Why make aleatoric art?
There are many reasons ranging from "oops, it was an accident." to "because it wasn't there." But
most artists agree that art mimics life. The Aleatoric artist simply takes that literally to conclude that if
art mimics life, then the process of making art must mimic the process of making life. And if that is
true, then art would come from a place that mimics the place from which life comes. So his next
question is...
Where does life come from?
After fending off a flurry of solicitous advances by various supreme beings, divine creators, and holy
deities, he finds the answer: Life comes from ooze. Fetid, festering primordial ooze. Residual
sediment from the formation of our planet itself seething and bubbling with nitrogenous organic
compounds, amino acids, and other prebiotic elements. And with the anxious tenacity of a starving
young artist, it somehow finds a way to evolve. Perhaps sparked by something ejected from a
passing comet, the spontaneous formation of complex polymers occurs and cells begin to divide and
multiply. In a chain reaction, life takes shape, assumes a corporeal form, grows teeth, legs and other
assorted appendages, until it has enough things sticking out of it that it can feel itself, and thus have
self-awareness, self-consciousness... the essence of life.
Where does aleatoric art come from?
A process not dissimilar to that which produces life. The perfect mixture of elements sit dormant
waiting for a spark. That is the point at which the aleatoric artist strikes and suddenly, a
metamorphosis takes place. Once the transformation has been completed, he signs his name to it.
Sound simple? It’s not
The Aleatoric artist spends most of his time cultivating the perfect setting and conditions for this
miracle to occur, and art is finicky. Too cold and the ooze remains dormant and eventually just smells
bad. Too warm and it grows out of control and gets all over the carpet. Just look at it funny and it
dies. And the aleatoric artist must never sleep because, the instant he closes his eyes, the precious
pile of goo he’s been guarding will suddenly jump up and start wobbling around the room like a newly
ambulatory infant, pulling down table cloths, knocking over lamps, and scaring the cat. Invariably the
aleatoric hatchling must be subdued to keep it from destroying the house, and itself.
And that was the easy part
The exhausted aleatoric artist must now come up with an explanation for how he produced this
masterpiece and what it symbolizes. This is where God is useful and he will invoke the name of any
supreme being available in an attempt to give his art meaning and purpose.
Kahlil Gibran expressed it well in one of those little things he wrote, although he was talking about
children. I just changed a few words. But basically he said, and I misquote:
“Your artworks are not your artworks.
They are the paintings and sculptures of art's longing for itself.
They come through you but not from you,
And though you offer them for sale,
Sometimes you can't give them away.
You may give them your love but not your life,
For art has a life of its own.
You may choose the medium but not the colors,
For the colors look different after they've been mixed,
which you cannot predict, not even on a color chart.
You may strive to be like your art,
but seek not to make your art look like you.
For nobody cares what you looked like yesterday.
You are the loading dock from which your artworks,
as framed canvases, are shipped out.
The curator senses that the work is marketable,
and he pressures you with his deadlines,
that this exhibit may put him on the map.
Let your hard work in the curators hands make you money;
For even as he doubts that you’ll make him rich,
He loves that you keep trying.”
—Kahlil Gibran, (sort of).
So I pose now this question to you:
Why not make aleatoric art?
Or more to the point, how do you stop it? After we tried burning it, washing it away, beating it,
painting it black, waiting for it to rot, going out into the desert as far away as possible—We've even
tried filling it with water until it explodes—We've come to the conclusion that we can't stop it. Because,
as Kahlil says, It's not ours to stop.
Numsain
________________________________________________________________________________
Andrew Schrock:
A testimonial by Gladys Overwitz
“I was getting ready to call the roto-rooter man because our boiler had apparently
exploded and somehow it just flew right out of the basement and landed in the
driveway. I hardly recognized it. it was like it swelled up and splitting at the seams.
It's a shame really, 30 years of good service. It never did this before. Then I found
out what happened. Well, maybe you should tell this part Reggie...”
“Ha ha, well I was at Red Dot Miami, y’know the big art show. I didn’t tell Gladys
‘cause I brought my mistress Evelyn with me, we were having an affair, you see.
We were at the aleatoric art booth and one of the artists, Andrew Schrock, had
done this amazing sheet metal sculpture that looked just like our boiler only, like,
blown up or something, it was the darndest thing. I just fell in love with it. Evelyn
hated it but I had to have it. so I brought it home and i was in the garage getting
the forklift out to move it into our back yard and that’s when Gladys came out and
saw it. Isn’t it beautiful? Gladys loves it, don’t ya honey?”
“You were having an affair? ...with Evelyn?”
“Well, sure, but it’s over now so what’s the dig deal?”
“She’s my mother!”
RC
________________________________________________________________________________
Black Squares
Since modern art, in its early infancy, first learned to say dadaism, art experts have been a little
sketchy as to the difference between precedent-setting genius and a wet clean-up on aisle 5 at Kelly-
Moore.
Back in the days when Michelangelo roamed the earth there was very little question about it. Mike
was cranking out the good stuff; his drunken one-eyed neighbor, Lefty Fagioli, was not. And rightly,
Big M got the Sistine Chapel gig; Lefty was flippin’ burgers at the Coliseum commissary.
Unfortunately, after several dozen movements, a gang of periods, and a revolution or two in art
history it’s not that simple anymore. I entered a major art competition recently giving very little
thought to the prospect of actually winning, especially when I saw some of the other entries: hot
chicks with big racks, artists with the same last name as one of the judges—I mean, I was up against
some wicked talent. But it’s kind of like the lottery: you can’t lose if you don’t play.
The big day finally arrived and the winners were to be announced. I was primed to see what kind of
unfathomably gorgeous, heart-stopping masterpiece executed with inhumanly-flawless technique
would beat out over 10,000 contestants. I opened the page and saw black squares. My first thought
was I needed to subscribe to view the results otherwise I'd get the censored version. As I was getting
out my credit card I read the interview with the first place winner. He was describing how he had used
several different markers and inks to go over the black many times to make sure it was “really” black.
My first thought was, he cheated. Somebody tipped him off. He got an anonymous phone call.
"Listen pal, y'know that big competition you're about to enter?"
"Yes? What should I do?"
"Black squares.”
“Really, that’s what they’re looking for?
Just black squares?”
"That's it. Just black squares.
Ya can't go wrong."
"Gee thanks mister!"
"But you better make sure they're
REALLY black!"
I could have done black squares. I’m good at squares, and black I’ve got. Darn, if only I’d known!
Then I would have been the greatest artist in the whole wo— Wait a minute, no I wouldn’t have!
Who’s smokin' muggles?
Maybe the “good” receptors in my visual cortex were on the fritz and needed to be re-calibrated. So I
scrounged up a date and we headed for LACMA . When I entered I saw a large piece of butcher
paper with a pencil drawing of a penny. It was perfect. A flawless photo-realistic reproduction of a 5
foot diameter penny. I was excited! Apparently they were going to start having penny admission day
at the museum soon. Then I saw an SUV, perfectly drawn in pencil on butcher paper. Then a postage
stamp, in pencil, butcher paper, perfect. I was worried. If this is art then my Canon digital SLR is
gonna be famous.
I moved on. Something diverted my eye from my feet negotiating the terrazzo. It was an unusual
mixed-medium type of affair with no outstanding features to speak of, but maybe I just wasn’t looking
closely enough. So I read the title...that didn’t help. What’s this, the medium is oil paint and elephant
dung? Interesting. I’ve experimented with flow enhancers to make the paint move a little better but
then I noticed a brown lump on the canvas. And my first thought was, “No he didn’t!”
He had, and among the other exhibits, there was a blinking eye on a video monitor, a plastic blow-up
cartoon outer-space alien, Some pink neon thing, an original oil on canvas by Arshile Gorky...Wait a
minute, what’s that doing here? I was like "huh?" to say the least, thoroughly discombobulated to say
the most. I saw some other museum patrons: a perfectly reasonable looking couple in their early 30s.
I didn’t want to bias their answer so I asked a completely neutral question.
“Can you believe the garbage they’re calling art these days”?
The gentleman looked at me and smiled (indicating to me he was of sound mind) and said, "I have to
agree with you. My wife and I were just saying the same thing. But there is that Gorky back there, did
you see it?”
“Yeah, it was beautiful, what a mind, eh”? I said. They both nodded in agreement and we went our
separate ways. I caught up with my date. Just an arm-piece really, thought I’d introduce her to some
culture. Show her there’s other places to see beauty, besides in a mirror. As I approached my naive
little junior student of the arts she was scratching her blond head and giving me a funny look.
She walked up to me and said, “Can you believe the garbage they’re calling art these days?”
Oh, she’s a wise guy, eh? She probably overheard me talking to that couple. I’ll put her to the test.
“But did you see that pencil drawing of the penny?”
She raised one eyebrow and said, “Well it was expertly executed, but what was the point? It was
completely devoid of any artistic virtue other than the rendering technique itself, which, as anyone
with half a brain knows, does not an artist make.”
I indicated she was right by sticking my tongue out at her.
So it’s a farce, the whole art world has it’s head up it’s collective duff and everyone knows it. Could it
be the “emperors new cloaks” syndrome? Some big shot art critic, whom no one had the chutzpah to
question, had a lapse in judgment, it looked like fun, so now all the big shot art critics are doing it? Or
is it just like politics: somebody gets paid off and next thing you know Gorky is surrounded by
kindergartners?
Why then do I toil endlessly to drag vestiges of genius from my enfeebled creative muscle when it’s
not the muse it’s the moolah that garners the kind of fame and fortune we all dream about, but only
those with the black squares to back it up ever achieve?
The answer is simple: I am a victim of free will. I live life in the oncoming lane and I don't always roll
with the punches, sometimes I punch back. Black squares, elephant dung, decapitated Barbie dolls
swimming in goats blood, are all defiant statements made to challenge and call out the rigid-minded
and complacent and say, "Aw gee mom, leftovers again"? Well you certainly put mom in her place.
But wait, mom worked hard on that lasagna, what do you suggest she serve for dinner? Elephant
dung? Mom just stormed out of the kitchen in a huff and forgot to turn off the oven. Unless somebody
comes up with something better than mom's leftover lasagna, you'd better serve it up.
Too late! Black squares!
RC
There are many reasons ranging from "oops, it was an accident." to "because it wasn't there." But
most artists agree that art mimics life. The Aleatoric artist simply takes that literally to conclude that if
art mimics life, then the process of making art must mimic the process of making life. And if that is
true, then art would come from a place that mimics the place from which life comes. So his next
question is...
Where does life come from?
After fending off a flurry of solicitous advances by various supreme beings, divine creators, and holy
deities, he finds the answer: Life comes from ooze. Fetid, festering primordial ooze. Residual
sediment from the formation of our planet itself seething and bubbling with nitrogenous organic
compounds, amino acids, and other prebiotic elements. And with the anxious tenacity of a starving
young artist, it somehow finds a way to evolve. Perhaps sparked by something ejected from a
passing comet, the spontaneous formation of complex polymers occurs and cells begin to divide and
multiply. In a chain reaction, life takes shape, assumes a corporeal form, grows teeth, legs and other
assorted appendages, until it has enough things sticking out of it that it can feel itself, and thus have
self-awareness, self-consciousness... the essence of life.
Where does aleatoric art come from?
A process not dissimilar to that which produces life. The perfect mixture of elements sit dormant
waiting for a spark. That is the point at which the aleatoric artist strikes and suddenly, a
metamorphosis takes place. Once the transformation has been completed, he signs his name to it.
Sound simple? It’s not
The Aleatoric artist spends most of his time cultivating the perfect setting and conditions for this
miracle to occur, and art is finicky. Too cold and the ooze remains dormant and eventually just smells
bad. Too warm and it grows out of control and gets all over the carpet. Just look at it funny and it
dies. And the aleatoric artist must never sleep because, the instant he closes his eyes, the precious
pile of goo he’s been guarding will suddenly jump up and start wobbling around the room like a newly
ambulatory infant, pulling down table cloths, knocking over lamps, and scaring the cat. Invariably the
aleatoric hatchling must be subdued to keep it from destroying the house, and itself.
And that was the easy part
The exhausted aleatoric artist must now come up with an explanation for how he produced this
masterpiece and what it symbolizes. This is where God is useful and he will invoke the name of any
supreme being available in an attempt to give his art meaning and purpose.
Kahlil Gibran expressed it well in one of those little things he wrote, although he was talking about
children. I just changed a few words. But basically he said, and I misquote:
“Your artworks are not your artworks.
They are the paintings and sculptures of art's longing for itself.
They come through you but not from you,
And though you offer them for sale,
Sometimes you can't give them away.
You may give them your love but not your life,
For art has a life of its own.
You may choose the medium but not the colors,
For the colors look different after they've been mixed,
which you cannot predict, not even on a color chart.
You may strive to be like your art,
but seek not to make your art look like you.
For nobody cares what you looked like yesterday.
You are the loading dock from which your artworks,
as framed canvases, are shipped out.
The curator senses that the work is marketable,
and he pressures you with his deadlines,
that this exhibit may put him on the map.
Let your hard work in the curators hands make you money;
For even as he doubts that you’ll make him rich,
He loves that you keep trying.”
—Kahlil Gibran, (sort of).
So I pose now this question to you:
Why not make aleatoric art?
Or more to the point, how do you stop it? After we tried burning it, washing it away, beating it,
painting it black, waiting for it to rot, going out into the desert as far away as possible—We've even
tried filling it with water until it explodes—We've come to the conclusion that we can't stop it. Because,
as Kahlil says, It's not ours to stop.
Numsain
________________________________________________________________________________
Andrew Schrock:
A testimonial by Gladys Overwitz
“I was getting ready to call the roto-rooter man because our boiler had apparently
exploded and somehow it just flew right out of the basement and landed in the
driveway. I hardly recognized it. it was like it swelled up and splitting at the seams.
It's a shame really, 30 years of good service. It never did this before. Then I found
out what happened. Well, maybe you should tell this part Reggie...”
“Ha ha, well I was at Red Dot Miami, y’know the big art show. I didn’t tell Gladys
‘cause I brought my mistress Evelyn with me, we were having an affair, you see.
We were at the aleatoric art booth and one of the artists, Andrew Schrock, had
done this amazing sheet metal sculpture that looked just like our boiler only, like,
blown up or something, it was the darndest thing. I just fell in love with it. Evelyn
hated it but I had to have it. so I brought it home and i was in the garage getting
the forklift out to move it into our back yard and that’s when Gladys came out and
saw it. Isn’t it beautiful? Gladys loves it, don’t ya honey?”
“You were having an affair? ...with Evelyn?”
“Well, sure, but it’s over now so what’s the dig deal?”
“She’s my mother!”
RC
________________________________________________________________________________
Black Squares
Since modern art, in its early infancy, first learned to say dadaism, art experts have been a little
sketchy as to the difference between precedent-setting genius and a wet clean-up on aisle 5 at Kelly-
Moore.
Back in the days when Michelangelo roamed the earth there was very little question about it. Mike
was cranking out the good stuff; his drunken one-eyed neighbor, Lefty Fagioli, was not. And rightly,
Big M got the Sistine Chapel gig; Lefty was flippin’ burgers at the Coliseum commissary.
Unfortunately, after several dozen movements, a gang of periods, and a revolution or two in art
history it’s not that simple anymore. I entered a major art competition recently giving very little
thought to the prospect of actually winning, especially when I saw some of the other entries: hot
chicks with big racks, artists with the same last name as one of the judges—I mean, I was up against
some wicked talent. But it’s kind of like the lottery: you can’t lose if you don’t play.
The big day finally arrived and the winners were to be announced. I was primed to see what kind of
unfathomably gorgeous, heart-stopping masterpiece executed with inhumanly-flawless technique
would beat out over 10,000 contestants. I opened the page and saw black squares. My first thought
was I needed to subscribe to view the results otherwise I'd get the censored version. As I was getting
out my credit card I read the interview with the first place winner. He was describing how he had used
several different markers and inks to go over the black many times to make sure it was “really” black.
My first thought was, he cheated. Somebody tipped him off. He got an anonymous phone call.
"Listen pal, y'know that big competition you're about to enter?"
"Yes? What should I do?"
"Black squares.”
“Really, that’s what they’re looking for?
Just black squares?”
"That's it. Just black squares.
Ya can't go wrong."
"Gee thanks mister!"
"But you better make sure they're
REALLY black!"
I could have done black squares. I’m good at squares, and black I’ve got. Darn, if only I’d known!
Then I would have been the greatest artist in the whole wo— Wait a minute, no I wouldn’t have!
Who’s smokin' muggles?
Maybe the “good” receptors in my visual cortex were on the fritz and needed to be re-calibrated. So I
scrounged up a date and we headed for LACMA . When I entered I saw a large piece of butcher
paper with a pencil drawing of a penny. It was perfect. A flawless photo-realistic reproduction of a 5
foot diameter penny. I was excited! Apparently they were going to start having penny admission day
at the museum soon. Then I saw an SUV, perfectly drawn in pencil on butcher paper. Then a postage
stamp, in pencil, butcher paper, perfect. I was worried. If this is art then my Canon digital SLR is
gonna be famous.
I moved on. Something diverted my eye from my feet negotiating the terrazzo. It was an unusual
mixed-medium type of affair with no outstanding features to speak of, but maybe I just wasn’t looking
closely enough. So I read the title...that didn’t help. What’s this, the medium is oil paint and elephant
dung? Interesting. I’ve experimented with flow enhancers to make the paint move a little better but
then I noticed a brown lump on the canvas. And my first thought was, “No he didn’t!”
He had, and among the other exhibits, there was a blinking eye on a video monitor, a plastic blow-up
cartoon outer-space alien, Some pink neon thing, an original oil on canvas by Arshile Gorky...Wait a
minute, what’s that doing here? I was like "huh?" to say the least, thoroughly discombobulated to say
the most. I saw some other museum patrons: a perfectly reasonable looking couple in their early 30s.
I didn’t want to bias their answer so I asked a completely neutral question.
“Can you believe the garbage they’re calling art these days”?
The gentleman looked at me and smiled (indicating to me he was of sound mind) and said, "I have to
agree with you. My wife and I were just saying the same thing. But there is that Gorky back there, did
you see it?”
“Yeah, it was beautiful, what a mind, eh”? I said. They both nodded in agreement and we went our
separate ways. I caught up with my date. Just an arm-piece really, thought I’d introduce her to some
culture. Show her there’s other places to see beauty, besides in a mirror. As I approached my naive
little junior student of the arts she was scratching her blond head and giving me a funny look.
She walked up to me and said, “Can you believe the garbage they’re calling art these days?”
Oh, she’s a wise guy, eh? She probably overheard me talking to that couple. I’ll put her to the test.
“But did you see that pencil drawing of the penny?”
She raised one eyebrow and said, “Well it was expertly executed, but what was the point? It was
completely devoid of any artistic virtue other than the rendering technique itself, which, as anyone
with half a brain knows, does not an artist make.”
I indicated she was right by sticking my tongue out at her.
So it’s a farce, the whole art world has it’s head up it’s collective duff and everyone knows it. Could it
be the “emperors new cloaks” syndrome? Some big shot art critic, whom no one had the chutzpah to
question, had a lapse in judgment, it looked like fun, so now all the big shot art critics are doing it? Or
is it just like politics: somebody gets paid off and next thing you know Gorky is surrounded by
kindergartners?
Why then do I toil endlessly to drag vestiges of genius from my enfeebled creative muscle when it’s
not the muse it’s the moolah that garners the kind of fame and fortune we all dream about, but only
those with the black squares to back it up ever achieve?
The answer is simple: I am a victim of free will. I live life in the oncoming lane and I don't always roll
with the punches, sometimes I punch back. Black squares, elephant dung, decapitated Barbie dolls
swimming in goats blood, are all defiant statements made to challenge and call out the rigid-minded
and complacent and say, "Aw gee mom, leftovers again"? Well you certainly put mom in her place.
But wait, mom worked hard on that lasagna, what do you suggest she serve for dinner? Elephant
dung? Mom just stormed out of the kitchen in a huff and forgot to turn off the oven. Unless somebody
comes up with something better than mom's leftover lasagna, you'd better serve it up.
Too late! Black squares!
RC
_______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
 | |  | |  | |  | |  | |  |
02.22.11
02.11.11
01.05.11
Ray Cabarga
How to...
There are myriad ways to create aleatoric art, each offering the artist a different degree of control
over the outcome. Control is what an artist normally strives for and must master his skills through
practice and study to achieve. It’s often said that too much control can be detrimental to the graceful
beauty of the work, especially when the artist has prioritized technique over creativity. Though one
has only to view the work of Salvadore Dali or Robert Venosa, to name two, to see that control and
creativity are not mutually exclusive.
Still, creativity is often associated with freedom; be it freedom from rigid control; freedom from the
constraints of tradition, freedom from representational form or even freedom from the limits of
imagination. The human imagination, even that of the most developed and expanded mind, still has
limits even if they exist only in audiences perception. But if there can be a state of unlimited freedom
or infinite possibilities it would have to be defined by what is possible in the infinite universe which
encompasses everything that exists, both within and beyond our perception. The objective of the
aleatoric artist is to access that which goes beyond human imagination and to avail himself, and his
art, of possibilities that have yet to be imagined.
All art can be considered, to some degree, aleatoric in that it would be impossible to control every
aspect of it. the impressionists allowed a greater degree of chance to pervade their work than did
the classical masters, and the abstract expressionists even more so. Dadaist intentionally used
aleatoric techniques as a reactionary counterpoint to or rebellion against artistic traditions of the
past. From this point of view the term aleatoric would seem refer to, not a type of art, but a degree
to which the art is controlled by the artist. But the Movement of Aleatoric Modern Artists considers
those periods to be precursors to true aleatoric art, a form which we recognize as a mature
evolution of those past periods. The elements of chance are seen, not as by-products of the
creative process, but an integral, if not central, part.
Among the methods of creating aleatoric are are:
• Initiating a state of chaos with conventional art supplies—pouring, splashing, spilling and otherwise
freely applying paints and mediums to substrates and optionally moving them in other uncontrolled
or haphazard ways and letting them settle as they will.
• Waiting for chaos to become art—Setting out various materials, optionally subjecting them to
various natural forces such as erosion, temperature extremes, destructive organisms or other
hostile environments and allowing sufficient time for transformation such as cracking, natural decay,
evaporation etc. to occur.
• Setting up circumstances for chaos to become art—Creating an environment in which otherwise
chaotic elements are constrained by various means such as filters, chemical reactions, or enclosing
structures, barriers, baffles or channels.
• Freezing chaos at the moment it becomes art—Using high speed photography to capture specific
instances in the duration of an chaotic sequence such as smoke rising, water or other liquids
flowing, or splashing, fish swimming, or fire burning.
• Searching through chaos for art that has occurred—Studying, excavating, or hunting for
serendipitous accidents in nature or manmade ruins collecting or photographing the object and
presenting it out of context as art.
• Allowing animals to play with art supplies—giving cats, dogs, or any non-human creature carte
blanche to do as they will with art materials (note: This should only be done with non-toxic materials
under safe conditions so no animals are harmed in the making of art)
• Combining things that are not art until combined—Sometimes called “found object art,” this method
involves collecting objects and materials and arranging them in an artistic collage, montage, or pile,
then photographing or presenting them as art.
• Extracting art from chaos—This process could be as simple as pouring molten liquid plastic onto a
swarm of insects, letting it harden and presenting the lamination of crumpled twisted exoskeletons
caught in the throes of death as art, Or reaching ones hand into a bowl of alphabet soup, and
reading your palm.
• Remove everything that isn't art—Starting with a natural or manmade substance with an inner
chaotic structure of varying densities such as grain, fibers, or knots as in wood, then using tools or
solvents of variable strengths to chip, grind, erode, stress, eat, dissolve, etch or otherwise remove
all material within a predetermined a range of density to reveal anything outside of that range in its
structural formations.
• Synthetically reproducing organic or chaotic forms—extrapolating algorithms from the processes of
nature and using them as formulas to build digital images that mimic natural structures which are
often chaotic in appearance.
These are just a few of the ways in which aleatoric art can be produced. Finding other methods is as
much the creative work of the aleatoric artist as is the art itself. In a sense the aleatoric artist is as
much a scientist and an inventor as he is an artist and therein lies the appeal of this form of
expression. By it’s very nature it holds the potential for discovery and innovation few other
disciplines can offer. Aleatoric art is a yet uncharted terrain so vast that its complete coverage
seems unlikely within any foreseeable future. How we approach this exciting challenge and our
commitment to its continuation will determine our movements influence the shape of art to come.
Ray Cabarga
__________________________________________________________________________________________
There are myriad ways to create aleatoric art, each offering the artist a different degree of control
over the outcome. Control is what an artist normally strives for and must master his skills through
practice and study to achieve. It’s often said that too much control can be detrimental to the graceful
beauty of the work, especially when the artist has prioritized technique over creativity. Though one
has only to view the work of Salvadore Dali or Robert Venosa, to name two, to see that control and
creativity are not mutually exclusive.
Still, creativity is often associated with freedom; be it freedom from rigid control; freedom from the
constraints of tradition, freedom from representational form or even freedom from the limits of
imagination. The human imagination, even that of the most developed and expanded mind, still has
limits even if they exist only in audiences perception. But if there can be a state of unlimited freedom
or infinite possibilities it would have to be defined by what is possible in the infinite universe which
encompasses everything that exists, both within and beyond our perception. The objective of the
aleatoric artist is to access that which goes beyond human imagination and to avail himself, and his
art, of possibilities that have yet to be imagined.
All art can be considered, to some degree, aleatoric in that it would be impossible to control every
aspect of it. the impressionists allowed a greater degree of chance to pervade their work than did
the classical masters, and the abstract expressionists even more so. Dadaist intentionally used
aleatoric techniques as a reactionary counterpoint to or rebellion against artistic traditions of the
past. From this point of view the term aleatoric would seem refer to, not a type of art, but a degree
to which the art is controlled by the artist. But the Movement of Aleatoric Modern Artists considers
those periods to be precursors to true aleatoric art, a form which we recognize as a mature
evolution of those past periods. The elements of chance are seen, not as by-products of the
creative process, but an integral, if not central, part.
Among the methods of creating aleatoric are are:
• Initiating a state of chaos with conventional art supplies—pouring, splashing, spilling and otherwise
freely applying paints and mediums to substrates and optionally moving them in other uncontrolled
or haphazard ways and letting them settle as they will.
• Waiting for chaos to become art—Setting out various materials, optionally subjecting them to
various natural forces such as erosion, temperature extremes, destructive organisms or other
hostile environments and allowing sufficient time for transformation such as cracking, natural decay,
evaporation etc. to occur.
• Setting up circumstances for chaos to become art—Creating an environment in which otherwise
chaotic elements are constrained by various means such as filters, chemical reactions, or enclosing
structures, barriers, baffles or channels.
• Freezing chaos at the moment it becomes art—Using high speed photography to capture specific
instances in the duration of an chaotic sequence such as smoke rising, water or other liquids
flowing, or splashing, fish swimming, or fire burning.
• Searching through chaos for art that has occurred—Studying, excavating, or hunting for
serendipitous accidents in nature or manmade ruins collecting or photographing the object and
presenting it out of context as art.
• Allowing animals to play with art supplies—giving cats, dogs, or any non-human creature carte
blanche to do as they will with art materials (note: This should only be done with non-toxic materials
under safe conditions so no animals are harmed in the making of art)
• Combining things that are not art until combined—Sometimes called “found object art,” this method
involves collecting objects and materials and arranging them in an artistic collage, montage, or pile,
then photographing or presenting them as art.
• Extracting art from chaos—This process could be as simple as pouring molten liquid plastic onto a
swarm of insects, letting it harden and presenting the lamination of crumpled twisted exoskeletons
caught in the throes of death as art, Or reaching ones hand into a bowl of alphabet soup, and
reading your palm.
• Remove everything that isn't art—Starting with a natural or manmade substance with an inner
chaotic structure of varying densities such as grain, fibers, or knots as in wood, then using tools or
solvents of variable strengths to chip, grind, erode, stress, eat, dissolve, etch or otherwise remove
all material within a predetermined a range of density to reveal anything outside of that range in its
structural formations.
• Synthetically reproducing organic or chaotic forms—extrapolating algorithms from the processes of
nature and using them as formulas to build digital images that mimic natural structures which are
often chaotic in appearance.
These are just a few of the ways in which aleatoric art can be produced. Finding other methods is as
much the creative work of the aleatoric artist as is the art itself. In a sense the aleatoric artist is as
much a scientist and an inventor as he is an artist and therein lies the appeal of this form of
expression. By it’s very nature it holds the potential for discovery and innovation few other
disciplines can offer. Aleatoric art is a yet uncharted terrain so vast that its complete coverage
seems unlikely within any foreseeable future. How we approach this exciting challenge and our
commitment to its continuation will determine our movements influence the shape of art to come.
Ray Cabarga
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03.09.11
aleatoric art?
aleatoric art?
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found realm aleatoric artists read art modern website nature images beauty one creative great natural using work fine first created metal eastern creates paintings uses materials steel featured page gallery available corporate houston studio works process venosa dali aleatoricart working variety urban chance physics unique ways beautiful processes techniques chaos sculptures traditional
04.05.11
The Deliberate Accident
Justinus Kerner
A signature illustrated with a Klecksographie 1879
Private Collection Ink on paper
Essay: Ever since Leonardo da Vinci urged artists to search for inspiration in the dirt on walls or
the streaked patterns in stones, they have found that the accidental blot, the chance mark, or the
naturally occurring stain can be a starting point for some extraordinary art... more
____________________________________________________________________________
A signature illustrated with a Klecksographie 1879
Private Collection Ink on paper
Essay: Ever since Leonardo da Vinci urged artists to search for inspiration in the dirt on walls or
the streaked patterns in stones, they have found that the accidental blot, the chance mark, or the
naturally occurring stain can be a starting point for some extraordinary art... more
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