recent thoughts on titles has brought on a change in thesis title. a small change. the actual head title remains system synthesis and seems to be more and more accurately reflective of my ideas as more work is produced.
fortunately, i've got a colon descriptor option in my thesis title, the second part, which acts as a second explanatory option in the meaning of the work.
i have been thinking for some time that perhaps a focus on the way in which elements are joined in systems and organisations is required. the way in which nodes are connected is the actual architecture of the organism.
in greek mythology, hermes is the god that is the messenger. the information flow. the connecting bridge between nodes. metaphorically, hermes is information. he is the electrical charge between firing synapses, the water in rivers and the waves of sub-sonic sound that vibrates when elephants talk across plains.
January 23, 2011
January 22, 2011
brain functions are biological functions
got word that i will be included in a group show at monash university's art and design faculty gallery some time in august. very excited and humbled to be included - curated by michael vale, my first and second year painting lecturer. a true 'teacher' in the actual sense of the word and someone who inspires, motivates and energises. something of a rarity in the analytical/critical deconstructionist environs of an academic art school.
i have started thinking about investigating economic matters as part of my art work. i recently saw a documentary about the battle between rational economics and behavioural economics. in essence, these differing approaches to understanding market systems come down to, on the one side, a mathematical rationalisation of economic activities, able to be articulated accurately in repeatable formulas, and, on the other hand, an acceptance that economic patterns and activities can only be understood with an appreciation of the irrational behaviours humans can elicit in particularly economic conditions.
much of my early education was in these fields - economics, accounting, management practice and marketing. i've always been conscious that that knowledge base feeds into my art practice and at some point may come more to the fore of my concerns. my renewed interest in systems synthesis is perhaps stimulating this even more at the moment.
January 19, 2011
dusted and thoughts on titles
butterflies are thoughts is in place, rigged up and ready for anyone to run their nervous system in front of it.
the sound coming from the pipes is super quiet, with the occasional burst of water, dripping or a bang. while all 4 pipes are miked, only 2 make any discernible noise through the speakers. i quite like the subtlety as it speaks to a more hidden infrastructure under the facade.
the title of this work is something a little bit different than the titles i normally use. often my titles are simply descriptions of the work, eg - network, tap, charging etc. Although there are variances and there never really is any hard and fast rule about naming my work. i think it was mattise that said a title can be like another colour for the artwork.
my work is becoming more and more refined in its exploration of system. for this work, there is an assemblage of elements that function together as a system. several of my works have been like this, sometimes kinetically so. the implication, hopefully, in this work is that technology is investigating its own material matter. the speaker lamps monitor the water/gas/air flow of the pipes and use this information to 'interrogate' a cobblestone made of melbourne bluestone.
in this way, the infrastructure of our cultural creations engage with the natural elements that make them up and ultimately generate them. so, the title really is just a reference to the way in which one thing can translate as another thing in a different context. it is designed to elicit a very direct connection to nature, perhaps even sentimentally so, as well as intellectual concepts. almost as if to say, 'pretty nature is like an idea'. or that, more spefically, something from nature might be a perfect metaphor for something we humans can invent in our heads.
the sound coming from the pipes is super quiet, with the occasional burst of water, dripping or a bang. while all 4 pipes are miked, only 2 make any discernible noise through the speakers. i quite like the subtlety as it speaks to a more hidden infrastructure under the facade.
the title of this work is something a little bit different than the titles i normally use. often my titles are simply descriptions of the work, eg - network, tap, charging etc. Although there are variances and there never really is any hard and fast rule about naming my work. i think it was mattise that said a title can be like another colour for the artwork.
my work is becoming more and more refined in its exploration of system. for this work, there is an assemblage of elements that function together as a system. several of my works have been like this, sometimes kinetically so. the implication, hopefully, in this work is that technology is investigating its own material matter. the speaker lamps monitor the water/gas/air flow of the pipes and use this information to 'interrogate' a cobblestone made of melbourne bluestone.
in this way, the infrastructure of our cultural creations engage with the natural elements that make them up and ultimately generate them. so, the title really is just a reference to the way in which one thing can translate as another thing in a different context. it is designed to elicit a very direct connection to nature, perhaps even sentimentally so, as well as intellectual concepts. almost as if to say, 'pretty nature is like an idea'. or that, more spefically, something from nature might be a perfect metaphor for something we humans can invent in our heads.
January 18, 2011
install
today was all about getting all the materials into place, testing all the wires, the microphones and the amps, the lights and all the amount of powerboards and extension cables needed.
setting up the first speaker-lamp;
connecting the contact mic, the power, and the speaker to the amp
setting the component elements into place
one of the necessary environmental conditions to consider is the lighting. often something easily overlooked. most times, galleries are very well lit, sometimes with track lighting or spots. for this installation i wanted the lighting to be a bit dramatic, a bit like a fractured infrastructure, as if the lights have either not yet been put into their place, or had been taking away from where they were meant to be.
sitting the bluestone cobblestone on fluoro lights
placing the lights on the speaker-lamps
seemed to elicit the best effect in the space
west wing invite
BUS @ WEST WING: Commodity/Fetishism
Curated by BUS Projects,
featuring Kat Clarke, Maggie Brown, Chantal Fraser and Ann Fuata,
Andrew Goodman, Kirsten McIver, Drew Pettifer and Kent Wilson.
20.01.11 – 30.01.11
Opening: Thursday 20 January, 6-8pm
Opening: Thursday 20 January, 6-8pm
This exhibition will form part of BUS Projects’ off site series of explorations into the nature of spatial artistic practices. Melbourne Central provides an ideal site in which to frame and mediate the interdependence of spatial practice with the concept of site-specificity. The works in this exhibition will be anchored in the site and its surroundings, critically reproducing the conditions of their spectacle context – consumption, obsolescence, nostalgia and longing – as a strategy to forestall their own displacement into commodities.
____________________________________________________
If you would like to donate to West Space we have Deductible Gift Recipient Status (DGR) for tax purposes.
West Space
1st Floor, 15-19 Anthony Street
Melbourne Vic 3000, Australia
www.westspace.org.au
info@westspace.org.au
ph 03 9328 8712
For further inquiries or media quality images please contact Melody Ellis or Phip Murray at the gallery on
Ph: 03 9328 8712 or email: info@westspace.org.au
West Space
1st Floor, 15-19 Anthony Street
Melbourne Vic 3000, Australia
www.westspace.org.au
info@westspace.org.au
ph 03 9328 8712
For further inquiries or media quality images please contact Melody Ellis or Phip Murray at the gallery on
Ph: 03 9328 8712 or email: info@westspace.org.au
January 17, 2011
butterflies are thoughts
all the bits and pieces of the artwork, like the component elements of a mini-system, are all constructed, soldered, drilled, tied and taped.
all four speaker-lamps built:
but then once they are grouped, another dynamic comes into play. a structural, systematic, amplification of the repeated behaviour, however that 'behaviour' may be implied to any given viewer. 
the last image is taken from down lower to try and describe the feeling of intimidation that i feel like i'm getting from these objects that seem somehow to be with some sort of agency. the brick in the middle has replaced the log so i could get a better feel for the materiality of a rock.
this is everything all sorted out so i can pack it all up and take it into the city on the train
all four speaker-lamps built:
starting to look a lot like a system now
once constructed i needed to tested out how the lamps are going to look when i set them out as an apparent grouping of behaving objects.
first i set one up and just looked at it, to get a sense of its feeling, or effect/affect.
of course, there's a particularly anthropomorphic element,
not least thanks to a particular digital animation
not least thanks to a particular digital animation
but then once they are grouped, another dynamic comes into play. a structural, systematic, amplification of the repeated behaviour, however that 'behaviour' may be implied to any given viewer.
starting with 2 speaker-lamps
(the log here will actually be a large bluestone cobblestone)
a third speaker-lamp, increasing the sense of implied power and implied network
introducing the slightly different speaker-lamp,
the one directed at the cobblestone protruding from the wall of the gallery
all four speaker-lamps,
all mounted on structural pine (another infrastructural material reference)
all mounted on structural pine (another infrastructural material reference)
the last image is taken from down lower to try and describe the feeling of intimidation that i feel like i'm getting from these objects that seem somehow to be with some sort of agency. the brick in the middle has replaced the log so i could get a better feel for the materiality of a rock.
here's hoping that there is a decent sound coming from the contact microphones on the pipes. even if not, i think the sculptural form of the work still carries some of the desired feeling i had hoped to evoke.
happy with this layout prototype i'm now all ready to take the whole lot of pieces into the gallery space and set them up to suit the dynamics of the architecture with which it will exist. tomorrow is install day.
this is everything all sorted out so i can pack it all up and take it into the city on the train
January 11, 2011
inspiration from the field
i am pretty much dying to get into the space at west wing gallery so i can get started on this work. all the amps are built now, all the contact microphones are made. i just need to get into the space, set them up, and decide how best to present the work. while i have decided to put aside living plants for this show, there is a growing desire in me to reconsider this idea and keep that possibility open. again, it's all really dependent on the conditions of the site and the way the materials function.
anyway, in the meantime, i stumbled on this great artwork by angelo vermeulen:
anyway, in the meantime, i stumbled on this great artwork by angelo vermeulen:
January 4, 2011
plan b
when working with living things, or kinetic things, i've realised it's important to have a plan b. plants die, batteries go flat, timers fail. since my soldering incident recently, my thoughts have turned to measures of secure efficiency.
there is the possibility with this next installation that:
- the water rushing through the pipes is a rare event that i just happened to be fortunate to hear at the specific day and time i went in to visit the site
- the microphones may not sufficiently detect an audible vibration (perhaps the pipes are too thick)
- the amps may not sufficiently increase the intensity of the vibrations to create a loud enough sound through the speakers
these are just 3 main things i can think of now, that will effect the way the artwork exists in the space.
in light of that, i have to be prepared to adapt the plan to suit the occasion and specifics of the space itself. that is, i have to arm myself with the materials i think will be interesting, and then apply them effectively to the situation. the plan is always just the preparation of your approach to the site. once in the site, you mould the plan to the environmental conditions, in order to create the situation.
at the moment, plan b consists of double amping the mics, to increase the volume of sound (if required), and/or aborting the material of the desk lamps in order to increase the amount of speaker cones (which i have dozens of), such that the situation becomes more about sound and less about the connotations of materials.
if there's no sound to be 'harvested' from the pipes, then a more significant re-evaluation of the artwork will be required.
the exhilarating part of this process is the fact that i won't know how successful my plan will be in determining the situation until i actually engage with the environmental conditions. which will give me 2 days to adjust, customise and re-consider - should that be needed.
there is the possibility with this next installation that:
- the water rushing through the pipes is a rare event that i just happened to be fortunate to hear at the specific day and time i went in to visit the site
- the microphones may not sufficiently detect an audible vibration (perhaps the pipes are too thick)
- the amps may not sufficiently increase the intensity of the vibrations to create a loud enough sound through the speakers
these are just 3 main things i can think of now, that will effect the way the artwork exists in the space.
in light of that, i have to be prepared to adapt the plan to suit the occasion and specifics of the space itself. that is, i have to arm myself with the materials i think will be interesting, and then apply them effectively to the situation. the plan is always just the preparation of your approach to the site. once in the site, you mould the plan to the environmental conditions, in order to create the situation.
at the moment, plan b consists of double amping the mics, to increase the volume of sound (if required), and/or aborting the material of the desk lamps in order to increase the amount of speaker cones (which i have dozens of), such that the situation becomes more about sound and less about the connotations of materials.
if there's no sound to be 'harvested' from the pipes, then a more significant re-evaluation of the artwork will be required.
the exhilarating part of this process is the fact that i won't know how successful my plan will be in determining the situation until i actually engage with the environmental conditions. which will give me 2 days to adjust, customise and re-consider - should that be needed.
January 3, 2011
building some assemblages
after a rather frustrating error with some soldering that resulted in one of my amps being destroyed, today was much more successful. another amp built, this time successfully, worked on the first test and brings the total to 3 constructed amplifiers.
the inner disc is able to detect vibrations. the ceramic bit just moves very slightly, simply by pressure. you basically just connect the wires to an amp, so it makes the tiny fluctuations larger. then plug a speaker into the amp to hear what the vibrations sound like.
this is the amp i messed up, literally, burning the connections into oblivion.
this basically breaks the chain of connections and means the circuit is broken.
successful amp construction - testing
whilst i wait for jaycar to reopen after the holidays, i moved on to making the contact microphones. after some net surfing about these microphones and some youtube videos on how to make them i discovered you can take these sensors called piezo sensors, cut the plastic casing off of them, and extract the brass and ceramic disc from the middle.
this is how the sensors look when you buy them
this is the inner disc that you take out,
and these things are the microphones.
the inner disc is able to detect vibrations. the ceramic bit just moves very slightly, simply by pressure. you basically just connect the wires to an amp, so it makes the tiny fluctuations larger. then plug a speaker into the amp to hear what the vibrations sound like.
placing the discs against walls, glass, wood or really, any surface, means that they detect the sound waves hitting the material and the vibrations caused by anything else touching the material.
for this next show, 4 of these will be placed against the 4 pipes in the middle of the room. when i went to look at the exhibition space i noticed these pipes were each emitting a subtle sound of water, echoing metallic sounds and what i thought were human voices. so that experience led to the idea of amplifying those sounds to enable them to fill the space like liquid.
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