To achive this, I apply a thick base layer of paint and then start to add other colors with droppers or by pouring. As the amount of paint is higher than what the canvas is able to absorb, the paint drops down from all edges of the canvas and onto my desk below. What I noticed for years is, that the constant dropping leads to fascinating and complex colors layers one cannot create by hand. I started to capture what was happening out of frame instead of focusing on the color flow on canvas and collected footage over time. To recrerate these constant dropping effects on canvas, I developed the first simple dropping rigs in 2020 with syringes and tubes. Allthough the visual effects were pleasing, I understood I would need a more mechanical and repetitive setup and developed the idea of a fluid art printing machine. After a long period of R&D (and trial and error), I finished a full working 10 channel drop machine driven with peristasltic tube pumps and stepper motors. The paint for each channel is stored in glass bottles on top of the machine. From there, the peristaltic pumps suck the paint out of the bottles and all the way to the tips of the tubes. The tips can be arranged in many different orders and positions and are sitting on top of a slider which acts as kind of a printing head. While the paint slowly drops from the tips of the tubes down on the canvas, the slider moves the printing head from side to side in loop mode. This way, the machine "prints" row after row of paint drops which slowy move from one side of the canvas to the other one, finally rinsing down in a drip tray. One of the tubes constantly provides the base paint in a higher volume, the other nine tubes emit drop sequences in different sizes and densities. Via the machine panel I can adjust basic parameters like speed and throuput for each channel. In combination with other factors, like tube diameters, slider speeds, tilt angles, color density and much more, The EMITTER is able to create endless variations of liquid dropping images. There are literally unlimited options to put this machine to use and it can print for hours and hours without interruption.
What you see in this experimental fluid art piece is a collection of my best shots, captured over a period of around 3 and a half years, including shots from early stages of R&D (2020) all the way to the full model with 10 motor driven channels (since 2023). Despite the cost for electronics and maintenance, the machine consumes a devastating high amount of paint, making this damn apparatus a creative dream and a finacial nightmare at the same time. Every time I hear the melodic sound of all ten stepper motors running and the pumps doing their job, I worship the fact that I was priviledged to create such a weird thing. And I am very grateful.
EMITTER is provided in 8K60p HDR.