The aesthetics of chance

Alexander Lis & Tobias Becker (2009)

Coincidences are events whose cause we cannot explain. The question arises whether this is due to a lack of information or whether this event cannot be clarified from the outset. Is chance an unpredictable force or is it also based on processes that we do not understand at first? Our attention turned to randomness in everyday life, especially a phenomenon that occurs when copying something in a copy shop. We noticed toner black, which initially seemed to be randomly distributed on copies. Further investigations showed that this does not happen indiscriminately, but rather is due to the degree of wear and tear on the copier. In the next step, we copied without placing a sheet on the original glass, so that the copier actually copies itself and only reveals these signs of wear. The basis of the present work is to take the patterns produced by the copier out of their original framework and to place them in a new aesthetic correlation. The copies were reproduced (some also enlarged) in the printing processes of letterpress, offset and screen printing and printed in a limited edition of 50 each.
Alexander Lis (Designbüro Frankfurt) Studio Tobias Becker