Sol Lewitt's Wall Drawing 123: Copied Lines

Copied Lines is a significant example of algorithmic art, by drawing an initial line and copying it multiple times across an environment following a series of rules with multiple people. "Copied Lines" was created in 1972, and a copy of the work is now in the Addison Gallery of American Art in Andover Massachusetts. The exact instruction set for which is:

"The first draftsman draws a not straight vertical line as long as possible. The second draftsman draws a line next to the first one, trying to copy it. The third draftsman does the same, as do as many draftsmen as possible. Then the first draftsman, followed by the others, copies the last line drawn until both ends of the wall are reached."

The artist meant this piece as a conceptual form of art which turns the work into more of a machine to create art rather than a single piece. It is particularly interesting as it is never the same design twice as the initial line is always different, not only that though because the rules say nothing about distance between copies. It is an Algorithmic, Interactive, and Generative piece of art, which serves as a wonderfully simple and elegant example of all three. It is particularly interesting to me as a piece because it shows how these technical forms of art transcend computers, but can also apply to pieces of a much larger scope. Beyond that the fact that it is a group activity, each individual providing one of the lines, makes for an interesting effect.