Concept
For this project, I made a small drawing machine using a paper cup, two pipe cleaners, and two markers. I wanted something simple that still created drawings I couldn’t fully control. I attached the pipe cleaners to the cup and the markers, so they acted like flexible arms. When I swing the cup over the paper, the pipe would swing the markers, and the markers leave random lines. Even though I’m the one holding and moving the cup, the pipe cleaners make the motion unstable, so the final drawing is never exactly what I expect.
Photos / Video of the Machine
Video:
Photos:
Drawing Outputs
Each drawing looked different even though I used the same materials and the same motion. When I swung the cup gently, the lines came out soft and curved. When I moved it faster, the pipe cleaners shook more, and the lines became messy and overlapped. Sometimes the markers touched the paper evenly, and other times they bounced or skipped. These small changes made every drawing unique.
Process and Challenges
The machine was easy to build, but getting it to work the way I wanted took some trial and error. Using two pipe cleaners made the arm more flexible, but also harder to control. Sometimes the markers didn’t touch the paper at the same time, or the cup tilted too much. I had to adjust the pipe cleaners and try different ways of swinging the cup. Another challenge was letting the machine behave naturally instead of trying to fix the lines. Even though I was holding the cup, I tried not to guide the markers too much. Once I let the pipe cleaners move freely, the drawings became more interesting.
Reflection on Control, Chance, and Authorship
This project made me think about how much control I actually have. I control the materials and how I start the movement, but the pipe cleaners add chance to the drawing. I never know exactly how they will bend or shake, so the final marks are partly random. I still see myself as the author because I designed the system and decided how it works, but the machine also plays a big role in the final result. The drawings feel like a mix of my intention and the unpredictable behavior of the pipe cleaners.
Sol LeWitt: Where the “Idea” Resides
After reading Sol LeWitt’s Paragraphs on Conceptual Art, I realized that the “idea” of my drawing is not in the final image. It’s in the system I created. LeWitt writes, “The idea becomes a machine that makes the art.” This connects directly to my project. The idea behind my machine is attaching two pipe cleaners to a cup and letting the movement create the marks. Once I start swinging the cup, the machine carries out the idea for me. The drawing is only one possible result of that system. This helped me understand that the important part of my project is the concept and the rules, not one specific final drawing.