John F. Simon Jr.: A Look Inside “Mobility Agents” Code Improvisations: Hatch Tool
October 2005
John F. Simon Jr.: A Look Inside “Mobility Agents” Code Improvisations: Hatch Tool
John F. Simon Jr.’s A Look Inside “Mobility Agents” Code Improvisations: Hatch Tool presents six applets excerpted from his larger project Mobility Agents, an artist’s book and software project co-published by the Whitney Museum of American Art and Printed Matter, Inc. The six code improvisations—Slope, Straight, Cross, Cactus, Klee, and Double Klee—invite users to explore basic variables by using their cursor to draw on the screen. The work explores how software translates data into visual expression on the computer screen and showcases the wide variety of marks that can be generated with the “Hatch Tool.” Simon’s work illustrates how every line, mark, and motion on screen results from numerous creative decisions that serve as a deeply individual form of expression.
This project relies on Java applets, emulated through CheerpJ to run in modern browsers.
John F. Simon Jr. (b. 1963; Shreveport, Louisiana), a software art pioneer, holds degrees in fine art, geology, planetary science, and computer art. Throughout his career, Simon has explored various mediums, including plotter drawings, acrylic sculptures, charcoal, LCD screens, and web-based systems. Drawing inspiration from contemplative drawing practices, Simon’s daily drawings inform his larger artworks. His works have been featured in major exhibitions and are in the collection of institutions such as the Museum of Modern Art, the Guggenheim Museum, and the Whitney Museum of American Art in New York; as well as the San Francisco Museum of Modern Art and the Los Angeles County Museum of Art. His seminal work Every Icon was included in the 2000 Whitney Biennial, and he collaborated with Björk to develop an app for her groundbreaking album Biophilia (2011).
Gate Pages
Every month from March 2001 to February 2006, the Whitney invited an artist or collective to present their work in the form of a “Gate Page” on artport. Each page was meant to function as a portal to the artist’s own sites and projects. The Gate Pages comprise a range of artistic approaches to the format—while some of them are designed as entry points to the respective artist’s website or promote a recently launched work, others take the form of a more complex stand-alone project.
Wherever necessary and possible, these works are made functional through emulation and reconstructions from the Internet Archive. Not all of them have been restored to their original state and their conservation is ongoing. You can also view the original Gate Pages archive to see how they were presented at the time of their creation.
artport
View more on artport, the Whitney Museum's portal to Internet and new media art.