Contrast of Structure and Chaos in Grid-Based Abstract Form

Summer 2024, at a data visualization exhibit in Silicon Valley.

I was struck by the contrast between the cold, rigid digital grid used to organize massive amounts of information and the messy, chaotic human input that fills every cell.

The technique of establishing a precise, metal-framed grid and then impulsively applying a unique, fast swipe of impasto (each gesture created without looking back) within every square was born from that observation, illustrating the tension between data order and fleeting human memory.