TBD Exhibit
Artist: John F. Simon Jr.
Exhibit Statement:
An exhibition about the unpredictable, always changing, never repeating nature of software art
John F Simon, Jr. thinks that ’to be determined’ is the most provocative reason to write software art. He loves setting code in motion, never knowing exactly what will appear on screen. For Simon, software is a kind of creative writing that, in binary form, does what it says - including being random. Paul Klee described a line as "a point that has gone for a walk.” In Simon’s compositions, points, lines, planes, colors, shapes, curves, and equations all get taken for walks, resulting in new compositions spilling out endlessly onto the screen.
In creating his software art, Simon plays the role of director, setting up the rules, boundaries, and ranges for the data being computed and then runs the code; letting it iterate through countless combinations. ‘Every Icon’ (1997) sets out to show all possible black and white desktop icons - a task that takes far longer than the universe will exist. Blossoming (2018) is structured around the composition of a 1934 Klee painting, activating colored shapes to make the painting continuously flower in real time. DrawingAir (2020) improvises on a very simple tree drawing algorithm to play with resemblances in natural shapes.
All Simon’s works include elements of indeterminacy - computed as you see them. This contained chaos is meant to be lived with over long periods of time, watching changes evolve slowly, like a life carefully observed.
Every Icon (1997)
Software, screen, dimensions variable
Split Icon (2021)
PNG image, excerpted from "Every Icon NFT"
Blossoming (2018)
Acrulic Plactic, Raspberry Pi computer, LED touchscreen, custom software
11 X 14 X 3 inches
