Random By Design: Artistically Inked Plates Made With A Swinging Pendulum

If you thought designer David Derksen's Oscillation plates were cool enough at first glance, consider the fact that they were made with acrylic paint dripping from a swinging pendulum in order to convey the hidden patterns that exist in nature. For the Rotterdam-based designer, the value in his work is as rooted in the creation process as it is in the final outcome itself. To make the plates, Derksen crafted a brass pendulum that dispersed inky black paint as it swung in a somewhat — but never fully — repetitive pattern, dictated both by mathematical rules of gravity and the randomness of the human force that initiated the first swing.

This resulting designs are inherently unique to each collection of plates, while a fashionable, graphic pattern emerges within each set. Check out the video and more images below.

Derksen played with the viscosity of the acrylic paint to achieve distinct and clear lines, each one different from the first as the pendulum's movement reduced. [/caption]

For the collection, Derksen worked with four plates at a time to maximize the dispersion of paint from pendulum as it swung in a figure eight-light pattern.[/caption]

The first collection of Oscillation plates are currently being produced in black and white in coordination with Galerie VIVID. Afterwards, the designer says, more color variations will become available.