First, a bit of everything…
For example:
Stick a one-meter square canvas onto a 99-cm square board, “then the other way round”.
Systematically generate all possible triangles from ten points arranged in a 4,3,2,1 pyramid (there are 105) and keep only those that are rectangular, isosceles or equilateral, or those that ‘’lean to the right, or ‘’threaten the previous ones’’, or even those which ‘’seem to be happy’’…
Draw a line and then try to have two thirds of the ants standing on it.
Swap diagonals of two ‘’slightly different’’ squares or of a square and an ‘’almost square’’ rhombus that have the same side.
Make an ephemeral equilateral triangle which sides are 23, 24 and 25 bricks arranged on the ground or, just for the time of an exhibition, wrap a string around four nails in the wall according to ‘’the ten interesting ways’’.
Record numbers from 1 to 100 in several languages with time intervals proportional to the number of letters that describes them.
A bit of everything but not anything…
… once one understands the approach: in all those works, “similarities” and “differences” are ‘’systematically’’ confronted by modifying the rules of construction or by using manufacturing processes based on simple rules, often logical or rational rules but not exclusively.
With these systems, the selection of the media and the “rules” must remain “minimal” if not simplistic in order to highlight the concept – the system, rather than the resulting artefact.
Systems and rules.
One may use a deterministic and highly rigorous system based on clear rules that can be mathematically or logically formalised such as drilling holes whose “diameters double in size”. Alternatively, one may use fuzzy rules though rigorous such as drilling “bigger sized holes” or applying a one square canvas ‘’over a smaller’’ square surface.
I also appreciate works in which an accidental modification of the process of construction produces unexpected results: barely folded squares with diagonals are an example in which the initial diagonals merge with those issued by folding the square.
I take pleasure in revealing that ultimately, “things that appear to be simple might not be as such and those that look alike are often different…’’