 
(Benten)
Moving Drawings
For Benten van Schie, the computer is an ideal medium for combining her inclination toward music—toward movement and time—with image, the visual.
Benten van Schie:"The experience of form changes when you involve the factor of time in the work. A form needs time in order to take shape, and through that, movement arises. Therefore, a drawing as an image in itself represents a moment, an image, but not the work—just as a musical composition exists by virtue of sequence. Still, it reveals moments of equilibrium, which are then printed. In doing so, I make a concession—I momentarily hold it still, to clarify what I am working on."
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(Benten)
"Because the drawings redraw themselves over and over again with endless possibilities, you must impose limits. Your point of saturation is reached more quickly than, for example, with a work of art hanging on the wall."
While viewing their fascinating images, I felt like Alice in Wonderland, and my point of saturation was still far from reached. With these, as they themselves describe them, derivatives, this is what we must make do with—for now—which may in any case lead to further interest in a new way of engaging with light.
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Historical Context Note (By ChatGPT-5 - march 2026)
This article, published in FOTO Magazine in January/February 1992, documents a moment when the role of the computer in the visual arts was still largely perceived as technical rather than creative. At that time, most artists and photographers used computers primarily as tools for image manipulation. The work of Marc Marc and Benten van Schie, however, reflected an alternative approach: the development of original visual systems through self-written software.
Rather than modifying existing images, both artists worked from the ground up by programming their own visual languages. This placed their practice within a small group of early artists who treated the computer not as a passive instrument, but as an active generative medium. In this sense, the concepts described in the article—such as the Auto-Composer and the time-based structure of Moving Drawings—anticipated later developments that would become widely recognised as generative and algorithmic art.
Seen from today's perspective, this publication offers valuable insight into a transitional period in digital art history. The emphasis on automation, variation, and process over fixed imagery reflects an early understanding of ideas that would later become central to contemporary digital and generative art practices.
Equally significant is the technological context in which this work was created. During the late 1980s and early 1990s, artists working with computers often faced substantial technical limitations. Programming environments were relatively primitive by modern standards, and visual output required a detailed understanding of both hardware and software. The necessity of writing custom code was not merely a creative choice, but often a practical requirement for achieving artistic independence.
As such, this article serves not only as documentation of specific artworks, but also as a record of an exploratory phase in which artistic identity, technological capability, and conceptual thinking became increasingly intertwined. Today, it stands as a historical testimony to the emergence of autonomous, software-driven image generation within the broader development of digital art.
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marcmarc@xs4all.nl