Ingrid Hornef

Alea iacta est - the dice are cast

In my works, rule and chance play a role of great importance. The theme «Alea iacta est» concerns me since 2002 until today, but also the themes «Line» and «Composition»

Already for Democritus the world was a series of chances and necessities. Chance offers many possibilities, while necessity does not. Chance is freedom and risk, necessity is fixity and security. Chance always shows us the limit of our knowledge. Information that contains an order is easier to understand. The capacity of our brain is not sufficient to analyze phenomena without order. Chance is part of a system that incorporates the unexpected into art.

For me, chance is a release of subjective and emotional elements, which favor objective processes. Chance demands that I accept its result and that I in no way influence its consequences. For my work I only use one die. First I determine the parameters, then this method defines the structure, the length and the direction of a line, and also the mutation of the black / white contrast.

What appears is a game between rules and chance. As if it were a scientific method, I try to find an answer to the question of our limited knowledge of chance. Einstein said: "God does not play dice". According to him, there is no chance. But, according to the science of quantum physics, Einstein is not right.

Ingrid Hornef