Off Script #92
Off Script is a generative series by Emily Xie released as part of the Bright Moments London exhibition. Exploring textuality, form, and structure, Xie follows the exhibition’s theme of craftwork to create a stunning compositional collage. The series beautifully transfers the analog process of physical collaging into the digital space by generating algorithmic papers with randomly arranged “cut out” geometric forms. Xie draws inspiration from early 20th century modern artists such as Picasso, Matisse, and Mondrian to incorporate unique palettes throughout variations.
Off Script is a generative system that explores sensoriality through the subject of collage. At its core, the series uses a custom masking algorithm to cut out shapes from algorithmically produced papers, which are then arranged throughout the canvas. It is programmed in Javascript.
Much like the practice of collage itself, Off Script elicits a deeply sensorial experience. Generative textures induce a sense of tactility, while askew jagged shapes evoke the punctuated off-beat sounds of jazz. With its synesthetic qualities, the series challenges its own medium, creating a dialogue between the immateriality of digital representation and the corporality of the physical realm.
Off Script's visual language references various 20th century modern art movements that similarly emphasized medium and material through distilled expressions of shape, color, and composition.