Marcel Schwittlick—Upward Spiral

Upward Spiral

We shall not cease from exploration
And the end of all our exploring
Will be to arrive where we started
And know the place for the first time.

T. S. Elliot

🟡🟡 && ⚪🔴 && 🟣🟡 && 🔵⚫ && 🔴🟣 && ⚪⚪ && 🟡🟠 && 🟢🟣 && 🔵🟢 && 🟠⚪ in Split, Croatia

Marcel Schwittlick’s Upward Spiral consists of a series of 144 machine-made drawings, created between Summer 2020 and Spring 2022, essentially during the Covid-19 restriction measures in Berlin. They were produced with a custom-built drawing machine which translates digital geometry into a continuous spiral movement (except one which was handmade). The material used was a solid paint marker called Markal Quik Stik, similar to a crayon in its shape, available in 12 colors and mostly used in construction, on Hahnemühle paper. Each drawing was made with three layers, the first two always of the same background color. The series totalizes 144 pieces because it contains all possible color combinations (12 x 12 = 144). An overview of the grid is available on https://upwardspiral.xyz/

Read the full essay about the series here: Lucas Rehnman on Upward Spiral

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🟡🟡 && ⚪🔴 && 🟣🟡 && 🔵⚫ && 🔴🟣 && ⚪⚪ && 🟡🟠 && 🟢🟣 && 🔵🟢 && 🟠⚪ in Split, Croatia

Quik Stiks
141 pens were used in total 📝
1296h total drawing time (144 drawings á 9h = 77760min = 1296h)
yellow🟡: 10, blue🔵: 12, green🟢: 9, orange🟠: 11, red🔴: 11, white⚪: 8, black⚫: 10, magenta🟣: 12, neon green🟢: 20, neon yellow🟡: 13, neon orange🟠: 15, violet🟣: 10

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The overview about which work was created on which day. Each of the 144 works in this series are unique plotter drawings, where each took 9h to create. This calendar is interactive here: upwardspiral.xyz

There is a selection of process works here