Elemental Beings: Drawing Machine

Through the generative exercise of designing and using a drawing machine, this project simultaneously explores the scale and performative elements of the human body as well as the effects of gravity on water as an element.

The machine consisted of a metal belt from which stemmed out a set of metal strings. Charcoal and balloons filled with ink were attached to the ends. The paper is placed on a ramp so that the machine leaves markings on all parts of the paper. On top of this ramp, at the highest point that the strings can reach, are nails that pop the balloons and release the ink.

As the person who is wearing the belt starts turning around, the strings open up in relation to the speed of rotation. The machine draws with charcoal on the floor when the body is moving slowly, and higher on the wall as it moves faster. When the strings touch the nails on the wall, the balloons that are filled with paint and ink pop and drip down onto the charcoal markings, creating an "Overlay of collisions and explosions, negotiating a radial dance/aggregating a radial field."