Sensigns, an acronym of sense and signs, stands for a long-term project by Peter Wallimann, a Swiss artist and curator. In his ongoing search for the timeless principles of beauty, geometric computer graphics have been created since the Millennium.

Wallimann’s vibrant light bodies fascinate with the interplay of form and color against a deep-black background. The artist strives at exploring the mystical dimension of geometric patterns and harmonic proportions. His creations are typically based upon circles, spirals, and wavy elements, often in combination with kaleidoscopic structures. Their creation with the aid of vector graphics is an intuitive (rather than a technical) process. The artist stresses that his works evolve spontaneously and are manually constructed, rather than being the result of automated algorithms or Artificial Intelligence.

In Wallimann’s work, circular shapes play a crucial role. Circles have neither beginning nor end. In traditions such as Zen Buddhism, the circle symbolizes the infinite on the one hand, and the unity of all being on the other. Unity is assigned the number one (1). From this, number two (2) emerges by splitting into the two poles Yin & Yang. Higher numbers and more-complex structures then evolve from laws such as, e.g., the Fibonacci sequence (3, 5, 8, 13 …), the basis of the Golden Ratio, or from Mandelbrot fractals and other design principles found in Nature.

The Sensigns project oscillates between Science and Art, between the Rational and the Intuitive, between Western Constructivism and Eastern Sacred Geometry, as found in Islamic, Buddhist, Taoist, Sikh, and Konfuzian art, Persian and Japanese calligraphy, and many spiritual symbols such as the Sufi-inspired Enneagram or the Jewish Kabbalah.

Natural beauty is inherently related to mathematical and geometric order, speaking a language that touches our innermost, across all cultural differences. Hence, it is not surprising that geometric perfection played a crucial role in all high cultures, including the Egyptian pyramids, the Mayan calendar, Indian mandalas, Chinese Feng Shui, the architecture of Gothic cathedrals, and more. Geometric patterns in Nature are omnipresent as well, both in the microcosm and in the macrocosm. Everything is based on natural laws and the universal principles of creation that have been shaping atoms, flowers, people, planets, and stars for billions of years.

More people around the world – scientists, programmers, philosophers, and artists – have begun to decipher the coding of beauty. Although much will remain a mystery, our understanding of the inherent perfection of creation is growing. Art plays a special role in this. Projects like Sensigns can open portals to higher spheres, inducing states of consciousness in which everything is mutually connected on the elemental, energetic, and evolutionary levels.

Important modern and postmodern artists – such as, e.g., Wassily Kandinsky (1866 – 1944; Bauhaus / Constructivism), Piet Mondriaan (1872 – 1944; Concrete Art), Paul Klee (1879 – 1940; Constructivism / Surrealism), Kazimir Malevich (1879 – 1935; Suprematism), Pablo Picasso (1881 – 1973; Cubism), M.C. Escher (1898 – 1972; Graphic Surrealism), Mark Rothko (1903 – 1970; Abstract Expressionism), Victor Vasarely (1906 – 1997; Op Art), Philip Taafee (*1955; Modern Painting & Ornamentation), or Emma Kunz (1892 – 1963 ; Radiesthesia), alongside numerous designers and architects – have explored geometric design principles, from purely rational to spiritual points of view.

Peter Wallimann’s vision is to use art to create powerful and  uplifting spiritual places. In times of increasing social and ideological division, modern temples of beauty are of particular importance as centers of encounter, inspiration, and transcendence – beyond any dogma, commerce, and violence.

Text: WBB Gallery, Zurich, 2023