Looking Outwards 02 – Generative Art

For this blog, I’m looking at Michael Hansmeyer’s Subdivided Columns. I’ve always been enmeshed in ancient Greek architecture, and the notion of a new order of columns based on subdivision processes intrigued me. Of course we’re always adding to and building onto the work of our predecessors, but does this art do that or does it create a new thing entirely? After looking into it, I admire that this project seems to do both. You begin with the basic doric column, and abstract it. As far as I can tell, the way this piece works is, using an input form, you can detail information about the column’s shaft, capital, base, fluting, and entasis. According to the website, “the architect effectively designs a process that produces a column, rather than designing a column directly.” Michael Hansmeyer’s hand is still clear in these computer-generated columns. The intricate patterns of almost-recognizable figures and the detailed texturing work that traverses the whole length of the columns are distinctive to his style.