![]() These mechanical analogue computers represented some of the most important technological advancements of World War II. The main component of each Henry drawing machine was the bombsight computer. More recently, frequent mechanical and/or electronic computer breakdowns contributed to the decision to close Artworks, ( The Lowry, Salford Quays, Manchester, U.K) in March 2003 after only three years in operation as a permanent, technology-based, interactive exhibition (O'Hanrahan 2005). Such technical failures were not unusual in electric and motor-driven exhibition items (Rosenburg 1972). This second machine returned from its tour of the United States in 1972 in a complete state of disrepair (O'Hanrahan 2005). "Cybernetic Serendipity" then went on to tour the United States, where exhibition venues included the Corcoran Gallery in Washington and San Francisco's Palace of Fine Arts (O'Hanrahan 2005). In this exhibition Drawing Machine 2 itself was included as an interactive exhibit. This represented one of the most significant art and technology exhibitions of the decade (Goodman 1987). Henry's machine-generated effects went on to be exhibited at various venues during the 1960s, the most major being Cybernetic Serendipity (1968) held at the Institute of Contemporary Arts (I.C.A) in London. The Guardian of 17/9/62 described the images produced by this first machine as being "quite out of this world" and "almost impossible to produce by human hand". The generally positive response his pictures received reflects the zeitgeist of technological optimism of the 1960s (O'Hanrahan 2005). ![]() Henry and his first drawing machine were to be featured in this magazine, but the article was scrapped following the assassination of US President John F. It was this London exhibition of machine-produced effects which led to Henry and his first drawing machine being included in the first ever programme in the BBC's North at Six series and to his being approached by the American magazine Life (O'Hanrahan 2005). This London exhibition was his prize for winning the "London Opportunity" competition. Lowry insisted Henry also include some machine drawings alongside his photo-chemical ones, in the London exhibition of August 1962 called "Ideographs" (O'Hanrahan 2005). This led to Henry having "the world's first ever one-man machine show" (Henry) at Salford Art Gallery in July 1962. Here it was Lowry first saw Henry's Drawing Machine 1 in action. ![]() As one of the competition judges, Lowry visited Henry's home in Burford Drive, Manchester, to view his range of artistic work. Lowry knew how crucial such a London show could be in bringing an artist to public attention. The prize for winning this competition was a one-man exhibition show in London at the Reid Gallery. Frape, that Henry's artistic career was launched in 1961 when he beat a thousand contestants to win a local art competition at Salford Art Gallery, entitled "London Opportunity." The picture that won Henry this prize was one based on his own photo-chemical technique, and not a machine drawing. ![]() Lowry, working in collaboration with the then director of Salford Art Gallery, A. These later machines however, were based on a mechanical pendulum design and not bombsight computers (O'Hanrahan 2005). He went on to make a fourth and a fifth drawing machine in 19 respectively. Henry's machine-generated effects may therefore also be said to represent early examples of computer graphics: "the making of line drawings with the aid of computers and drawing machines" (Franke 1971, p. 41).ĭuring the 1970s Henry focused on developing his Cameraless Photography experiments. Henry's machine-generated effects resemble complex versions of the abstract, curvilinear graphics which accompany Microsoft's Windows Media Player. During this period, Henry constructed a succession of three electro-mechanical drawing machines from modified bombsight analogue computers which were employed in World War II bombers to calculate the accurate release of bombs onto their targets (O'Hanrahan 2005). He was one of the first British artists to experiment with machine-generated visual effects at the time of the emerging global computer art movement of the 1960s (The Cambridge Encyclopaedia 1990 p. 289 Levy 2006 pp. 178–180). Elaine, born 1957.ĭesmond Paul Henry (1921–2004) was a Manchester University Lecturer and Reader in Philosophy (1949–82). ![]()
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