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Roxy
Paine/ Second Nature
LESSON PLAN:
Using systems to create art
OBJECTIVES
1. To create a system/machine to assist in making art
2. To learn about how chance affects artistic makingMATERIALS
Lazy Susan (can substitute a pottery wheel or any spinning
disc), heavy white paper, several colors of India ink, small squeeze
bottle (could substitute eye dropped or turkey baster) cardboard,
mat knife, marker, and newspaper. (Optional: four 6” dowels
per student and hot glue)
BACKGROUND DISCUSSION
Roxy Paine is a sculptor who often builds and programs machines
that make art for him. These machines vary: one makes sculptures,
another makes paintings, a third makes drawings.
Roxy Paine, SCUMAK No. 2,
2001
Roxy Paine,
Drawing Machine, 2001
While each object made by the machine is unique and slightly
different, Roxy maintains some control over the outcome.
He programs information into a computer that determines how much
the conveyer
belt should shake, how long paint should spray, what color
ink to you use, etc.
ACTIVITY
1) Prepare the Lazy Susan by taping or tacking a piece of heavy
white paper to it. Cut the paper so that it fits on the Lazy
Susan (Note: If you wish, students could build there own spinning
wheel
by drilling a hole through s piece of would and have a dowel
or peg run through it like a turn table.) Lay newspaper beneath
the
Lazy Susan
2) Creation of a template table: Students cut the cardboard
to be slightly larger than the Lazy Susan with an interior
border that is slightly smaller than the paper. Then, they will
draw
a simple linear design on the cardboard with marker. The line
should have a beginning and ending point, and it should not
overlap itself. The students will then cut away the marked line
using
a mat knife. The space must be wide enough for the squirt bottle
tip/eye dropper. (Options: Students may hot glue the 4 dowels
to the corners of the cardboard so that it becomes a table
that can be placed over the Lazy Susan, or a third student may
hold
the template in place.)
3) Decision Making: Before the art making stage, which will
consist of one person spinning the Lazy Susan, and another
dropping ink in a consistent manner through the template, many
decisions
should be “programmed.’ Here are some suggestions:
How fast should the wheel be spun?
What color ink should be used?
How concentrated/diluted should the ink be?
How fast should the eye dropper be moved through the template?
How much time should be allowed for the ink to dry between
layers?
4) Art making: Following the programmed decisions, work in
groups of two. Have one student spin the wheel, and the other
move the specified ink in the eye dropper
through the template. Are a specified amount of drying time, repeat the process
with a new ink color/dilution or new wheel speed through the template. The final
product should have 3-5 layers minimum.
5) Series:(Optional) Repeat the activity. However, this time use a different “program”.
CLOSURE
Place the drawings on the wall with their instructions next to it. How do the
works look similar? How do they look different? How does wheel speed affect the
outcome? How do the different template shapes affect the image?
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