Reflections #7

Name: Ragnar Digital, LLC
Price range: $

Thomas Huston

1972

Plotter Drawing

21 × 28 cm
Labeled ‘Reflections #7, Huston 69’.

Description

With Reflections #7, Thomas J. Huston demonstrated how basic mathematical functions could mimic the complexity of nature. The numbering of the work positions it as one variation within a series. When computer art was still emerging and few avenues existed for sharing it, Huston presented his works through advertisements in magazines and newspapers—an inventive approach that reflected the experimental spirit of the time.

For this work, Huston programmed an IBM 1130 computer in Fortran to generate two sine waves, each assigned random values for their height and spacing. He combined them into a single curve that defined the landscape. For the fluid lines that stretch across the bottom half of the page, Huston instructed the Calcomp plotter to draw a smaller sine wave repeatedly, each time altering the height of the peaks, the distance between them, and the spacing of the lines. Subtle variations create the impression of waves rippling on the surface. Red lines curve upward above the blue, forming a mountain range. Where the two colors meet, the pen plotter’s ink merges into shades of purple, like shadows across the water. In the distance, rectangles placed closely together suggest a city skyline.