computer-printed image on pin-fed paper with vertical rows of holes along left and right edges of sheet; perforations on left and right edges of sheet; repeating pattern of rows and columns of circles made up of Os, apostrophes, dashes and periods

%C2%A9 Minneapolis Institute of Art

BUSY LION TO JELLY CENTER, #40, 1969

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In 1969, while teaching at the University of New Mexico, Frederick Hammersley began a year-long experiment making abstract drawings with the aid of a mainframe computer and line printers. At the time, computer-generated art was still in its infancy, and his efforts were groundbreaking and favorably received by critics and peers. Members of the University’s computing department assisted Hammersley in producing his drawings by programing the department’s computer to compose images from modified text and numerical elements. Simple and disarmingly playful, Hammersley’s computer drawings were part of a wave of postwar creative experimentation with emergent technology.

Details
Title
BUSY LION TO JELLY CENTER, #40
Artist Life
1919–2009
Role
Artist
Accession Number
2017.151.3
Provenance
The artist; New Mexico; Frederick Hammersley Foundation, Albuquerque, N.M.; given to MIA, 2017.
Curator Approved

This record is from historic documentation and may not have been reviewed by a curator, so may be inaccurate or incomplete. Our records are frequently revised and enhanced. If you notice a mistake or have additional information about this object, please email collectionsdata@artsmia.org.

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computer-printed image on pin-fed paper with vertical rows of holes along left and right edges of sheet; perforations on left and right edges of sheet; repeating pattern of rows and columns of circles made up of Os, apostrophes, dashes and periods

© Minneapolis Institute of Art