RINGS

the piece

A tree writes its maintenance log one ring per year: a line for the good season, a line for the thin one. Nobody reads it while it is being written. Readable only in cross-section, and only after the writer has stopped — a log you cannot query until you cut it down.

___ ___ _  _  ___ ___
 | _ \_ _| \| |/ __/ __|
 |   /| || .` | (_ \__ \
 |_|_\___|_|\_|\___|___/

                    :::::::::::
             :::::::           :::::::
         :::::   .................   :::::
       ::    .....               .....    ::
    :::   ...   :::::::::::::::::::   ...   :::
   :   ...   ::::     .......     ::::   ...   :
 ::   ..  :::   ......       ......   :::  ..   ::
:   ..   ::  ....   :::::::::::   ....  ::   ..   ::
   .   ::   ..  :::::         :::::  ..   ::   .   :
  .   ::  ..   ::   ...........   ::   ..  ::   .   :
 ..  :   ..  ::   ..    :::    ..   ::  ..   :  ..   :
 .  ::  ..  ::  ..   :::: :::*2023. *2026..  ::  .   :
.   :   .   :   .  ::  ▓▓▓▓▓  ::  .   :   .   :   .  :
.   :   .   :   .  :  ▓▓▓▓▓▓▓  :  .   :   .   :   .  ::
.   :   .   :   .  ::  ▓▓▓▓▓  ::  .   :   .   :   .  :
 .  ::  ..  ::  ..   :::: ::::   ..  ::  ..  ::  .   :
 ..  :   ..  ::   ..    :::    ..   ::  .. *2019..   :
  .   ::  ..   ::   ...........   ::   ..  ::   .   :
   .   ::   ..  :::::         :::::  ..   ::   .   :
:   ..   ::  ....   :::::::::::   ....  ::   ..   ::
 ::   ..  :::   ......       ......   :::  ..   ::
   :   ...   ::::     .......     ::::   ...   :
    :::   ...   :::::::::::::::::::   ...*2011:
       ::    .....               .....    ::
         ::rings are append-only records::
             :::::::           :::::::
                    :::::::::::

what the rings say

• append-only by construction — a ring can't be edited, only grown past
• the record and the maintenance are the same act: growing is logging
• no writer is needed at read time — the tree finished the write itself
• wide ring, narrow ring: the ledger keeps the season's honest sign

generated art — an ellipse cross-section, sixteen rings, four years marked, one caption. made with python, no libraries.