Possibilities of a Structure

Early in the 1970s, Terrazas concentrated on finding a solution to undertake work with a serial logic in which he could explore aspects of unity and diversity. The intention was to develop a series based on a solution or direct structure, with a strong visual impact and easy recognition, in sum, an iconic structure. 

The design base of Terrazas’s new series, which he called Possibilities of a Structure, can refer to different spaces, orders of experience, and symbolic reference points. His iconic graphic solution holds a multiplicity of meanings.

Another distinctive aspect of this series is the way he has exploited this solution to create different structural configurations or subseries such as Nine Circles, Grid, Diagonals, Barcode, and the most extensive, robust, and complex of all, Cosmos. These subseries contain specific formal inquiries as well as potential meanings. Nine Circles combined geometric order with circles, vertical, horizontal, and diagonal lines. Diagonals, allows the artist to explore the intertwining of lines in his designs, almost like weaving. On the other, Grid can be seen concerning the use of this visual structure as a projective tool in the fields of architecture and design. Finally, Barcode can be associated with the discourse of the time on programming and cybernetics, as well as its technologies of visual representation. Through a play of parallel lines, these works by Terrazas refer to bar codes, commercially introduced in the late 1960s. 

Cosmos subseries merits further examination. Unlike the other four subseries, it is the group of works that investigates the solution to the series Possibilities of a Structure most holistically. It has also become more complex in its meaning over time. As for the understanding of this structure, for Terrazas today the “two lines drawn horizontally and vertically are the X and Y coordinates.” The circle spanning these two lines is a symbol of the universe, while a smaller circle represents planet Earth. A square rotated 45 degrees located within the large circle represents “a structural frame for the universe.” Finally, “the two diagonal lines that cross the image and intersect beyond the cosmic horizon, represent the infinite in the Cosmos.”