Daniel Canogar, Loom
September 10–October 25, 2020
bitforms gallery is proud to present a first of its kind, cloud-based, 24/7 stream of generative software-based art, presented in collaboration with Small Data Industries. View the debut live artwork, Loom by Daniel Canogar, May 27 – June 15, 2020.
Generative art is a performative extension of conceptual art—at its core, a set of rules encoded in software unfold in real-time. This pretense invites a series of chance outcomes that are impossible to predetermine. Generative art can often demand high levels of computational power and even requires dedicated hardware. In such cases, works can only be experienced in-person at galleries or museums. Our collaborators at Small Data Industries have developed a new cloud-based method of exhibiting generative art so that these works can, for the first time ever, be experienced on the web by the general public. This program is the first of its kind to present a series of online works without machine dependency, by leveraging powerful cloud computing generously provided by Paperspace. bitforms gallery is pleased to present this unique program with new artworks premiering every two weeks.
Join us Wednesday, May 27 for the debut of Loom, the first live artwork in this series, made possible by Studio Daniel Canogar. When Daniel Canogar first developed this piece, he was working in a bustling studio in Madrid. As COVID crept across Spain, his studio transitioned to an environment of complete solitude, leaving the artist to quarantine alone with his work. Loom showcases abstract animations developed with data from real-time Google Trends. Popular queries appear momentarily as overlaid text before dissolving into a smoky abstraction. These terms are approached with an accidental lyricism—each word appears and disappears in a trail of saturation. Colors within the animation are determined by the prevalence of a specific topic; the more viral the search is online, the warmer the tones become. Throughout his quarantine, the artist began to witness the unfolding effects of COVID through this piece. Stripped of headlines, graphic imagery, and statistics, each phrase inspired a contemplative experience. Now online viewers have the same opportunity, a chance to ruminate on the collective consciousness. Loom weaves a social fabric, mixing the transcendental with the banal, to present the spirit of our time in generative motion.
