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theory

The Parametric Sublime

The parametric sublime is an aspect of the mathematical sublime. Computation operationalizes the contradiction between the symbolic specificity of a parametric system and the infinitude of its possible instantiations. And while the profundity of remarking on this contradiction may seem to decline as the wonder of thinking machines wears off, that they reproduce the trick we manage and find pleasure in–containing the infinite in the finite–will in some way always be that from which digital art derives its impact and its effects. 

The Micro-Mechanics of Material Metaphor

A computer-controlled machine carves the surfaces of 150 pound, cubic foot, blocks of concrete with its hammer drill. Each block is lifted onto the machine in turn and held inside its mechanism. The drill moves in a path across the block’s surface and laboriously traces out the words “girly man” in various configurations. The marked blocks stand on one side of the machine while the intact blocks lie in wait at its other side. A wall separates the controlling computer from the machine and the blocks.