Susan McBurney
"Star-1"
Digital print, 12" x 14", 2006
In Star-1 I use a semicircle rotated 60 degrees and repeated three
times to form a triangular shape with semicircular sides. This
basic figure is then manipulated with fairly simple algorithms to
produce the following design. The immediate observation is of six
dihedral symmetry, but closer inspection shows also a two dihedral
figure shaped somewhat like a peanut, rotated three times. In any
case, there is nothing other than semicircles that make up the
design. It is the way they interact that produces the star and
peanut shapes.
Susan McBurney
Computer consultant; Network administrator
Statement about my art:
"The desire to create designs has been popular since the earliest
of times, and craftsmen and women have always made use of whatever
tools were available. The modern computer serves as a tool for
graphic designers and can add new dimensions of precision,
repeatability and experimentation to the artists' toolkit. Coming
from a math and computer science background, I am especially
interested in how characteristics of the computer can be exploited
to create new designs. I am also fascinated by the beauty and
complexity revealed when simple building blocks and algorithms
combine to produce complex and elegant artwork. As in the past I
have used one basic geometric unit to compose more complicated
designs which reveal other geometries in the interaction of the
parts. I call the end results "Repeated Figures" and hope they are
appreciated for their geometric structure as well as their
aesthetic value.
"