Currently on view in the HMCT Showcase Gallery through July 1, 2024, John David O’Brien’s Hierarchical Diffusion bridges both art and writing, taking the form of geometric modules into which lines have been embedded; both are taken from studies of typography (specifically Bodoni) and derived from the characteristic marks used in cursive writing, accompanied by the images of the oak branch from which the cursive writing has been deduced.

This work is dedicated by O’Brien to Steve and Sari Roden for the many years of performance work that they created in collaboration with the artist Toti, often based on letterforms.

Made possible by a grant from the Pasadena Arts & Culture Commission and the City of Pasadena Cultural Affairs Division.

Image: Installation of Hierarchical Diffusion by Robert Wedemeyer