Grapheme

"My work focuses on exploring the space between the hand-drawn and the computer-drawn and trying to blur those boundaries. I use Processing (p5js) and JavaScript to build my programs, and I design my own algorithmic brushes to complete each piece.

All my work is the result of highly-ordered chaos. This means that I write very organized instructions to direct the code, but then introduce random parameters so that the computer can try out an infinite variety of results."

Sarah Ridgley is a generative artist based in Arkansas.

Grapheme #20

Grapheme #5

"I’ve used letters and writing in my work for a long time, both with letterpress printing and in my asemic poetry programs. With asemic writing, I generate unrecognizable letters to reference text, and here I use recognizable letterforms removed from their typical function as language signifiers.

My goal with this project was to build as much texture and layering as possible by warping and collaging the letters together in various ways. The font I’m using is a design I made years ago to supplement my wood type collection for printing. I really enjoyed being able to bring that part of my past work into my generative art practice.

Each image is composed of the letters found in the hash for that piece, divided into either vowels or consonants. The program builds on a technique I’ve used before, where I generate an image to an off-screen canvas and then dive through the pixels to pull out the color and form I want to surface in the final image."

GRAPHEME