Vaalogos Studio
Job Smith
Artist Statement:
My work began with a childhood instinct for patterns, scribbling fractals on the backsides of IBM punch cards in my home. Eventually earning a degree in computer science while immersing myself in every available art course, I sought out the academic rigor needed to bridge the gap between code and composition.The pivot point came in 1999 with the discovery of what I call the "Vaa" pattern. Not a fractal, but a dynamic, organic, and irrational geometric landscape that I have been documenting and exploring for over twenty years.Today, my work is a fusion of digital patterning and biological principles generated through custom software that adapts its ruleset from both pure mathematical logic and biological systems.Forms emerge that balance structured design with inherent unpredictability; offering a visual exploration of the tension between order and chaos, mirroring the organic irregularity found in both the binary and biological worlds.
Most recently, I have begun to more explicitly insert myself into this process: weaving my own aesthetic inspired by a Cyberpunk vibe and my Diné/Navajo ancestry.Artwork:
The work is the result of a twenty-seven-year conversation with a hidden geometry.First uncovered in 1999, these patterns are not designed in the traditional sense; they are "grown" from a biological code. What emerges is a shimmering interference pattern that eventually resolves into the stars, diamonds, and other woven textures seen here.All the designs are drawn from lines of exactly the same length, often longer than the resulting shapes themselves. These shapes, the nested rings and interlocking motifs, are created through selective writing and overwriting, in some cases millions of times, leaving behind a delicate, high-order architecture that feels both ancient and futuristic.To look at this work is to see a digital tapestry. While some pieces reflect the complexity and rhythm of a traditional Navajo rug, others are intended to mirror the aesthetic of silver and turquoise jewelry.While the code creates the architecture, the final resolution is a human act: each work is hand-filled, a process that mirrors the intentionality and rhythm of the loom. It is a pursuit of the patterns that have always been there, waiting for a personal lineage and a machine to finally weave them into view.