Luis [lˈɪʃ]: Malairt Phonch Aniar

Lánchrobh sa cheo Genre: generative art

Resolution: 7800 x 7800 px

• 300 DPI at 66 x 66 cm print size
• view fine-art print and framing examples from my Lúthchleasa [lu:hxlˈæsə] collection: KT1Gu5kc4dEejtDGRYjjA5sR3bgnAK7qZFgL (Immutable address on the Tezos blockchain)

The title of this artwork, "Malairt Phonch Aniar", may be translated from Gaelic as reverse (malairt) point (phonch) from the west (aniar). "Malairt Phonch", in this context, refers to a specific fingernail technique for the metal-strung early Gaelic harp, involving the reversal of the hand positions. This medieval instrument, perhaps most familiar nowadays as the national emblem of Ireland, has a distinct and fascinating repertoire and playing style, and is currently undergoing an exciting renaissance.

Singing is at the centre of my artistic practice. Orbiting this centre is the music of the early Gaelic harp. As a multimedia artist I integrate fine-art digital prints, audiovisual installation and live performance to connect outwards from this centre with contemporary audiences. Creating both online and in-real-life (IRL) experiences rooted in the oral traditions I have inherited, I engage the emotions of today's viewers in order to make heart-felt connections with my subject matter, the harmonic nature of singing with harp. I want my audiences to have a visceral, kinesthetic response to my work - only afterwards realising it was made using computer code.

I coded the algorithm which generated this artwork (Luis Ver1.0) in the Clojurescript language, using the quil/p5.js library. When creating my Coll algorithm, I drew inspiration from visual motifs on surviving early Gaelic harps, as well as other early Gaelic art in illuminated manuscripts, ornamental metalwork and stone carvings.

The Luis series is one of five sub-collections within my overall Lúthchleasa [lu:hxlˈæsə] collection, the subject of which is my emotional response to the music of the early Gaelic harp. As a performing harper I have cast the word "lúthchleasa", Gaelic for athletics, to refer collectively to the family of specialised fingernail techniques which are idiomatic to early Gaelic harp music. Throughout my Lúthchleasa [lu:hxlˈæsə] collection, I am investigating my belief that there is a link between the resonating patterns expressed in early Gaelic visual art and harp music. I believe these patterns are structured according to geometric rules, with variation from these rules an idiomatic feature, which may be evoked using mathematical randomness.

Immutable address on the Tezos blockchain for each of the five sub-collections within my overall Lúthchleasa [lu:hxlˈæsə] collection:

• Beith: KT19GgvFszeTctuf9z1f8TJ1bpNcM532MJN8
• Coll: KT1AHckTQA4MwzgMHNhnQCXGXv2i3zLA5WsU
• Fearn: KT1Wzm9am9PdA8skihrAG4mUyjD12nJr2BSH
• Luis: KT1AsAYNXLLfC5cc7oK8ZE8GWBcofFrk5Uvv
• Sail: KT1RNut3HpiGeCbfQ9jezo9Ha7b42tmnWqDf