Wave machine / Sinewave Drawing Machine developed and built by Dr Jack Tait, Clyro, Herefordshire, England, 2012

This machine was the most challenging to engineer of a group of drawing machines developed and built by Jack Tait as part of his work over 50 years investigating the role of machines in making art and specifically how simple instructions can create complexity.

It was a very successful departure in analogue drawing machines allowing interactive control and variation in ‘real time’. Drawings became chaotic particularly when an asynchronous pen lift was employed. Colour was added in Photoshop in the final drawings which are known as ‘taitographs’.

The pattern is produced on a rotating roller by superimposing sine waves of varying amplitudes on forward progression. More complex designs can be created by adding phase components which ‘break’ the waves. The pen jumps over the magnetic strip on each turn due to the pen-lift mechanism. Programming is integral to the machine and done by operating a set of control switches.