Indeterminancy Project (Art By Chance)

Recipe For Chance

Ingredients: 2 whiteboards, 1 deck of cards, 1 package of markers (2-8 colors needed), 1 dictionary/thesaurus OR 1 deck of pictionary cards

1) Draw a grid of squares/rectangles on whiteboard #1 (odd numbers are best-9, 11, 13 etc) and cut out a square/rectangle in the middle of whiteboard #2 that is slightly larger than one square/rectangle on whiteboard #1.

[Help: You want to be able to see the edges of the other squares/rectangles of whiteboard #1 when you place whiteboard #2 on top of whiteboard #1]

2) Pick a number (example: 8) and assign 1 marker color to each card in the deck of cards, by counting off with the number you have chosen. (example: a red Ace=orange marker, a black 2=green marker, a red three=black marker)

[Help: The number you choose to count off will change the outcome, which is fine. The number of colored markers you choose doesn't matter, just pick 2-8 different colors to use and use the counting off method to assign all red and black cards in the deck with a specific color.]

3) Any card that is a club will either be a noun (when using a dictionary/thesaurus) or a P -person, place, animal (when using a pictionary card). Any card that is a diamond will either be an adjective (when using a dictionary/thesaurus) or an O-object (when using a pictionary card). Any card that is a spade will either be a verb (when using a dictionary/thesaurus) or an A-action (when using a pictionary card). Any card that is a heart will either be a place/free choice (when using a dictionary/thesaurus) or a D-difficult/AP-all play ***free choice if they feel unable to do the difficult choice*** (when using a pictionary card).

[Help: Now every card in the deck is assigned a marker color AND a word]

4) Now you take the 2 whiteboards, 1 deck of cards, and 1 dictionary/thesaurus OR 1 deck of pictionary cards to a public place. You will now randomly ask people passing by to assist you in this project.

[Help: It might help to ask every 8th person, if you chose the number 8 as count off method. Or every 3rd person, if you chose the number 3 as count off method. To prevent your preferences from determining how the chance project result is achieved.]

5) Ask each random person to draw 1 card from the deck of cards and that will determine what color marker they will be assigned and either a noun/adjective/verb/place/free choice when using a dictionary OR P/O/A/D/AP when using a pictionary card.

6) If using a dictionary/thesaurus, ask them to flip to a random page and select the first noun/adjective/verb/place/free choice they see on the page (based on what card they picked from the deck of cards will determine what they are looking for). If using a pictionary card, ask them to pick a random pictionary card from the deck to see what P/O/A/D/AP is on the pictionary card they chose (based on what card they picked from the deck of cards to determine what they are looking for).

[Help: Now your random person will have 1 colored marker and 1 word from either the dictionary/thesaurus OR pictionary card]

7) Ask them to draw what the feel the word they have been assigned looks like or means to them on whiteboard #1 in one square/rectangle, while whiteboard #2 is placed on top of whiteboard #1.

[Help: The square/rectangle cut out of whiteboard #2 will be on top of the square/rectangle of whiteboard #1 they are drawing in. The cut out should be slightly larger than the square/rectangle they are drawing in so they can see the edges of the other square/rectangles on whiteboard #1.]

8) Continue asking random people passing by to repeat steps 5-7 until your entire whiteboard #1 is filled up, and encourage them to look at the edges of the squares/rectangles drawn next to their square/rectangle to try and connect their image with those surrounding them.

9) At the end you should have whiteboard #1 with a drawing inside each square/rectangle, hopefully connected to one another, in a variety of colors and drawing styles. TADA!