is this art?
An installation inspired by Sol LeWitt
Politecnico di Milano Interior and Spatial Design Art and Languages of the Present Professor: Luca Guerrini Students: Nicole Chmet Alice Di Guardo Chiara Sangermani
Index
6
Introduction
12
Concept
20
Project
40
Bibliography
Introduction
Sol LeWitt
“In conceptual art the idea or concept is the most important aspect of the work. When an artist uses a conceptual form of art, it means that all of the planning and decisions are made beforehand and the execution is a perfunctory affair. The idea becomes a machine that makes the art” (Sol LeWitt, “Paragraphs on Conceptual Art,” in Artforum, June 1967).
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Generative Design is Sol LeWitt. At his core he was a minimalist, so much so that most of his famous pieces were not even executed by him in person. He did not sell paintings on canvases, instead he sold procedures with specific instructions that would then be implemented by a draftsman, who was required to execute the instructions, but whose own hand leds to the final formal outcome of the work.
Sol LeWitt, Four basic kinds of straight lines, 1969. Photo-lithography.
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Wall drawings Sol LeWitt believed that the artist’s idea was a work of art in itself and could be considered a blueprint such as that developed by an architect and based on the idea, other people could interpret it and make it. His most recognizable art, his wall drawings, are an installation created from his unique instructions.
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The drawings range from layers of straight lines drawn in black graphite pencil lead, to rows of rendered wavy lines in colored pencil; from black-and-white geometric forms, to planes in acrylic paint. Forms may appear to be flat or to project into the viewer’s space, while others meld into the structure of the wall itself.
Sol LeWitt, Walldrawing #49, 1970.
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Concept
Wall drawing #273 Sol LeWitt’s Wall Drawing #273 is configurable; it is never the same piece twice. What the piece consists of is a set of instructions. Plot seven grids on seven walls and draw some combination of red, yellow and blue lines. The artwork is literally just a set of instructions that total a hundred words which create something enormous. You get to experience both the idea and the concrete artpiece at the same time. This potentiality is the most powerful aspect of the piece, and it is invisible. The only trace it leaves is in your mind.
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Sol LeWitt, Walldrawing #273, 1975.
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Interpretation Reported here below the instructions of Sol LeWitt’s Wall Drawing #273. A six-inch (15 cm) grid covering the walls. Lines from corners, sides, and center of the walls to random points on the grid. 1st wall: Red lines from the midpoints of four sides; 2nd wall: Blue lines from four corners; 3rd wall: Yellow lines from the center; 4th wall: Red lines from the midpoints of four sides, blue lines from four corners; 5th wall: Red lines from the midpoints of four sides, yellow lines from the center; 6th wall: Blue lines from four corners, yellow lines from the center; 7th wall: Red lines from the midpoints of four sides, blue lines from four corners, yellow lines from the center. Each wall has an equal number of lines. (The number of lines and their length are determined by the draftsman.)
Sol LeWitt, Walldrawing #273 recreated with CodePen.
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Since LeWitt left instructions for creating his pieces, those instructions were translated into codes HTML, CSS and Java Script with the computer program ‘CodePen’ and the variability of the web was embraced in the process, too. As indicated in the instructions, there are 7 separate walls with an equal number of lines, the number and length of which are determined by the draftsperson. To simulate the decisions the draftspeople make, controls to let people set how many lines should be drawn are included in the code. In the end results the most notable difference seen between a human and a program is the degree of randomness in the final drawing. From comparing the output of the program to versions done by people, the second ones seem less “random” because people have a tendency to distribute the lines to points throughout the grid, whereas the program can create lines that are really close to each other.
It makes us wonder how LeWitt would respond to programmatic versions of his art. Is he okay with computers making art? Were his instructions specifically for people, or would he have embraced using machines to generate his work had the technology existed in his time? How “random” did he want people make these drawings? Does he like that a program is more “random,” or did he expect and want people to make his wall drawings in a way that they would find visually pleasing? We will never know.
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is this
s art?
Project
Location
Top view of Piazza del Liberty with the position of the installation highlighted Copyright Foster+ Partners
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The installation is placed in Piazza del Liberty in Milan, in front of the Apple store designed by Foster+ Partners. The installation is located just in front of the monumental stairs. 23
The location was chosen because of the closeness to the Apple store, with which it is very connected in terms of line of thoughts. First of all the Apple Macintosh 128K was the first personal computer with an innovative graphic interface which completely changed the use of the computer, no more based on command line interface but using images and icons. The same concept is reproduced in the in-site installation in which, starting from codes, an art piece is recreated following specific instructions. Moreover, Apple is a company which is showcasing the work of some creative users of its products in advertising campaigns which features painters, photographers and illustrators showing how simple it is to create art.
Apple Macintosh 128K USA, 1984
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Apple campaign ‘Shot on iPhone Challenge’ London streets, 2019
Apple campaign ‘Color’ shot with iPhone 6s Sydney metro, 2016
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Shape The shape of the installation is inspired by Sol LeWitt’s work on the open cubes. Based on this research, one of the combination was developed to design the structure.
Sol LeWitt, Diagram of ‘Variations of incomplete cubes’ 1974
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Shape chosen from ‘Variations of incomplete cubes’
180° rotation of the chosen shape
Development of the shape
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Development The space is designed to be exploited both from the outside and the inside and there are two opposite mirrored entrances. 1. Approaching the installation the user can read Sol LeWitt ‘s instructions on the outer wall. 2. Getting inside he will notice on the left side a reproduction of the wall drawing #273 made by a draftman. On a transparent panel in front of it a high-speed video of its creation is projected. 3. On the other side the same wall drawing is digitally reproduced with codes visible on the panel in front of it. 4. On the other two sides of the cube the question ‘is this art?’ is written to make the users think about these two different approaches to LeWitt’s instructions.
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WALL DRAWING: 1. 15 centimeters grid covering the entire wall 2. Lines from corners, sides, and center of the wall to random points on the grid 3. Red lines from the midpoints of four sides 4. Blue lines from four corners 5. Yellow lines from the center (The number of lines and their length are determined by the draftsman.)
SOL LEWITT
1.
2.
3.
IS THIS
ART?
4.
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SCALA 1:20
Plan
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360cm Elevation
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Section
360cm
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Section
80cm
200cm
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80cm
Daily view of the installation
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Night view of the installation
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General internal view of the installation
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Internal view of the installation, artpiece generated by a draftman
Internal view of the installation, artpiece generated with codes
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Materials The structure is made with a welded black metal frame and supports white compact polycarbonate panels. The cube is completely white inside, except for the two art works on the sides. In front of them a transparent holeographic film is placed to project the images. The environment is enlighted with two meters long strip leds.
White and transparent compact polycarbonate
Black metallic profile
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Strip leds
Projector
Holeographic transparent film
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Bibliography
ANSA. (January 29, 2019), “Apple, i 35 anni del Macintosh e dello spot ‘1984’” http://www.ansa.it/sito/notizie/tecnologia/hitech/2019/01/24/apple-i-35-annidello-spot-1984_6b44b61b-4b07-435f-9ca6-9043205bcdc4.html Apple Inc. (February 26, 2019), “Apple highlights best photos shot on iPhone around the world” https://www.apple.com/newsroom/2019/02/apple-highlights-best-photos-shoton-iphone-around-the-world/ Avanzini, V. (May 25, 2019), “Sol LeWitt: Plasmare lo spazio fra arte e architettura” http://www.xibtmagazine.com/it/2018/06/sol-lewitt-arte-e-architettura/ Boyd, S. (August 06, 2015), “Making a quick prototype in Processing to test an idea” https://github.com/sspboyd/razorsEdgePOC Claghorn, J. (August 14, 2014), “Procedural Art – Sol LeWitt – Example 3.1” https://generativelandscapes.wordpress.com/2014/08/14/procedural-art-sollewitt-example-3-1/ D’Acquisto, D. (August 03, 2018), “Il successo di Apple nelle migliori pubblicità di sempre” https://www.ninjamarketing.it/2018/08/03/migliori-pubblicita-apple-di-sempre/ Di Prodo, Y. (June 29, 2016), “Scattata con iPhone, la campagna Apple colora le città del mondo, Italia inclusa” https://www.macitynet.it/scattata-iphone-la-nuova-campagna-punta-sui-colori/ Fondazione Carriero. (May 24, 2016), “Sol LeWitt, Between the Lines” https://www.roombyroom.it/single-post/2018/05/24/Sol-LeWitt-Between-theLines Grotteschi, A. (May 04, 2018), “Sol LeWitt. Line, space and dimension”, in “Juliet Art Magazine” https://www.juliet-artmagazine.com/en/sol-lewitt-line-space-and-dimension/ Hayekk. (February 24, 2016), “The Tasteful Conrad New-York Experience” http://www.hayekk.com/2016/02/the-tasteful-conrad-new-york-experience.html Holzwart H. W. (ed.) (2012), Art Now! Vol. 3, Cologne: Taschen LeWitt S. (1999), “Paragraphs on Conceptual Art, in Alberro, A. Stimson, B. (ed.) (1999) “Conceptual Art: A Critical Anthology”. Cambridge, USA: The MIT Press.
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Kamps, G. (November 30, 2016), “Amateur Art Reviews: Sol LeWitt’s Wall Drawing 273” https://medium.com/@gkamps/amateur-art-reviews-sol-lewitts-wall-drawing273-61d1c600413 Kulp, P. (December 30, 2015), “New Apple campaign enlists artists to make stunning images with iPhones and iPads” https://mashable.com/2015/12/30/apple-art-campaign/?europe=true LeWitt, S. (1969), “Sentences on Conceptual Art” in “0-9 Magazine”. USA: New York. LeWitt, S. (1971), “Doing wall drawings” in Armstrong, H. (ed.) (2016), “Digital Design theory: Readings from the Field”. New York, USA: Princeton Architectural Press. Notaranni, M. (January 22, 2019), “Apple lancia competizione per foto scattate con iPhone” https://www.macitynet.it/shot-on-iphone-challenge-una-competizione-pertrovare-nuove-foto-per-le-pubblicita-scattato-con-iphone/ Pierini, D. (December 29, 2015), “Apple’s ‘Start Something New’ campaign will help you get your creativity on” https://www.cultofmac.com/404221/apples-start-something-new-campaign-willhelp-you-get-your-creativity-on/ Ruffoni, C. (May 09, 2016), “La Visione Invisibile di Sol LeWitt” https://www.notonlymagazine.it/la-visione-invisibile-di-sol-lewitt/ S.M.A.K. (September 09, 2016), “COLLECTION | Sol LeWitt - Cabinet 4: Brian O’Doherty | 06.09… 25.10.2015” https://smak.be/en/news/collection-sol-lewitt-cabinet-4-brianodoherty-06092015 Wikipedia. (April 28, 2019), “Macintosh 128K” https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Macintosh_128K Zych, J. (January 08, 2017), “Sol LeWitt - Wall Drawing” https://jlzych.com/2017/01/08/sol-lewitt-wall-drawing-273/
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Politecnico di Milano Interior and Spatial Design Art and Languages of the Present Professor: Luca Guerrini Students: Nicole Chmet Alice Di Guardo Chiara Sangermani