At the moment, there are 273 “Pixel Rugs” in the world. Tomorrow, there will probably be 274. Travess Smalley works on them in fits and spurts — he goes through periods where he releases one each day in small editions that have varied from 5 to 10 over the years. When an unexplored idea strikes, he releases new rugs until the changes feel less exciting. The work will sit untouched, until eventually the next evolution of the work will clarify and the cycle repeats. The first “Pixel Rugs” were released on Hic Et Nunc in Spring 2021, a period of time where artists released and collected each others’ work there with high energy. Today, the “Pixel Rugs” continue as an ongoing project, different from long-form generative art that’s minted from the same source code. Travess continues to tinker and modify his process. He’s also not using a single tool, he chains together a sequence of algorithms and software tools in a way that makes the “Pixel Rugs” entirely original expressions. As an artist from Appalachia, Travess is influenced by geometric abstraction in Appalachian textiles and quilting. As a software enthusiast, he’s also influenced by 8-bit video game backgrounds and textures. The two realms merge in “Pixel Rugs.” The video game roots are best seen by looking at the work magnified. Zoomed out, the rugs feel like woven textiles, but when seens up close, the low-resolution quality and minimal color palette is revealed. The “Pixel Rugs” are a balance of chaos and craft. Travess has collaborated with craftspeople to create physical, hand-knotted wool rugs. He exhibited these at Foxy Production in New York in Spring of 2023. — Casey REAS