Leonardo Ulian Creates Intricate Mandalas From Computer Circuitry

When gazing into a <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mandala">mandala</a>, we view a two-dimensional representation of the Universe. Looking at Italian-born, London artist <a title="Leonardo Ulian homepage" href="http://www.leonardoulian.it/index.html" target="_blank">Leonardo Ulian's</a> Technological Mandalas, are we staring into the inner workings of our own electronic creations? With the care of a Buddhist monk painting intricate symbols and patterns on fabric, Ulian solders circuits, microchips, and various computer parts to geometric configurations that evoke ancient spiritual designs.

Stimulated by the search for perfection in the electronics industry, Ulian began composing ornate mandalas from pieces of circuitry.

"I wanted to show what has been hidden from the eyes of the consumer, representing electronic circuits as extraordinary objects where the perfection of the design can becomes almost something ethereal. The shapes and colors of the single components intrigued me for pure aesthetic reasons with the consequent loss of the actual functionality of the component itself." says Ulian.

While the pieces do not accomplish a physical or computational ask, they lay bare the the machinery of our man-made universe much like an anatomical dissection.

Ulian takes the strictly physical and rearranges their shapes and positions to examine the way our minds operate by abstracting the technical into the fanciful.

The flat, geometric compositions are reminiscent of ancient Indian representations of the Universe.

Ulian uses radio, computer, and electronic components to create his intricate mandalas.