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Andreas Wacker

Twelve Rectangles

Twelve Rectangles presents exactly that - twelve blocks beginning as middle gray that independently evolve on-screen, generating an abstract animation. From this deliberate simplicity emerges an immersive interplay of color as the rectangles each chart a unique course. The gradual transformations and low-resolution grid form a mesmerizing contrast to modern high-paced pixel floods competing for attention.



In an age of information excess rushing past on ever-sharper screens, anything less than intense stimulus often goes unnoticed. We’ve developed filters to manage this firehose, yet none seem to apply when observing Twelve Rectangles. Its self-imposed limitations foster singular engagement, the graceful shifts subtly registering in our consciousness. Despite the non-representational forms, our minds instinctively interpret, emote and draw connections - investing meaning in twelve changing rectangles.



Exploring the possible expressions within Twelve Rectangles’ narrow constraints, we confront the limits of our capacity to parse both computational complexity and cosmic scale. Even a typical screen enabling billions of color combinations allows for staggering perceptual possibilities. Here, a 12-pixel grid generates more variants than the number of atoms in the universe, challenging intuition about minimalism’s power.



Counterintuitively, the intentional absence of high-fidelity detail magnifies the work’s impact. Twelve Rectangles serves as a tabula rasa for active perception, prompting reevaluation of how variation and change manifest within radical visual restraints.



Rather than chasing visual realism through excessive detail, Twelve Rectangles pioneers kinetic exploration of change itself. It illustrates how depth and intrigue need not result from resolution excess, but can emerge from the interplay of elemental forms, striking a chord in our psyche.



As a digital creation, Twelve Rectangles signifies a shift from complexity toward elemental simplicity, underscoring how dynamism and intrigue can be conveyed through basic building blocks. It provides space for us to engage with and contemplate the plasticity of perception in our pixel-plentiful world.