electrical successes

there's something very pleasant about weekends at the studio. i think this stems mostly from the fact that my studio is on a university campus and weekends mean that there's no-one around. also, i think i like to work when the rest of the world is not - nights and weekends are always the most productive for me.

i finally resolved the fluctuating voltage meter issue. it came down to rethinking the power connections - in simple terms, i adjusted from a 'connection' focus, to a 'disconnection' focus. this emphasises a break in the circuit rather than a connection. problem solved.

 here the wires touching the aluminium foil connect the circuit and you can see the voltage meter in the background with a positive reading.

 and now here the second hand on the clock has dislodged the copper wiring and caused the circuit to disconnect and the voltage meter drops

the motion of the clock, its circularity of time, causes the fluctuations in the voltage supply. i can now rig the whole thing up (by hiding the clock mechanism) to appear as of the voltage is being read from the plants, which will be wired up with actual voltage running through soil.

 here i have run a 9v charge through the soil of 2 plants, interconnected by insertions of aluminium foil and copper sheets to complete the circuits

 interconnected here with the flashing LED light circuit i built

now that these technical issues have been resolved i can move on to constructing the actual sculptural piece and build the illusion/proposition that energy is being drawn out of the plants themselves and is acting as a detonation trigger for the branch bundle.