Digital Arts & Culture
Paul Amitai (inst.)
02.21.2005
"Gear Matrix”

Project Objectives:
The objective of this project was to scan one object from multiple perspectives and then create a dense, rhythmic, interweaving visual pattern that has a sense of spatial depth and movement.

Project Description:
The object we chose had to be a size that would be able to be placed on a scanner.  It also had to be a machine made object.  It could be old or new and could have any kind of surface texture.

Description of Solution:
The object that I started with was a piston and crankshaft assembly from a small engine.  However, this object had multiple pieces which made it difficult to create a composition with any rhythm.  I decided to focus in on the smallest part of this assembly, a small gear.  By varying the size of the gear and creating a weaving maze throughout the composition it gives the piece a sense of movement.  I used multiple layers that seem to fade towards the center light.  This creates a dream-like effect to the composition.  The complexity of the piece makes your eye want to follow the maze to see the entire image.  There are parts of the gears and winding maze that go off the page but then seem to reappear in another area.  This adds an element of visual tension to the piece by leading the viewer’s eye in one direction and then forcing it elsewhere.  Overall, I think the piece has a rhythm and sense of depth that keeps the viewer’s eye moving around the entire composition.