Six works from the _Placement_ series were on exhibition at the Art Blocks Gallery in Marfa, Texas from May – October, 2022. 

_Placement_ is a series of 500 artworks that are iteratively generated by an algorithm built by the artist. These hard-edge color-fields are visual representations of the underlying code; their color juxtapositions provoke a long look that goes beyond ‘seeing’. The frame assists in this process as it emphasizes concentration akin to the design of a digital display. The mechanisms of production – code and silkscreen – fade away to present artworks of pure color projected onto a screen or laid on top of paper. In this way, the artist relates the allure of vivid, saturated ink to the mesmerizing glow of a digital display. Cooper is engaged with themes such as digital materiality and the phenomenological.

Placement

***"Ode to Untitled"***  is a culmination of inspiration from the color field and minimalist painters of the 20th century.  While my medium has changed from disc golf discs, to canvas, to digital canvas, to digital photography, and finally to code editor - the inspiration and output has remained abstract.  Seeing the works of Clyfford Still, Morris Louis, Agnes Martin, Barnett Newman, Mark Rothko, Ellsworth Kelly, Frank Stella, and Kenneth Noland (among others - hi Roy) seeded my desire to create visual art.

What many of these artists have in common, sometimes for differing reasons, was a fondness for naming their works *"Untitled"*.  Clyfford Still was entirely dedicated to this practice, while others came and went.  When other titles were used, often they were nondescript cataloging values or a rote description of the colors or shapes found in the work.  And, of course, abstract art history in general, and our current day, is littered with *"Untitled"* works.  Whether a desire to leave interpretation open to the viewer, not wanting to sully their visual work with words, a dedication to minimalism, or laziness - it's all fine with me.

While "Ode to Untitled" is not a direct reflection of any particular works, you will see influences shining through:  zips of color streaking across the canvas, an appreciation of the simple square and grids, a focus on texture, large fields of color, and a love of minimalism.  This one goes out to all the *"Untitled"* works.

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Ode to Untitled

**Gels** is a science-inspired generative piece. Our algorithm simulates *gel electrophoresis*, a powerful experimental method in molecular biology used daily by thousands of scientists worldwide. In the lab, scientists "run a gel" to separate and visualize molecules such as DNA, RNA, and proteins. These molecules appear as patterns of bands when photographed, and those patterns can be used to interpret the results of experiments. 

The DNA band patterns in this work derive from combinations of a simulated experimental data and real-world data, including DNA sequences that encode several variants of the SARS-CoV-2 spike protein, and the corresponding mRNA vaccines. Our algorithm first generates plausible sample tubes that typically contain one or more DNA fragments. Then, each sample is distributed and "run" on a simulated gel to create the characteristic band patterns that might be observed on real gels.

Our simulations also take into account human error — mistakes are common in the lab, especially for novice researchers, but they can also lead to visually interesting results. For example, uneven salt concentrations or applying excess voltage can cause warping effects.

Finally, we aim to leverage proceeds of this project to support future scientific research! We invite interested collectors to follow along with our future work.

Gels

This project is an exercise in simplicity, simulating stains of ink made through points and noise. 

Since creating art with code, I’ve wanted to reproduce the physical with the digital. 
Stains On A Canvas emerged from this desire to produce a hand-made canvas painting. 

Stains On A Canvas’s background textures use points or grids, and the algorithm explores the maximum difference between each iteration. The collection is divided into styles, named after popular flowers in my country [Brazil]. Colors are randomly generated to create unique tones paired with the variety of shades and shadows.





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Stains on a Canvas

Paths is an animated journey across various subterranean and aboveground environments. To fully experience the project, you need to see it in high resolution with a capable GPU. Make sure that your browser uses your dedicated graphics card if any, and that you get a good frame rate. Control keys: 1-4 (change speed), 9 (fill aspect ratio), 0 (original aspect ratio), space-bar (play/pause)

Art Blocks Presents

Paths #297

Darien Brito

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Ode to Untitled

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Gels

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