Planks, Programs and Art: Computer Graphics as a Sculptural Tool

ARTIST'S NOTE

Planks, Programs and Art:

Computer Graphics

as a Sculptural Tool

Anna Ursyn

Wile exploring the endless possibilities offered by two-dimensional (2D) graphics, I became deeply interested in the use of three-dimensional (3D) program- ming in order to create wooden sculptures and, later on, computer-enhanced mixed-media sculptures. Due to the computer's unique capabilities, images can be cut, trans- posed, reorganized, pasted, scanned and partially blown up; variations can then be compared to the original image, if it was saved in its unaltered form. None of this is possible with hand drawing or painting. The sculptures I will describe would never have come into existence without my use of a computer.

Various applications of computer graphics in the sculpting process-designing a model, solving engineering problems, simulating the sculpture and its surroundings, and defining a construction program-have been adopted by artists using computers [ 1 ]. One may find various impressive approaches to the use of a computer in the sculptural works of Robert Mallary, Nam June Paik, Mike King [2], William Latham, Donald Lipski, and many other artists. Michael O'Rourke [3]

Fig. 1. The Speeding, wooden computer- plotted sculpture, 47 x 44 x 7 in, 1987. A superposition of many computer-generated 3D images of a running horse was used as a point of departure for constructing this sculpture. The use of multiple images allowed the factor of time to be incorporated into the sculpture, yielding the illusion of movement.

intended to use the computer to facilitate the design and fabrication of his abstract sculptures, but he also found it helpful in dealing with his aesthetic concerns. In a description of the design program that assisted the development of their environmental sculptural form, sculptor Robert N. Fisher and programmer Raymon J. Masters stressed "the enhancement of initiative response and direct visual observation, shaping both the medium and its products" [4]. Realistic, precise rendering may be considered by some to be inappro- priate for applying "a personal feel for depth, perspective and shadow"

ABSTRACT

The author describes three approaches to computer-generated graphics in sculpting: as an inspiration for adding a factor of time into a sculpture, as a tool for transforming the image of the subject and as a tool for creating mixed-media sculptures. The sculptures described here were created with these approaches. The author explains how her computer-generated plots and color slides were transformed into other graphic forms in order to visualize, predict and guide sculptural development. In addition, the author describes how the plots and slides served as a medium for enhancing her three-dimensional mixed-media forms.

[5] in a work of art. In my particular approach, I did not search for an original use of the currently available software. I enjoy the enhancement of "a vision revealing what might never have been seen" [6] the same way I enjoy hand drawing, hav- ing the awareness of the excellent use of a pencil or a brush by previous masters. I believe this approach may encourage artists uninitiated in computer-aided sculpture to search for imagina- tive solutions to their own artistic problems.

The majority of the plots I have created were generated by the use of the Cyber and VAX/VMS mainframes. I wrote my 3D programs in the FORTRAN 77 computer language using Interactive Graphic Library (IGL) to obtain the two options provided by the system: black-and-white plots from the Versatec plotter, and color slides from the program via a Computer Output Microfilmer (COM) recorder. The Cyber and VAX/VMS mainframes were designed for technical but not artistic use. Nevertheless, I found some advantages in using these mainframes, as they allowed me the use of large- sized (20-in width, infinite length), precise plots and the pos- sibility of creating numerous kinds and qualities of colors. COM recorders deal with the mixing of light rather than pig- ment. One can mix colors infinitely using FORTRAN 77 with the IGL, setting color combinations in percentages and thus combining additive (red, green, blue) or subtractive (cyan, magenta, yellow) colors. I did not use a light pen or mouse to

Anna Ursyn (artist, educator), University of Wyoming, 2201 Warren, Laramie, WY 82070, U.S.A. E-mail: <[email protected]>

Received 21 May 1991.

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create my graphics; I could see my program in FORTRAN on a screen, but not the design I was creating. I found it inspiring to have no insight into the developing artwork before my prints or slides were done. Once I had those, I could modify them.

I found that transforming electroni- cally generated pictures can be useful for adding more dimensions to the image of the conceived sculpture. One can obtain a gradation of light intensity on the surfaces using reiterating lines, grid patterns and some chiaroscuro effects, as well as moire effects, so 2D drawings gain a 3D look. The gradation of the intensity of color gives the effect of 3D space through the use of shading, similar to hand drawing.

I have used three approaches to creating computer-generated graphics to aid sculpting: for adding a factor of time into sculpture, for transforming images and for creating mixed-media sculptures.

Fig. 2. A Bird Cage, Sometimes a Dome, computer-enhanced sculpture, aspen, 32 x 22 x 22 in, 1987. A 3D image of the rotational ellipsoid was transformed by changing the size, perspective and direction of projection and cutting out some of its parts (back or front clipping plane). The new images were then repeated and shown together with the first one.

ADDING A FACTOR OF TIME INTO SCULPTURE

The unpredictable versatility and vari- ety of possible transformations of an image can serve as a rationale for the use of computer graphics for creating sculptures. I begin my work on a sculpture by computer-generating images for visualizing concepts, ideas and ways of thinking. My programs resulted in 3D drawings with the back plane (z axis) visible (I had no access to a hidden-line package), so objects looked as if they were made out of glass or like a wire sculpture. I took advantage of the visi- bility of the back plane, as I began to superimpose the transformed images through the use of perspective from different positions. Although it is possible to walk around the sculpture and look at it from different angles, I wanted to achieve a representation of the fourth dimension. I duplicated and then changed each image by assigning vari-

ous perspectives to each representation. I also changed the center of direction of projection (the point of view), so the design of the object could be seen from numerous directions at the same time. Thus I incorporated the factor of time into the sculpture, giving the viewer the illusion of movement. In my figurative wooden sculpture titled The Speeding (Fig. 1), I applied the same kind of transformation: I multiplied a 3D design of a running horse and rider many times, giving the images different perspective, viewpoint and size. Through the superposition of images, I initialized my wooden sculpture. Two years later I worked on the images of horses again. This time similar forms were covered with color photosilkscreened prints made from black- and-white plots. Another sculpture titled Confusion resulted from this work.

Some attempts have been made in the history of art to approach the prob- lem of presenting, within a 2D work, simultaneous views of a subject from different vantage points while incorpo- rating the factor of time. This effect has something in common with a motion picture when a long sequence of events is compressed into a short viewing time-within 2 hours one can follow someone's whole life. We can notice such an attempt in some drawings made by the Cubists (Pablo Picasso, Georges Braque), in works of Italian Futurists (Giacomo Balla, Gino Severini), in paintings by Polish mathe- matician Leon Chwistek, and in studies made by the photographer Eadweard Muybridge and the American painter Thomas Eakins as well. Another kind of exploration of the use of several possible viewpoints in one scene resulted in Mike King's [7] expressive graphics. He used differentiated perspective settings of his graphics to give some elements more importance then others. As King has mentioned, the early religious painters were also thinking that way.

TRANSFORMATION OF GEOMETRICAL GRAPHICS TO SOLID MATERIAL

I used computer-generated representa- tions of masses in a vector mode to create a wireframe design, as a guide in constructing sculptures. My wooden sculpture called A Bird Cage, Sometimes a Dome (Fig. 2) resulted from a 3D wireframe design of a rotational ellipsoid. I transformed the plane of the ellipsoid

30 Ursyn, Planks, Programs and Art



by cutting out some of its parts (back and front clipping plane); I then repeated it many times with various directions of projection (points of view).

I covered most of the planes with patterns-each plane with a different one. The patterns on the planes overlapped partially, as I did not have a hidden-line software package. This nonfigurative wooden sculpture resulted from reworking the series of geometrical graphics. It can be recognized as a bird cage; howev- er, some traits of a dome-shaped edifice can also be recognized when the piece is viewed from different directions.

My figurative 3D design of a male manikin served, after some transformations, as a point of departure for my series of plots and graphics entitled Man, the mixed-media painting Warriors, and the wooden sculpture The Warrior (Fig. 3). In the case of my sculpture The Warrior, I drilled planks across the wood grain and hung them in a vertical plane.

The general outline of the shape followed the outline of the computer plot. Then I enhanced the surface of the sculpture with photosilkscreened images printed on burlap and plots made of a similar image of a man, but with different projection and perspective. This image has served as my logo since that time.

COMPUTER MIXED-MEDIA SCULPTURES I find the computer-graphic technique to be the instrument of choice for con- veying the order and regularity of natural forms and for depicting graphic patterns in nature. The most colorful and unified output from the computer is the color slide from the COM recorder. Slides can only be presented in a slide show, so I found it necessary to transform plots and slides into some other graphic form, such as color or

black-and-white photographic prints, photolithographs or photosilkscreened prints on canvas and paper, for creating mixed-media-enhanced sculptures. I started to combine my sculptures, which I constructed with the use of computer graphics, with computer-generated graphic forms such as photosilkscreened prints and photolithographs and photocopies, to form 3D mixed- media compositions and to unify computer-generated and painted images. The surfaces of the wooden sculptures The Warrior and Confusion have been covered in this way. Other examples of my mixed-media sculptural forms are Hero Horse [8] and A Brick for a House, a House for a Town, Enter the City (Fig. 4).

In the sculpture Hero Horse, I wanted to show the horse as a heroic symbol of the human struggle for survival, the horse as a link between natural surroundings and human nature. Rhythmic drawings done on a computer show a

Fig. 3. The Warrior, computer mixed-media sculpture, 86 x 44 x 11 in, 1990. The general outline of the shape resulted from reworking a 3D design of a male manikin. The planks were drilled across the grain, and the surface of the sculpture was enhanced with photosilkscreened prints on burlap. (left) Face one. (right) Face two.

._ -..-... --

Ursyn, Planks, Programs and Art 31



link between nature and human influ- ence.

I found it intriguing to consider the visual aspects of the structure of a city as a combination of intertwined elements.

My presumption that the order of

repeated simple forms is the essence of aesthetic sensations one experiences while entering a city motivated me to

develop computer graphics based on a cube. This led to my creation of A Brick

for a House, a House for a Town, Enter the City, a sculpture that resulted from my study of the cube in a 3D wireframe program. The effects of distortion created by transformations of the image reflect the regularity that makes up the city: the structure of each separate building as well as the relationships between each of them. The computer was the perfect tool for finding this connectivity. My awareness of the common occurrence of regular geometric forms, both in nature and in the human-made environment, led me to the construction of this sculpture, which was made out of simple, repeating, geometric forms.

Simple geometric forms have often been used for depicting the natural order. This is evident in the works of the Cubists, followed by computer-generated graphics and sculptures based on geometric forms. The works of George Nees in the 1960s; Cube (1987) by Hans Dehlinger [9]; and P-411-A

Fig. 4. A Brick for a House, a Housefor a Town, Enter the City,

computer mixed- media sculpture, 20 x 20 x 20 in, 1991. The sculpture was initialized by 3D programs for a cube. Plots and slides were transformed into col- or or black-and-white

I<~ .>. prints, photolitho-

rouning and graphs and photo- J: ,-'silkscreened prints,

and the surfaces of the sculpture were covered with

computer-generated and painted images.

(1988) by Manfred Mohr [10] serve as examples of this approach.

CONCLUSION I feel that computer-generated artwork is able to convey the correctness of lines, symmetries, patterns, light and colors. For me, painting or sculpting is more than just identification of natural objects because, as Umberto Eco put it, "mirror images are not signs and signs are not mirror images" [ 11 ]. I feel that computer artwork can aid viewers coping with the impact of technology upon our surroundings and can become a link between the beauty of human-made technical products and the aesthetics of art.

Acknowledgments

The development of my computer-enhanced sculptures was supported in part by funds from the Kuehn Award (1987). I would like to express my gratitude to Carl Niederer for his care, criticism and comments.

References and Notes

1. An extensive discussion of various approaches to computer-generated sculpting can be found in Robert Mallary, "Spatial-Synesthetic Art through 3D Projection: The Requirements of a Computer-Based Supermedium," Leonardo 23, No. 1, 3-16 (1990).

2. Mike King, "Sculptor: A Three-Dimensional Computer Sculpting System," Leonardo 24, No. 4, 383-387 (1991).

3. Michael O'Rourke, "Sculpting with Computer

Graphics: An Approach to the Design and Fabrication of Abstract Sculpture," Leonardo 21, No. 4, 343-350 (1988).

4. Robert N. Fisher and Raymoin J. Masters, "Computer-Aided Sculpture: Visual and Technical Considerations," Leonardo 18, No. 3, 133-143 (1985) p. 134.

5. See King [2] p. 383.

6. See Fisher and Masters [4] p. 133.

7. See King [2] p. 387.

8. Hero Horse, 3D computer sculpture enhanced with computer plots and photosilkscreening based on computer plots, 30 x 27 x 20 in, 1989. For an illus- tration of it, see Digital Image-Digital Cinema, SIG- GRAPH '90 Art Show Catalog, Supplemental Issue of Leonardo (1990) p. 91.

9. Hans E. Dehlinger (Germany), Cube 4, 1987. "Electronic Art: SISEA Slide Series," and Statement, SISEA Book of Abstracts, Second International Symposium on Electronic Art, Groningen, Holland, 12-17 Nov. 1990.

10. Manfred Mohr (Germany), P-411-A, 1988; also, P-453 AD/4, 1990. Golden Nica, der Prix Ars Electronica '90. P-417-E, ink on paper (plotter drawing), in a series of 6, 8 x 8 in each, 1988. Computer Art in Context, Supplemental Issue of Leonardo, SIG- GRAPH '89 Art Show Catalog (1989) p. 78.

11. Umberto Eco, Travels in Hyper Reality (San Diego: Harcourt BraceJovanovich, 1986) p. 217.

Glossary

chiaroscuro-contrasting arrangement of light and shade in a work of art.

COM-the Computer Optical Microfilm recorder (model FR80/A). Consists of a camera focused on a monitor that is addressed with 65,536 points in each axis. Color recording is done via the additive system of color (red, green and blue).

FORTRAN-FORmula TRANslation. A high-level computer language, well suited for arithmetic manipulations. FORTRAN 77 is the official industry standard of the language. It permits the use of vari- ables and "descriptive symbolic names" and provides numeric, character and logical data types. It is possible to construct a picture from lines and symbols depicting a pattern with the degree of shading determined by the density of symbols printed in a given area.

IGL-Interactive Graphic Library package (Tektronix 4010C01 PLOT 10). A host-independent library of routines for graphic and text interaction. Images can be created as vector plots via the IGL package and then recorded on the COM. Graphics in 3D space can be constructed with the IGL 3D Graphics Support.

moire-an optical pattern caused by the interfer- ence of waves. The effect can be observed by layer- ing two screens that are slightly offset.

photolithograph-a print made through a process in which an ink-receptive image is applied by photographic means to a stone or metal plate.

photosilkscreen-a screen created through photographic methods to be used for printing on fabric, paper or other material.

VAX/VMS Operating System-Virtual Address eXtension (VAX) cluster controlled by the Virtual Memory System (VMS) operating system.

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Planks, Programs and Art: Computer Graphics as a Sculptural Tool

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