Ellie Balk
I am an artist obsessed with color, pattern, music and mathematics.
Through a process developed over years of working with community
groups and high school students, I create systematic rules and use
mathematical concepts as the basis of my artwork and installations.
My role in the work is that of a composer. I drive my compositions by
creating specific rule sets and color codes that build systems with
which can be read and interacted by the viewer. Although the work is
formally abstract, there is a language to the compositions that engage
participation and investigation.
This work is a visualize of the number Pi represented as a reflective line graph. Every time there was a prime number, I drew a vertical line, creating a structure to create a system of coloring the work. This print is part of a larger mural project that was painted with High School Math students in East Williamsburg, Brooklyn, New York.