The Saptakam-Project of Digital Artfields

 by Hans-Georg Türstig, Ph.D.

 

Digital Art comes alive! Saptakam is a Sanskrit word and denotes a group of seven. In this ongoing project, a group of seven artists creates what I call a digital artfield for a particular digital or digitalized photo or work of art. A digital image (A) forms the basis, and artist 1 creates two digital pictures from it (B and C) and sends them to two artists of her/his choice: 2 and 3. (As a general guideline, each artist may select artists from other countries.) They each create two pictures (D,E and F,G) based on that picture and send them to two artists of their choice: 4,5 and 6,7. (The Saptakam is now complete and may be named.) Each of those artists (4-7) creates two digital versions (H-O) of this picture which brings the number of pictures to 14 – the digital artfield of the original image. All artists will display the digital original and all 14 images derived from it on their website.   

Digital Artfield for Image A:

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

1 A

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

2 B

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

3 C

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

4 D

 

 

 

5 E

 

 

 

6 F

 

 

 

7 G

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

H

 

I

 

J

 

K

 

L

 

M

 

N

 

O

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The creation of the next digital artfield begins with artist 2, who sends two versions of an original to artist 3 and 4, and so on. Artist 1 takes the place of artist 7. When each artist has been #1, one creative cycle of this particular Saptakam is complete with 98 pictures and 7 originals, i.e. 105 images. Of course, each image always remains property of its artist. The Saptakam, i.e. all seven artists collectively, “owns” each digital artfield.  

There can be many creative cycles of each Saptakam if the participants decide to continue, and there can be countless Saptakams. Each Saptakam could maintain its own website with links to each member of the Saptakam and to other Saptakams and show its various digtial artfields. Thus a network of digital artfields is created that spreads around the world, vibrant with creative energy, uniting artists from various cultural and religious backgrounds. Saptakams and digital artfields thus contribute to an understanding and appreciation amongst the people of this planet we all call our home. 

Finally, each digital artfield can be printed and send as an exhibition around the world. There could be at least one exhibition per year, as it may take a year to create 7 artfields, the product of one creative cycle of a Saptakam: 105 pictures, each measuring e.g. 8 ½ x 11 inches or DIN A 4. 

Lets play !!!

Hans-Georg Türstig,
www.digital-artwork.net

© July 2002