Aleagraphs by Maxwell Kerr is a beautiful coffee table book filled with fantastic images (74 full color plates - 8" x 11") that will leave you wondering, "How did he do that?"
What is an aleagraph? Photographer/artist Maxwell Kerr defines it: the random influence of natural forces (i.e. heavy weather) on the visual image (satellite tv), captured in real time via the photographic process. The word takes it's root from the Latin "alea", which means "dice" (as in roll of the dice). This refers to the random aspect of how these images are generated.
Aleagraphs are the visual manifestation of ghosts in the machine, gremlins, sprites, natural forces that play with the satellite transmission before it reaches your receiver. Usually they occur during moments of atmospheric instability like rain or snow storms, but the time, duration, and impact on the signal are impossible to predict.
The computer has helped to bring art into the 21st century, enabling the photographer to exercise his artistic inclinations to an extent never before possible. The images in this collection have been modified to a greater or lesser degree by various software applications such as oil paint, kaleidoscope, water effects, etc. but most have, at their core, the randomly generated aleagraph.
Maxwell Kerr believes he has created a new art form: a hybrid that combines the realism of photography with the abstract expressionism that is the byproduct of the aleagraph. The intersection of science, art, design, chance, patience and mystery is here on these colorful pages (over 16 million colors to be exact), beckoning you to begin your aleagraphic journey...