Repetition, Pressure and Change

Part 1. Starting Point

Gross turned marks from drawings into stamps that could be used again and again. A mark that was first made by hand could now be repeated with a stamp. This changed the way the marks were made and used.

Repetition is important in this work because it is not only about showing the same shape many times. It also shows how an image can be made through a repeated action. This made me think about what happens when the same mark is used again and again, and whether the results are always the same.

I chose this work because I wanted to try the same method with a different material. I wanted to make my own stamps and use them on paper. Through this process, I hoped to understand how the material and the action of stamping affect the final image.

Part 2. Copying Process

I chose clay as my material. I shaped it by hand to make different marks. I tried to copy some of the lines, scribbles and brush-like shapes in Gross’s work. I then used these clay shapes as stamps.

After making the stamps, I pressed them onto paper and looked at the marks they left. I also repeated the stamping process and placed different marks on the same sheet of paper. In this way, I started to make my own experimental compositions.

I also noticed that repetition does not have to mean using a fixed layout. I could repeat the same stamp, or change the position and direction of different stamps. This made me think about two things: how repeated stamping changes the marks, and how different layouts change the image.

Part 3. What I Noticed

3.1 The shape can change during making

When I made the clay stamps, the final shapes were not always the same as I first planned. I had to adjust the clay by hand, and these actions could also change its shape.

This showed me that planning a shape and making it are not the same thing. The making process can also affect the final shape.

However, I do not yet know whether these changes mainly come from the clay or from the way I handle it.

3.2 The printed mark may not be the same as the stamp

When I pressed the clay stamps onto paper, the printed marks were not always exactly the same as the shapes of the stamps. The shape of the stamp, the pressure I used and the way it touched the paper could all affect the result.

This made me see a difference between the stamp and the mark it leaves. A stamp may not simply copy its shape onto paper. The act of stamping can also affect the final image.

But I need to test different levels of pressure and different ways of stamping to understand how each factor affects the result.

3.3 Repeating an action may not always give the same result

When I repeated the stamping action, I began to think about the small changes between the first and the last print. Even when I used the same stamp, the pressure of my hand might not be exactly the same each time. This could affect the depth, shape or clarity of the marks.

This made me ask whether repeating the same action always gives the same result. I may try to do the same thing each time, but my movements and the pressure I use can still change slightly. Repetition can help me notice these small differences.

1st 5st 9st

13st 18st 24st

After arranging the prints in order, I noticed a clear difference between the first and the last print. The first print was the clearest, with details that were easy to see. However, the last print was much larger, and its details were less clear.

This result made me question whether repeating the same action can produce the same image. Although I used the same clay stamp, the printed result changed over time. The difference was not only in the clarity of the marks, but also in their size.

3.4 Different layouts can create different images

I also noticed that using stamps repeatedly does not mean that every mark has to be arranged in a neat order. I can repeat the same stamp, or use different stamps in different positions and directions. Even when I use the same stamps, a different layout can create a different image.

3.5 What have I actually discovered?

My main discovery so far is that I first thought a stamp would repeat the same shape on paper. But in practice, the printed marks were not always exactly the same. The shape of the stamp, the pressure and the state of the clay may all affect the result.

I started to look not only at the printed image, but also at how it was made. I began to ask whether repetition always gives the same result, and how the material and my actions affect the image.

I do not have a final answer yet. These are the things I have noticed in my first experiments. I need to compare different pressures, material conditions and layouts to understand how they affect the results.

My main question is: when I repeat the same stamping action, what stays the same, and what changes?

Final Output

p8 video