Ai Weiwei: Never Sorry

The dreary weather gave me a chance to see a film I've wanted to catch for a long time: Ai Weiwei: Never Sorry.

Ai Weiwei is a Chinese artist who has been pretty outspoken about the human rights abuses in China, one notable example being his work to uncover the shoddy school construction that led to many deaths from the 2008 Sichuan earthquake.  He also worked on the famous Bird's Nest stadium for the Olympics (which he later boycotted) and installed an exhibit at the Tate using one hundred million hand-painted sunflower seeds (yes, thats One Hundred.  Million.)

Not surprisingly, he was detained by the Chinese government for three months on charges of 'tax evasion'.  I've depicted him in a couple of my works: both 'The Others' in the E Pluibus Unum show and as part of an installation highlighting imprisoned artists.

The trailer from YouTube:

It you're on the east coast, you can see his work in person at the Hirshorn.

Radio West recently interviewed the filmmmaker as well.

http://www.hirshhorn.si.edu/collection/home/#collection=ai-weiwei-according-to-what

http://radiowest.kuer.org/post/ai-weiweis-art-dissent

http://www.guardian.co.uk/artanddesign/2010/oct/11/tate-modern-sunflower-seeds-review
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sichuan_schools_corruption_scandal
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2dtfeh6a01c
http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1845773/

How to Steal Ideas and be OK With It: Art Magazines

One of the aspects I enjoy most about being an artist is trying to steal ideas from others.  To quote T.S. Eliot:

"Immature poets imitate; mature poets steal; bad poets deface what they take, and good poets make it into something better, or at least something different."

Here are some of the places, specifically periodicals, I've found really fruitful for ideas:

Juxtapoz
Available in both digital and meatspace forms, Juxtapoz presents a snapshot of contemporary (urban?) culture through art, most of it unsettlingly awesome.  The Nov '12 issue was dedicated to politics and included interviews with Shepard Fairey ('Obey' and 'Hope' motifs), an ad for "Bad Dads: an art show tribute to the films of Wes Anderson', and a Barbie doll in a blender.
http://www.juxtapoz.com/

High Fructose
HF is a quarterly mag that doesn't yet have a digital version, although many of the articles can be found on their website.  It is the slightly more cerebral but still edgy-contemporary big brother of Juxtapoz.  Looks sweet casually thrown on your stainless steel ottoman before that hipster wine and cheese party.
http://hifructose.com/

Sculpture
If you really want to buckle down and get your head into some art, Sculpture provides great interviews with mostly established (read: famous) artists.  I don't find the visuals as stunning as the two above but it makes up for it with a simple clean layout and world-wide coverage.
http://www.sculpture.org/documents/sm-arch.shtml

Iron & Air
This isn't an Art magazine but a publication with art: specifically, custom, garage-built motorcycles.  It's about dudes (and dudettes) who find a 1972 something-or-other behind grandpa's hay barn and turn it into a fire-breathing 140mph+ bit of steel and spinning rubber.  This is about craft, not plunking down a credit card at the Harley dealership.  If you don't have (or even like) motorcycles the photography is fantastic anyway.
http://ironandair.com/magazine/

MAKE
MAKE is what happens when all those kids who got beat up for winning the science fair in 5th grade get to publish their own magazine.  If you like Mythbusters, MacGyver, or have a holster on your belt for your multi-tool, MAKE is for you.  There's a lot of cross-pollination with Instructables as well.
http://makezine.com/
http://www.instructables.com/

EAMES: The Architect and The Painter

Just saw EAMES: The Architect and Painter as part of this year's SLC Design Week.  It was a fantastic overview of the careers of the husband/wife design team Charles and Ray Eames.  (not familiar with them?  Pronounce it like 'Teams' and think bent plywood mid-century modern chairs).

They were incredibly prolific, not only with furniture design but architecture, medical splints, movies, photography, and exhibits on topics ranging from Thomas Jefferson to mathematics.

One of my favorite quotes:

“I’m a little taken aback by anyone calling himself an artist because of my feeling that that’s the kind of designation that other people should give. You can be an artist in any field, but getting a degree to call yourself an artist would be like getting a diploma to call yourself a genius."  -- Charles Eames

Contra Code Installation

Chad Crane and I recently collaborated on an installation for the 'E Pluribus Unum' show.  Chad (a proud geek) re-introduced me to the 'Contra Code', a series of actions in various old-school video games that allows the player to re-animate their character and essentially become digitally immortal.

The theme of the show was about what unites us as a country, especially during a divisive and often counterproductive political election cycle.  What better way to show our common experience of death than to demonstrate the possibility of endless life, even if it is just in a video game?

Each of the commands for the Contra Code was etched onto welded steel planters arranged in a circle.  Each planter contains a single plant that slowly deteriorates for the duration of the show.

Pedestals in progress

Planters in progress before etching

Planter stands in progress

Planters in progress

The Other

As part of the E Pluribus Unum show I'll be doing two works, one on my own and one as a collaboration with Chad Crane.  My solo work is titled 'Others: Thoreau, Weiwei, DeChristopher, Solzhenitsyn'.  It is made of a sheet of steel with a welded frame; the images are made by oxidizing the metal at different rates with different chemicals.

The basic idea of the show was to investigate what unites us as a country.  I think part of the answer lies in having an 'other' to unite against.  The catch is that we have a history of demonizing people and movements that hold up a mirror which would have inspired us to our better selves, if we didn't throw these folks in jail.

Specifically, the four individuals in my work were all put in prison for their efforts: Thoreau refused to pay taxes that funded slavery and Solzhenitsyn criticized Stalin.  The last two are our contemporaries; Ai Weiwei is critical of the human rights abuses of the Chinese government and DeChristopher disrupted illegal land auctions to oil and gas companies.  The thought process I've described here, along with the theme of the show.


https://www.facebook.com/epuartshow

http://chadcrane.blogspot.com/2011/01/familiar-territory-art-access-september.html

http://blueboathome.blogspot.com/2012/08/what-unites-us.html

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Civil_Disobedience_(Thoreau)

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Aleksandr_Solzhenitsyn

http://aiweiweineversorry.com/

http://www.bidder70.org/

E Pluribus Unum

Myself and a bunch of other artist are collaborating on a show about collaboration (or lack thereof) in the American political system.  Come on out, and take a look at the details here:

https://www.facebook.com/epuartshow?fref=ts

What unites us?

 . . . This is a question that has been on my mind over the last few months.  I'm part of a show going up this October with the theme 'E Pluribus Unum' (literally, 'Out of Many, One').  The exhibit is designed, in the words of curator Namon Bills:

"[The show] will be a response to the ultra-partisan nature of our country's current political climate. The concept is based on the United States' paradoxic situation as a unified whole composed of varying voices — the very embodiment of e pluribus unum: from many, one. America has always been an amalgamation of divided visions, dreams and opinions — even going back to the earliest days of our country's founding. America's success comes not from all of our citizens looking and thinking alike, but from our rich diversity of experience, background and opinion, combined with a willingness to talk to, listen to, and work with those that we disagree with. This country was founded on a willingness to set aside individual differences and compromise for the good of the whole."

It is not-so-coincedentally timed right at the elections.

In preparation I read and watched the John Adams book and miniseries as well as Naomi Wolf's 'The End of America: Letters of Warning to a Young Patriot".  Nice bookends on the American experience.

One of the things that struck me about the history of our country is the repeated emergence of 'The Other'; a common foe or challenge that unites us (the British, the French, the Loyalists, terrorism, etc).  Although I'm no historian, it seems as though when we don't have an external foe we turn on a facet of our selves (Republicans, Democrats, the Tea Party, snowboarders . . .).

I'm all for keeping each other accountable, but what happened to recognizing The Other as a concept that pushes us to our better selves, rather than an enemy to be defeated?  I think tennis is a good metaphor: neither opponent can play by themselves, and the best athletes recognize that their success depends on their competitors.  Although I'm no fan of Lance Armstrong, his battles with Jan Ullrich during the Tours of the early 2000's exemplified this spirit.  Of course politics and armed conflicts have much higher consequences than Wimbledon and the Tour de France, and sometimes the Enemy/Other must be dealt with accordingly.

I think it is the compressing of the spectrum of The Other to a single concept that is particularly dangerous.  It is becoming harder and harder to distinguish who is our metaphorical tennis opponents and who should be under surveilance or on the Predator drone short list.  

Specifically I wanted to depict artists who questioned their context and were imprisoned for it.  I also wanted to try my hand at stencils by using them to create layers of patina on metal plates (rather than the 'traditional' spray paint masking a la Banksy):

The following images are spray paint and rust tests that will inform the final plates:

Aleksander Solzhenitsyn was a Russian writer born around WWI who was sentenced to 8 years in a labor camp for his criticisms of Stalin.  

Rust patina test on mild steel sheet

spray paint test on cardboard

patina test on mild steel

Ai Weiwei is a contemporary Chinese artist who has been particularly outspoken about the human rights abuses and 'democracy' of China.  He was arrested and his studio demolished.  He is also the subject of a recent documentary Never Sorry.

spray paint test

Henry David Thoreau was an American writer in the 1800's who was arrested for refusing to pay taxes that would support slavery.

spray paint test on cardboard

Tim DeChristopher is an activist who I categorize as a 'performance artist' (although he may not) who intentionally disrupted illegal federal land lease auctions in Utah by posing as a legitimate bidder.  He is currently serving a prison sentence.

spray paint test on scrap cardboard (I like how the bar code ended up on his forehead -- unintentional Warhol-esque commentary on the commodification of protest?)

Geeking out with Arduino

Recently I've maxed out my geek-o-meter and have been trying my hand at building & coding a microprocessor to use in dynamic/interactive sculptures.  I've started with the Arduino, a pretty straightforward but powerful bit of open-source electronics that has a large support network on the interwebs.


An overview from MAKE magazine, one of the greatest publication of all time:

http://blog.makezine.com/arduino/


A hub with lots of information/tutorials for the Arduino crowd:

http://www.arduino.cc/

Here's a TED talk about the Arduinio 'open-sourcing the imagination':

http://www.ted.com/talks/massimo_banzi_how_arduino_is_open_sourcing_imagination.html

And a few projects that give an idea of what you can do with this crazy little thing:

Giant flame-throwing scorpion, with come videos:

http://mantisentertainment.com/gallery/

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5E8HSnIEE20&feature=autoplay&list=UUZLshGezpuu_c-_7GxlFwTA&playnext=1

Mind-controlled flame thrower (there are other things it can do besides control flame effects, these are just some of the coolest):

http://blog.makezine.com/2012/07/28/detroit-hackerspaces-1-i3-detroits-mind-flame-contest/

Prepping wood from trees

This is a log from a cottonwood cut several years ago.  I did nothing to it except let it sit, and you can see the cracks that resulted.  For some pieces it may be desirable to let it crack deliberately and use this pattern, but structurally it is compromised and would have to have a supporting base or framework so it doesn't fall apart.

Until recently I've used wood that's been milled (or more commonly, already used) before I got to it.  I've been waiting for a chance to try starting with the tree rather than the pre-cut planks at a wood supply house.  When a neighbor told me he was going to remove a giant apricot tree from his property, I jumped at the chance to try it.

Two of the greatest woodworkers of all time, George Nakashima's and Sam Maloof were experts at this.  Take a look at Nakashima's use of the live edge and butterfly insets in his work.

The original tree, marked with sections that I have sculpture ideas for.  I was inspired partly by a visit to James Surles'  studio in Carbondale (www.jamessurles.com)

Newly cut wood ('green' wood) is heavy because of all the water weight.  Slow, consistent drying is key to reducing the number of cracks and structural abnormalities.  Many sculptors either use a large kiln to dry wood or keep a rotating stock ready for use.  For air-drying, a good rule of thumb is 1 year per inch of thickness . . . so for large pieces the planning process can start a decade or more before the sculpting even starts.

Cookies chainsawed and ready for sealant

Drying cookies prepped with different sealants as an experiment

Cracks that showed up on an untreated log a day after cutting

Sealant added to the ends of cuts to slow the moisture loss.  Eventually I'll cut strips out of the bark to allow for more even drying (and fewer cracks).

Pause Play Planters

I just finished a set of planters, now the search begins for the right plants to put in them.  I liked the idea of using the ubiquitous Play/FFW/RW symbols to fit with the overall shape of the curving metal.

Shipping Art

I've recently been moving art around the country and thought it would be good to explain a bit about how I get it from my studio to its new home, specifically for other sculptors and art collectors who have to get their stuff from here to there.  

Lets start by talking about crating and packaging sculpture for someone else to transport.  There are a ton of great tutorials on the web about how to do this for paintings -- sculpture follows the same principles with a few modifications.  Ideally we'd have a team of white-gloved butlers that could hand-carry valuable artwork to its destination, but the reality is that unless you drive it yourself, it will be handled by a bunch of busy folks driving forklifts and 18 wheelers who don't know if there's a set of Ming dynasty vases in their cargo or American Apparel t-shirts.  

Given that we need to protect our artwork, I actually enjoy the process of making the crates that my work travels in -- it is part of the theater of owning, releasing, and accepting artwork in to our lives.  Just like those suitcases from the 30's covered in travel stickers and the warehouse scene at the end of Indiana Jones, a good crate can tell part of a story.

If you'd like, many shipping companies will pick up and crate your work for you.  Give your local respected gallery a call and see who they use.  This is a more expensive option, but saves time especially if you have a whole suite of work to send to a show or an enthusiastic collector.  Some will require they package the work for you to be able to get insurance on it (get the insurance.  Trust me.), and some will tell you their requirements then inspect your packaging when you bring it to them.

A good package will protect against several dangers:

Gross impacts (getting dropped, stuff dropped on it, bumps from other packages and trucks with little suspension).  If you have especially delicate work (glass art, ceramics, etc), check that the trucks used have air-ride suspension.  I use 2" foam on the inside of my crates as well. A box-within-a-box, separated by packing peanuts or something similar will work too.

plywood panels with insulation prepared for the crate sides

Abrasion (from the work shifting inside the crate as well as other things rubbing against the crate during transport).  I fix my work to the crate itself, although this may not be appropriate for some media where shocks will crack or dismantle your work.  The table in this example is made from 3/8" steel plate, so I'm not worried about shocks as much.  I use a thin foam padding and plastic packaging wrap to protect the finish.

Table affixed to the bottom of the crate to prevent shifting/abrasion against the inside

 Punctures. These usually come from forklifts and pallet jacks used to move the crates on and off loading docks and trucks.  Generally speaking, if your work + crate is more than 100lbs or unweildy size-wise, fix it to a pallet so that the skids can slide underneath easily.  This is the damage I've heard most about from other artists and the reason why I don't like using cardboard boxes for my work.  I also make handles using climbing webbing and washers so that it is easier to carry by hand and to folks moving it are less temped to shove a pallet jack underneath.

 

Handles to ease transport

 Moisture.  Generally it will come from two directions -- above (rain, stuff above it breaking) and below (spills, wet/snowy dock floors).  The plastic wrap mentioned above helps, although it is important to leave some cracks in the plastic wrap so that you don't get condensation as your work changes temperature/altitude in its travels.  A good shipping company will protect it from rain, and I build the crate on a slight rise so that if it does get set in a puddle nothing gets wet but the bottom of the crate.

Skids to keep the crate off the ground/away from moisture

Getting lost.  Stuff gets misplaced, even with the official labels that get put on it.  I always include my full address/telephone/email as well as the recipient's on a sheet inside the crate.  In addition, a bunch of 'UP' and 'Fragile' stencils (just make sure you don't put them on backwards  . . .) make the crate more recognizable and generally cool-looking.

 

CSU MFA exhibit

Got the chance to see CSU's Master of Fine Arts Thesis exhibit a few days ago. If you're in the N Colorado/ Ft Collins area, I recommend checking it out.

There was one artist in particular I especially liked: Eli Marco Hall, who did a video series that depicted his use of typography on various public spaces. He use shadows on walls, rocks, even firearm pock marks in concrete to illustrate several personally relevant phrases ('you're not me', 'cancer consumed her', etc). The best part wasn't the design of the typeface or the sayings themselves, but the theater of their production and disintegration caught on time-lapse film. Seeing the film in the gallery gave me a perspective that I wouldn't have gotten if I saw the work in person, or even it's construction real-time.

Unfortunately, I couldn't take photos in the gallery so you'll have to see it in person.

Carbondale's Art aRound Town

Just got back from Carbondale, CO to install the Ambiguous Family in Carbondale's Art aRound Town exhibit.  It'll be there for a year at 3rd & Main, so swing by and check it out.

I also had the opportunity to meet and trade secrets with some very talented sculptors who were also in the exhibit:

Casey Cooper
(article)

Casey and a few buddies from Texas drove this thing up and over Colorado mountain passes in a marathon trip to get it out to the show, and it was one of my favorite pieces.  He welds sheet metal together and then inflates it using compressed air to give his sculptures a very interesting industrial/organic feel.  The scale of this particular one was especially impressive as was the light and shadows that play across the surface depending on the time of day.

Michael Dunton
(website)

Michael is out of Castle Valley and does some very painstaking and beautiful work with illuminated stone and steel.

Shohini Ghosh
(website)





Suzanne Kane
(website)






Michael Lindsey
(fb) (website)

Gary Mitchell
(article)

Kevin Schaffer (detail)