Serpent
Drawing
1962 (made)
1962 (made)
| Artist/Maker | |
| Place of origin |
In the 1960s, Desmond Paul Henry constructed three drawing machines using parts obtained from analogue bombsight computers. Fascinated by the internal motion of the machines, he adapted them to accommodate pen and paper. The devices could not be programmed, and their technical limitations often created unexpected results.
Object details
| Categories | |
| Object type | |
| Title | Serpent (assigned by artist) |
| Materials and techniques | Artwork in pen and ink created by an electro-mechanical drawing machine |
| Brief description | Pen and ink mechanical drawing on paper, 'Serpent', by Desmond Paul Henry, 1962. |
| Physical description | Artwork in pen and ink created by an electro-mechanical drawing machine |
| Dimensions |
|
| Marks and inscriptions | 'Henry 62' (Artist's name and date, in green ink in lower right.) |
| Credit line | Given by Elaine O'Hanrahan |
| Subject depicted | |
| Summary | In the 1960s, Desmond Paul Henry constructed three drawing machines using parts obtained from analogue bombsight computers. Fascinated by the internal motion of the machines, he adapted them to accommodate pen and paper. The devices could not be programmed, and their technical limitations often created unexpected results. |
| Bibliographic reference | Owens, Susan, The Art of Drawing British Masters and Methods since 1600, V&A Publishing, London, 2013, p. 183, fig. 145 |
| Other number | 036-2-62 M-S-B-B-W-H - Previous owner's number |
| Collection | |
| Accession number | E.377-2009 |
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| Record created | June 30, 2009 |
| Record URL |
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