Andrew Smith

Artist
Cambridge, Ontario, Canada

THE PROTOCORN TRIO

These are the variations of my Dimotorp. The three designs contain 24 polygons. They progress from a triangular base to a small (26-sided) polygon on the top.

I often express an infinite number of polygons by using just 24 polygons. The largest shape has 26 sides. The number of its sides corresponds to the rumour that our sun emits only 26 chemical elements.

I spin each polygon around 15 degrees from the proceeding one. All together they make a full circular rotation. The top design has its shapes vertically aligned. The polygons in the corner designs rotate around an axis.

Three Protocorns
Three Protocorns
20 x 50 cm
Digital print.
2019

CONSTRUCTION: These are the three basic options to the Dimotorp. I depicted them in a transparent plan view to offer a better understanding of their construction. They each have a mirror image. I construct the Dimotorp in the opposite manner of the Protomid. The Dimotorp starts with a large triangle progressing to a small circle (an infinite-sided polygon). I chose the one on the right to paint and sculpt its extrusions to start. I try to avoid personal, or subjective decisions, but I had to start somewhere.

The Protocorn Trio
The Protocorn Trio
50 x 50 cm
Digital print.
2019

ARRANGEMENT: I arranged these three variations of the Dimotorp around a triangle to convey how I determined its basic variables. I used the triangle device as a conceit, to help me elicit the more logical variables. This is an important aesthetic procedure, a responsibility to prevent the prospect of embarrassment for having overlooked a more important option. You can see I used the central grey triangle to determine the maximum size of the designs in this display. As well as them being the same height, the top of the central one determines the size of the blue circle.