*Arcadia* is a homage to the fridge-worthy landscape art of our youth. Childhood techniques of creating art are re-imagined by the scribbles of a nostalgic, computer-assisted mind.

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Arcadia

Pixel Glass

### Good job, Computer. Do that some more.

To what degree can we teach a computer to make a painting? One that resembles creation from the imperfect hand of a human. Here, the computer attempts to hide itself from the viewer in the details, such as inconsistent borders or uneven layers of paint. Intentional flaws that a human might make unintentionally.
Good, Computer is an exploration of not only how small cumulative inaccuracies create complete images, but also the forms and harmonies that those images evoke.

Consider the following:

***A set of 4 colors is to be considered -- singly as "actors," together as "cast." They are to be presented in 4 different arrangements -- as "performances."***
***Although they remain unchanged in hue and light, in "character", and appear in an unchanging outer frame, the "stage", they are to produce 4 different "scenes" or "plays," each to be so different that one and the same set of colors will be seen as 4 different sets, presented by 4 different casts.***
***And all this can be achieved mainly through changes in quantity which result in shifts of dominance, of recurrence, and consequently of placement.***
***The essential question: which group of colors is ready to lose its identity as a cast?*** 
***-- Josef Albers***

We can answer this question simply by asking ourselves why we're drawn to some arrangements more than others. In doing so, we consider not just tone, but also quantity, intensity and weight in order to form new relationships between the colours. And as such the viewer gives each image their own subjective personality.

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Good, Computer

An unknown illness has struck the world and is spreading rapidly. Humanity enters quarantine while the world's greatest scientists get to work on finding a cure. As you look upon samples through the microscope glass, you can't help but wonder what horrors you're about to witness. What is it? Where did it come from? How far has it progressed? Do we even have a chance?

Quarantine

«𝘌𝘷𝘦𝘳𝘺𝘵𝘩𝘪𝘯𝘨'𝘴 𝘳𝘶𝘯𝘯𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘴𝘮𝘰𝘰𝘵𝘩𝘭𝘺, 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘺𝘰𝘶?»¹

In these formal studies, geometric figures are cut, broken, divided, subdivided, colorized and finally «set to drift»² in an endless scrolling motion. The elements in each composition vary over time without ever reaching a final form.

Visual artifacts remind of analog electronics. Feedback loops undermine the accuracy of digital technology. As time passes, it is increasingly difficult to recognize the original composition: frame after frame, cycle after cycle, the image is dissolved into a landscape of liquid forms and oversaturated colors. 

After having pursued harmony and balance, it is liberating to surrender and witness the carefully crafted compositions blend into a chaotic interplay of lights and shapes.

Drifting, la «dérive»³, is an ongoing dialogue with the machine, started as an exploration of an aesthetic system and turned into a journey of self–discovery. 

(1) 𝘚𝘶𝘱𝘦𝘳 𝘤𝘰𝘮𝘱𝘶𝘵𝘦𝘳 𝘏𝘈𝘓9000 𝘪𝘯 𝘤𝘰𝘯𝘷𝘦𝘳𝘴𝘢𝘵𝘪𝘰𝘯 𝘸𝘪𝘵𝘩 𝘋𝘢𝘷𝘦 𝘉𝘰𝘸𝘮𝘢𝘯 («2001: 𝘈 𝘚𝘱𝘢𝘤𝘦 𝘖𝘥𝘺𝘴𝘴𝘦𝘺», 𝘚. 𝘒𝘶𝘣𝘳𝘪𝘤𝘬, 1968). (2) «𝘋𝘳𝘪𝘧𝘵𝘪𝘯𝘨» 𝘪𝘴 𝘢𝘭𝘴𝘰 𝘢 𝘵𝘦𝘤𝘩𝘯𝘪𝘲𝘶𝘦 𝘶𝘴𝘦𝘥 𝘪𝘯 𝘦𝘢𝘳𝘭𝘺 𝘷𝘪𝘥𝘦𝘰 𝘢𝘳𝘵: “𝘣𝘺 𝘢𝘭𝘵𝘦𝘳𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘵𝘪𝘮𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘱𝘶𝘭𝘴𝘦 𝘰𝘧 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘴𝘪𝘨𝘯𝘢𝘭, […] 𝘢𝘯 𝘪𝘮𝘢𝘨𝘦 𝘤𝘰𝘯𝘵𝘪𝘯𝘶𝘰𝘶𝘴𝘭𝘺 𝘥𝘳𝘪𝘧𝘵𝘦𝘥 𝘩𝘰𝘳𝘪𝘻𝘰𝘯𝘵𝘢𝘭𝘭𝘺” («𝘕𝘰𝘵𝘦𝘴 𝘵𝘰𝘸𝘢𝘳𝘥 𝘢 𝘩𝘪𝘴𝘵𝘰𝘳𝘺 𝘰𝘧 𝘪𝘮𝘢𝘨𝘦-𝘱𝘳𝘰𝘤𝘦𝘴𝘴𝘦𝘥 𝘷𝘪𝘥𝘦𝘰», 𝘓. 𝘍𝘶𝘳𝘭𝘰𝘯𝘨, 1970). (3) 𝘍𝘳𝘦𝘯𝘤𝘩 𝘸𝘰𝘳𝘥 𝘧𝘰𝘳 «𝘥𝘳𝘪𝘧𝘵» (𝘴𝘦𝘦 𝘢𝘭𝘴𝘰 «𝘛𝘩𝘦𝘰𝘳𝘪𝘦 𝘥𝘦 𝘭𝘢 𝘥𝘦𝘳𝘪𝘷𝘦», 𝘎. 𝘋𝘦𝘣𝘰𝘳𝘥, 1956).

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Arcadia #114

Zachariah Watson

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