Metaphotical Spectra continues Channing Hansen's exploration of systems via knitted works. Each body of work takes a different avenue of investigation, from genetics to cosmology, fractal geometry to "growth patterns that structure fungus, neurons, and the distribution of galaxies." His practice is devoted to process, as Hansen is involved every step of the way: sourcing and dyeing raw fleece, then spinning the fiber into yarn. From there, algorithms of his own creation determine the various patterns and forms that he then knits and stretches over a frame. 

According to Hansen, his works are in "superposition," defined loosely as something existing in multiple states at the same time. While a foundational principle in quantum mechanics, Hansen applies the term to his creations. The works are at once drawings, paintings, sculptures, tapestries, and none of the above. To Hansen, all are true.

"My work is made using a computer-generated algorithm, which I use to create a "score" that determines the patterns of the knitted textiles that I make by hand using mostly organic materials. Yet the process is not one-way; as an artist, rather than simply executing a set of instructions, I become engaged in a feedback loop that finds me making subtle, perhaps even unconscious, adjustments in response to a wide range of personal and external variables, as well as to information I derive from observing the work itself being made."

- Channing Hansen

The knitted works appear abstract, random, and lacking structure, with colorful patterns abruptly transitioning into different and unrelated motifs. Changes in pattern and topography can occur at random, yet behind the intersections, intertwinings, and apparent chaos exist unseen structures not unlike our understanding of life itself.

“An algorithm is a set of instructions…They’re basically lists of variables, of different stitches and colors and patterns and ways of going. I even have a list of mistakes to choose from. I press the spacebar on the keyboard and the algorithm randomly picks from an array of these things, then says, You’re doing this now.”

- Channing Hansen, Fulcrum Arts (2024)

The Fluxus element in Hansen’s work is a nod to his grandfather, Al Hansen, who was a founding member of the movement. Al Hansen's contributions to Fluxus included the origination of the now-iconic “Piano Drop” performance, the introduction of “Happenings,” and the seminal text A Primer of Happenings and Time Space Art. Much of Channing’s work contains odes and allusions to his grandfather's works, while employing his distinct algorithmic and computational lens, combining fine art and computer science in a constant process-based exploration.