Most days when we write, we use the body as a drawing tool, Our wrist guides our hands as our mind tells our hands to grip what we are holding. But American performance artist Tony Orrico does things quite differently, he uses his whole, and I mean whole body to create his art pieces which are as much of a performance as it is a drawing.

Some people joke around and call him the human Spirograph, but in fact his work is not just what we see, he explores the capacity of the human body as a physical tool for creating art. He sometimes uses just his wrist or his whole form in order to generate huge drawings that are at the same time organic and amazingly precise. Last September Orrico worked on a series of on-site drawings through sessions that he calls “Penwald Drawings” performed for four uninterrupted hours on three consecutive evenings at the Dance Theatre Workshop in NYC. Whether it be spinning his torso, or twisting a specific joint, a certain motion is established and repeated throughout his performances.

The completion of each piece of work can range from 15 minutes to as long as 7 consecutive hours, Impressive! Thinking that coffee isn’t on the top of his list or even bathroom stops, skillful! During Orrico’s session, called “unison symmetry standing (2010)”, he works symmetrically from a central, vertical axis whereby he holds a permanent marker in both of his stretched out arms and draws in duplicate. Eventually after many movements, the lines amassed seem to suggest the organic structure of a flowering plant or perhaps human body parts - exactly like a brain.

Orrico is an accomplished dancer, having danced with the Shen Wei Dance Arts and the Trisha Brown Dance Company as well as a visual artist. He states, “I marvel at the composition of nature and cycles… I am not versed in the convergence of art and mathematics or sciences, but find myself instinctually attracted to this relationship. I try to dilute my efforts and find an experiential point of entrance. I like to experiment with both embodied and cognitive systems that yield beauty. My favorite art is somewhat accidental and overwhelmingly concise.” Orrico specifies 'I marvel at the composition of nature and cycles, I am not versed in the convergence of art and mathematics or sciences, but find myself instinctually attracted to this relationship. I try to dilute my efforts and find an experiential point of entrance. I like to experiment with both embodied and cognitive systems that yield beauty. My favorite art is somewhat accidental and overwhelmingly concise.'

Via: madeinslant.com, designboom.com

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Bic pen drawings by Sarah Esteje