Our brain enables us to see depth in flat images, it adds a third dimension, but how this is done and why this works differently for each of us is a mystery. In the Pattern Generator, ten white wires connect five points with each other, against a black background. All five points can be moved up and down, thereby creating an endless number of patterns. While watching this, we ‘suddenly’ see depth, that disappears when the pattern changes again. At another moment, or with another observer, this could be just the other way around.
The artist chose to construct the Pattern Generator as a mechanical device, with gear wheels, ropes, pulleys and weights, built in a black, pinball-like piece of furniture. After pushing the buttons one hears electric motors humming, spindles rotating and ropes running over pulleys. It’s all transparent: at the backside of the machine one can see the machine working, there are no tricks. This adds an extra dimension, missing in an electronic display and enriching the experience.