Garden, Monoliths by Zancan

On December 9, Michael Zancan released what would become one of fxhash’s most revered projects, Garden, Monoliths. Just examining this single day gives an indication of the burning flames of interest that were raging during this particular time period in generative art.

GM—as the project is affectionately known—is rooted in L-systems and based on the artist’s own “Grass.js” algorithm developed during a period of natural inspiration. The project features intricate vector-based designs that blend the density and organic patterns of nature with the rigidity of monolithic forms. Each artwork emerges as either a “Garden” or “Monolith,” representing variations of Zancan’s now signature style that combines delicate line strokes with occasional transparent fills, harkening back to the days of 1970s plotter artists experimenting with the organic. This includes the “grass” work of artists Colette and Charles J. Bangert as well as Grace C. Hertlein. This author, Peter Bauman, spoke to Colette Bangert about her naturalism-inspired work that would go on to deeply inform projects like GM, even if indirectly. Bangert said:

“There was always the changing sky, seasonal ground and what I saw in between as I looked, walked, traveled and lived.

Sometimes there were other people, other art. Mostly it was just me daily seeing and creating marks on a surface, then seeing what was there and once in a while that seeing went out into the world to be seen. The work itself, over the years, I named landscape as a way to understand and show connections to the world of the trees, sky, ground, green—or not look of the land—I’ve seen daily, even as the world climate changes everything. It’s colors, lines, forms and places daily, year by year, as I also change and grow onward.”

December 9 on fxhash alone saw the releases of Zancan, Erik Swahn’s Farbteiler, Loren Bednar, ge1doot, Michael Connolly (xiiixiii), Owen Moore, Rudxane’s Tych, collections by wblut, Loackme and many more. The period was simply an explosion of pent-up creativity that was finally released. For those lucky enough to be around the Discord chatrooms on days like this, there was an electricity and excitement that was never sustainable but demonstrated the potential of the space to move people.