The Machine Vs The Event Vs The Drawing

The machine is a direct output from the artist and it is something which the artist has full ownership over. The event is the section of time when the drawing is being produced by the machine under partial control by the artist (sometimes no control). The Drawing is the record of the event remaining after the event has taken place.

A decision has to be made about which of these should be shown to the audience. in previous projects i have shown all three components of my work to the audience. However i found this approach didnt really work as it was giving too much information to the viewer. it was clear what was happening how it happened and what made the work when and how. this leaves the audience with very little to consider and i feel this limits the possible engagement levels a person could have with the work.

If i only show the machine then there is a sense of anticipation and wondering of what the machine may do if it were to be turned on. although i like this feeling of wondering what may happen and this uncertainty, the machine is directly created by the artist. Being directly created by the artist the machine has no real connection with my ideas about chance within everyday life.



If i do a performance piece and only show the event a similar issue occurs to showing all three components (Machine, Event and Drawing) as for the event to happen all three ingrdients need to be present. The viewer can see all the parts and so are not left thinking. However saying this they do get to see first hand the effect chance has on the drawings with machines breaking down, bumping into surrounding objects etc. Performance also calls into question documentation, would i document this by taking photographs ? a camera under my definition would be a very complex drawing machine which records and event with an image. Or would i allow the event to happen with no documentation other than in the minds, memories and imagination of those present at the time?




If i only show the drawing it is unclear to the viewer what has influenced the drawing to be the way that it is, in the same way it is virtually impossible to work out the impact chance has on our lives, which is what i aim to show on some level in my work. The difficult part for me of displaying only the drawings is that the machines are nice things to look at and they seem to have taken on personalities of their own which i find hard to ignor. Hiding them away and taking credit for their drawings almost seems rude.