Response to Reas

Influenced by the Dada and Fluxus movements Casey Reas
explores the role of order and chance through computer software to create art.
Unlike other artists investigating “the system”, Reas is interested in breaking
apart the notions of why the system exists and how the viewer responds to
changes within that system. In describing the early works of Marcel DuChamp,
John Cage, Ellsworth Kelly, Reas explains the origins of interest in humanity
and response to the system. Early works of this nature were a response to the
social and political climate at the time.

            Using
Processing, Casey Reas adds a new chapter to order/chance art history. In Process 18, text is transformed into a
stable process of lines interacting with one another. A system is programmed to
react to its own output and maintain a certain stable environment based off
those reactions. The visual representation of Process 18 is used as a way to reach a broader audience. Similar in
approach with earlier works of this genre, Reas employs a technology we can all
relate to. The two variations of processes side by side provide a context to interpreting
the movements of the system. His inclusion of the program along with a visual
representation of its process allows the viewer access to the system.