New Space

Delicate Futures

With the simple objective of covering a sheet of paper evenly with graphite, in one case by hand and in the other with the machine, these works surface Hobbs’ interest in the particular qualities, or fingerprints, of these ways of working.

 done entirely by hand, is simple, yet rich as the hand and eye tend to make mistakes. Limitations of bodily mechanics, like subtle shifts of pressure, speed, or accuracy expose the real fingerprint of humanity and of working in a physical way.

 is done entirely with the plotter. Vertical lines are the most natural form of movement for both the computer and the machine but even it’s full of a richness of marks that come from the flaws in that mechanical process as well. Traces of the motors, the manufacturing of the graphite, and even hints of the wood underneath the paper expose a very distinct mechanical fingerprint and, by using such a simple structure, there’s nothing for those elements to hide behind.

 were included in Hobbs’ 2023 solo exhibition, “Mechanical Hand”, at Unit London.