Lost Foam

I've been spending the last few weeks trying to hobble together my own little foundry. I was inspired by a technique called lost foam casting. I hope to have things up and going in about a week. Below are some photos of a crucible I've been working on over the last few days, it was like metal shop 101. I forged the pour spout, turned the knobs on the lathe, milled the dumping tab and welded it all together.

statement

I recently submitted sit of faith and five easy pieces (in white) for an upcoming art exhibition. I took the opportunity to write a bit about each project and fine tune the presentation. Therefore I've updated my previous post from December 21st with new layouts and explanatory text.

Part of the submission required an artist's statement. This is not something I have really written before so I endeavored to be as concise as possible about 'what I make' and 'how I make'. As always, I appreciate everyone's input, so if I am too nebulous, too wordy, or too derivative let me know!


I make objects, and I try to elicit meaning from these objects. I want my objects to talk, to have conversations with those whom they encounter. My objects need users and companions, they seek a role and ask for a duty. I make objects that function, I have no desire to make totems.

My working method is steeped in the traditions of car tuning and old school craftsmanship. Empirical knowledge and specialized tooling have both a pragmatic and academic influence in my process. My work varies in size but the interaction is always intimate; material character and tectonic clarity are magnetic.

Sit of Faith

This object needs your trust. It needs you to believe that it is a chair, believe that it wants to be a chair. Without you, it is simply not a chair. This object changes its physical shape, and perhaps its role in the room, when in a non-chair state.

sit of faith / steel, aluminum, wood, rubber, teflon, lead shot, sinew / 48” x 38” x 24” / fall 2007

Five Easy Pieces (in White)

Five vacant pocketwatch cases are venues for a collaboration of slippery concepts: the semantics of ‘white’ and the pragmatics of time.
From left to right...
white flag: Doves triumphantly tangle themselves in geometric exultation of the tiny and the precious. The ‘diamond’ rotates at 6 degrees a second in an effort to further sparkle your eye.
white lie: A seeming innocent action solidifies and traps the movement; the plaster drys and the moment is recorded. It is a traceable regret which continues to erode, now the authenticity of everything is questioned.
white wash: The surface is censored. A layer of white begins to obscure the truth underneath: overspray on a wood bench, efflorescence on masonry, ice on a small branch. Time allows exposure, and exposure steals the details.
white noise: The corporeal time is obscured by the sandblasted surface. Only the application of a wetting agent to the crystal will help you separate the signal from the noise.
white hot: Seconds shout at you in both analog and digital dialects, just to make sure you are aware that time is far from patient. It doesn’t matter what hour it is, it matters only that time has been lost. Do something – not nothing – and do it right now.

Detail images...

five easy pieces (in white)
found objects, purchased objects, fabricated objects
24” x 16” x 1”
fall 2007

disaster in blaauw 2

I pulverized these plaster molds in the kiln a couple of weeks ago. Damn Blaauws. Damn me for being so impatient and wanting to dry them in the kiln, trying to rush nature.

These were my first attempt at making one-part plaster molds of grocery-store plastic containers, which were to become dishes/platters for the Cup Sale. Thank you, David, for reminding me to photograph them before they journeyed into the kiln to dry...

Anyhow, to make a long story short, after the Blaauw disaster I made 60 of these instead:

These pieces were made by playing with the nuances and irregularities of slip-casting techniques. Drips were left uncorrected to bring attention to the inherent beauty of imperfections.

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sometimes i make things as a way of asking a bunch of questions (like these)

Can a generic object become specific?

How do two materials meet?
What is that space within a fracture?
Can the most logical procedure bear extraordinary results?
What is the potential of a single line?

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action?

It has been a while since I have posted..
I have been making...I just haven't been documenting what I've made (yet).

But I offer the following as evidence that 'things' are, in fact, being made...