Metakinetic #133

Name: Ragnar Digital, LLC
Price range: $

Julien Espagnon

2024

Plotter Drawing

8"x11.75"

Description

_Metakinetic _by Julien Espagnon is an exploration of movement and metamorphosis. The artist wrote code to make a plotter arm draw its own image—a process realized in more than 250 outputs. The title joins “meta,” referring to the reflexive character of a robot arm drawing itself, with “kinetic,” the sense of motion that drives the project. The outputs #132, #133, and #135 seen here demonstrate variations within the series.

Espagnon’s practice is rooted in programming, using algorithms to build visual systems that evolve through variation. _Metakinetic _was developed with the idea that each piece could exist as a digital image and as a physical drawing. Espagnon designed the system to export the same composition at different sizes while keeping proportions consistent. To achieve this, he adapted the drawing paths so they could be scaled without distortion and executed by the same machine. A series of test prints helped identify errors and refine layouts. The final works were traced by a plotter using acrylic markers, adding texture and depth to the lines. The series highlights how variation transforms the articulated arm into distinct compositions, each with its own arrangement of form, color, and pattern.

This project marks an important stage in Espagnon’s plotter practice, as it was the first time he developed a system that could automatically adapt a drawing across formats, from A4 to A1.