The idea of randomness in art is an interesting concept. On one hand, art in itself does already incorporate random elements (ex. watercolor painting). On the other hand, computer art and algorithms provide a new kind of ‘randomness’. You are pretty limited in what kind of artworks you can do in code, but the code you do make you tend to have a good amount of control over. The random elements in the code have to be inserted by your hands.
In that case, how much of the piece is true randomness and chance? How much of the piece comes from your own hand, and how much of it comes from the machine?
These two questions showcase my main worry when approaching randomness in art. I personally tend to agree with Rosalind Krauss’s critique of grid art. “It is not just the sheer number of careers that have been devoted to the exploration of the grid that is impressive, but the fact that never could exploration have chosen less fertile ground.” When Casey Reas bring this quote up, they explain Krauss’s stance against this type of art. “She sees it as the moving away from humanity, moving away from the narrative, and basically making art of its own, rather than our largest intellectual and social discourse.” This art moves away from humanity and becomes its own thing.
I find myself agreeing with this idea, because when art is considered to be random, how much of the art is of the artist and how much is it of the machine? Is it all the artist because the artist is the one typing the code, and controlling what parts of it is random and what isn’t? Or is it the machines’ because the machine brings in the most crucial element of the art– the random aspect of it.
With all that being said, I’m not against the idea of randomness in this sense. I do think that there is still a human hand in the process when creating art such as this. There is still intent in the piece, there is still effort, and there is still discourse to be said about it. My thoughts are just a bit too complicated, and I don’t have an exact answer to the question. I find myself critiquing this art but also not having that big of a problem with it.
When I approach my piece, I honestly want the random elements in my work to be limited. I don’t want my piece to get away from me, it still needs to be my piece. That thought alone implies there needs to be a certain balance between randomness and control in this kind of art. What that would be I am not sure, since despite my worry over control in art, of all the pieces in the reading, I did not at any point think a piece could not be considered art. Maybe its because of intent, or maybe it is because the act to make art is in itself, the best showcase of humanity.