Slot Machine Politics

49.7 X 38.25 inches, colored pencil and graphite on paper

I began this drawing following the 2016 Presidential election to explore the complex relationship between political corruption and its coverage in the news. I likened this to playing a slot machine in a casino—patterns emerge over time, driven by forces unseen, and eventually, hopefully, a significant discovery uncovers hidden patterns, providing both a payoff and a psychological thrill. However, the drawing demonstrates that the "game" continues in recurrence, as what was revealed becomes obfuscated by new media narratives — the process of nefarious action devolving into entertainment and storytelling.

In terms of process, each day I recorded a headline from a major newspaper relevant to the Mueller Inquiry, as the retrospective examination of Trump’s political motives was distilled into the format of the news headline. I was interested in the relationship between linguistic patterns and behavioral ones. As the investigation progressed the drawing developed in tandem.

I converted each news headline into three numerical sets: total number of words, total number of letters, and the combined total of vowels and consonants. I then matched this data to a series of lottery icons, and drew the resulting images in a grid from top to bottom. The background colors were determined by even/odd outcome totals.

As the Mueller inquiry unfolded and news outlets attempted to give form the story as it developed (sometimes factual other times speculative), my drawing tracked the precarious endeavor wherever it went, searching for meaning within the chaos.