Looking Outwards – Generative Art

Fifty Sisters was created by John McCormack. It consists of fifty images of plants generated from computer code. What I find most admirational about this piece is that it reflects the astronomical impact that oil has made on our world today. The algorithm that the computer followed were the geographic elements of oil company logos. More specifically, these were logos of “Seven Sisters”, the name of seven oil companies that took over the petrochemical industry during the 1940s to 1970s.

Society has used oil for heat, electricity, generation, chemicals, plastics, and even more. While there are boundless benefits, it is also massively detrimental to the environment with oil spills and climate change.

McCormack recognized the transformation of fossil fuels from plants to coal and oil today. He took “digital genes”, otherwise known as “computer DNA”, to form replicas of Mesozoic plants. These species grew and evolutionized to form new species. Some computer-made species changed so much that the company logos were unrecognizable.

McCormack’s artistic sensibilities manifested in this art piece because he used technology to show how technology can be both a gift and a curse.