etc.) "Spherical Plant Machine" depicts a sooty, sprawling machine entirely dedicated to keeping a small plant alive in a vacuum. Nitrogen and phosphorus are produced as fertilizer, mixed with cooled water, and pumped into the plant's vessel. Electric light is provided from above. This drawing was exhibited at a 3-person group show at D.A.K, Aarhus, Denmark, in May 2012. See more of the series in the "Recent Drawings" post.