Andrew Reach – Page 12 – Abstract Artist Working in the Realm of Digital Media

September 16, 2022December 12, 2022

HASH SIGNS RHOMBOHEDRON – I: CNC Cut-out Print on Acrylic

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HASH SIGNS RHOMBOHEDRON – I, 2022
(orthographic projection view from a 3d model)
uv cured inkjet on cnc cut acrylic/composite alum, mtd. 2″ off wall
dimensions variable (38″h x60″w overall), edition of 3

My 3d explorations of the Hash symbol began with the realization that if you inscribed a hash symbol, you would get a Rhombus, that is both pairs of opposite sides are parallel and the same length. So when Megan Alves, Artists Archives Marketing and Program Manager asked me if I wanted to do a 3d printed tactile touchable artwork for the exhibition W/O Limits, I was honored and I immediately knew it would be the hash symbol I would make. So, I went back to its shape, a rhombus and realized that when putting together 6 of these in cubic form it makes a Rhombohedron. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rhombohedron The rhombohedron would become the building block of the sculpture. My Hash Symbol Monument would follow.

So that brings me to this artwork. Utilizing two 3d programs, Moment of Inspiration (MOI) for the 3d modeling, and Blender for visualization and rendering, I have found these to open up new avenues of expression in 2d. I can take a 3d model and have unlimited viewpoints and lighting to play with. This piece is an orthographic projection where lines are parallelly projected as opposed to a perspective view with vanishing points.

click on image to enlarge

Types of Cuboids from Wikipedia page on Cuboids
Rhombohedron shown on right

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September 13, 2022January 14, 2023

W/O Limits: Art, Chronic Illness, and Disability at the Artists Archives of the Western Reserve

AAWR Ad in Canvas Cleveland Magazine 2022 Fall Edition

I’m very honored and excited about the upcoming group exhibition W/O Limits: ART, CHRONIC ILLNESS, & DISABILITY at the Artists Archives of the Western Reserve. I’m with the company of 8 other wonderful artists Sarah Brown, Kristi Copez, Chappelle Letman Jr., MANDEM, Meg Matko, Arabella Proffer, Nate Puppets and Kate Snow.and how we create with our challenges is what this exhibition is all about. Read On; below is info about the opening. Hope you an make it.

I have 3 prints on acylic, two of which are geometrically cut out on a cnc machine. As part of the AAWR curators Megan Alves and Mindy Tousley taking on artists with chronic illness and disability challenges, they have included in the exhibition, accessible elements such as braille placards but also touchable art of which I am contributing a 3d printed sculpture. Titled ESCAPE HASH, it’s made up of 80 individually printed cuboid blocks, with hash symbols carved into them in alternating positive and negative relief put together to form a large hash symbol. I incorporated the following three elements into the design to enhance accessibility for the visually impaired:
Tactile Surface
Pattern
Contrast

And there’s more. There’s an article about the exhibition in Canvas Cleveland magazine by Amanda Koehn: http://canvascle.com/current-issue/ (scroll down page to Fall 2022 edition)

The following is an excerpt from the AAWR about the exhibition:
This September, the Artists Archives is proud to present W/O Limits, an exhibition which exclusively features the work of artists experiencing chronic illness and/or disability. Curated by Megan Alves and Mindy Tousley, the remarkable show emphasizes accessibility and raises awareness while inspiring visitors with the art that people with chronic illnesses and disabilities create.

Opening Reception Sept. 22 – 5:30-8:00pm

1824 East 123rd St, Cleveland OH 44106

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August 26, 2022September 13, 2022

Activism, Accessibility Through Art by Amanda Koehn – Article in Canvas Cleveland Magazine about the exhibition W/O Limits: Art, Chronic Illness, and Disability at the Artists Archives of the Western Reserve

I’m honored that I’ve been featured prominently in the article in the 2022 Fall Issue of Canvas Cleveland Magazine about the special exhibition W/O Limits: Art, Chronic Illness, and Disability beginning September 22, 2022 at the Artists Archives of the Western Reserve.

An excerpt from the article reads:
Abstractly, his work reflects on experiences with chronic illness and physical pain. “I get to show it to the public, I get to express it, and I get to bring some joy and beauty into the world,” he says.

You can read the online version below.

Article begins on Page 14
Click on full screen icon on on bottom right to best view publication

Curated by Megan Alves, marketing and program manager at AAWR and Mindy Tousley, executive director and chief curator of AAWR, this exhibition is very special because it features, including me, 9 amazing artists with either chronic illness or disability: Sarah Brown, Kristi Copez, Chappelle Letman Jr., MANDEM, Meg Matko, Arabella Proffer, Nate Puppets and Kate Snow.

The following is an excerpt from the AAWR about the exhibition:
This September, the Artists Archives is proud to present W/O Limits, an exhibition which exclusively features the work of artists experiencing chronic illness and/or disability. Curated by Megan Alves and Mindy Tousley, the remarkable show emphasizes accessibility and raises awareness while inspiring visitors with the art that people with chronic illnesses and disabilities create.

Screenshot of article featuring my rendering of the tactile 3d Printed Hash Symbol I created specially for the exhibition to be accessible to the visually impaired.

Advertisement for exhibition in the magazine.
Pictured is my work OCTOLUX I.

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August 14, 2022April 21, 2023

ESCAPE HASH – Appropriating the symbol of our times.

The idea for this piece first began when I started creating artwork with the hash symbol. We all know this symbol from the earliest age when we start using the phone and where it resides in the lower left hand corner of the keypad. On the phone we refer to it as the pound sign. We also see this symbol when referencing a model number, case number etc. and is thus known in this context as the number sign. But now in our digital revolution, the symbol being used in the context of social media and platforms, the hash symbol, has been appropriated for use in hash tagging. In 2007, Chris Messina had the idea to start using hashtags on Twitter. They are now used by millions around the world.

click on image to enlarge (except mobile devices)

Paleoanthropologist Genevieve Von Petzinger studies the origins of graphic communications of early humans and in her TED Talk Why are these 32 symbols found in ancient caves all over Europe?, she explains the early human origins of symbols which include what we know today as the pound/number/hash symbols (see illustration above, top row third from the right).

Back to the artwork. After working in 2d with the hash symbol, I was asked if I wanted to make a 3d printed tactile sculpture for the visually impaired for the exhibition W/O Limits at the Artists Archives of the Western Reserve. What I created is a sculpture of the hash symbol comprised of 72 blocks each with a hash symbol carved into it in alternating negative and positive relief. To visualize it, I did multiple renders of the 3d model and I noticed the beauty of the variables at play; the different perspective angles it could be viewed from; the variation of lighting I could apply to get just the right shadows to reveal the forms. It occurred to me that I could capture the 3d form from these renders and turn it into a digital print. So from 3d, I’ve brought it into the realm of 2d as a bold print on acrylic, cut out on a router. Deeply cast shadows reveal the forms of the blocks while its perspective angle creates the optical illusion of it projecting off the wall.

click on images to enlarge (except mobile devices)

ESCAPE HASH, 2022
uv cured inkjet on cnc cut acrylic and composite aluminum
dimensions variable – 47.5″h x 39.25″w overall, edition of 3

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