Sculpture BM 414162522242621331

Hello All, I am back with a new work, and a new exhibition. 

I held off on posting this blog for a few weeks because I felt what better way to show off a new work, then to do it while sharing where you can come see it. So if you are going to be in the Miami area during Art Week and/or Art Basel, come check out my exhibition at the Phase gallery at Moonlighter FabLab. It is just a stone's throw from the convention center.

This show is the second stop on my slow motion book tour, which is to say I am not super keen on simply hawking an art book, so I’d much rather turn the opportunity into a traveling exhibition where everyone can come see me, the book, as well as all of the work itself.

 

The opening for this exhibition is timed to coincide with Miami Art Week and Art Basel, so if you are traveling that way for either of those, do drop by, say hello and yes maybe get a signed copy of my new book while you are at it. You can reserve one if you RSVP for the opening reception on Thursday December 5th.

You can be sure I will continue to plug the show a bit more, so…..with the exhibition announcement out of the way, let's talk about this new sculpture. It's called BM 414162522242621331

 

I suppose you could say that superficially, this work is a scaled up version of my Mod4 module series. But anyone who knows my work knows that kind of concept is simply a starting point for a completely new piece with different goals and considerations. Scaling a work is akin to continuing a conversation, but not necessarily repeating the same words.

For starters, aside from the basic geometric composition, there are no parts that are a direct 1-1 scale of the original piece. That means every element is completely re-engineered.

What the large and small works share visually is intentional, but it is an allusion, not a copy.

 

The work maintains a radial symmetry, while abandoning one plane of lateral symmetry. Scaling the piece allowed me to open up the composition, to reach inside and approach assembly in a different manner. Whereas the small work is light enough to be assembled using only magnets, this work has large bolts that thread through the inside of each module. This meant creating clearance for both the bolts, my hand and a very very small socket wrench.

This opening up also introduced new sight lines and a means to bring the eye into as well as around the work.

There are a lot more details on this piece, but they are not strictly ornamentation. I had a lot of fun playing with overt assembly methods which lend a certain utilitarian-ness to the work.

 

The video above details some of my trials and tribulations with some of the assemblies.

Sadly, a lot of the video I shot during the photoshoot was no good, but I pieced together something reasonably workable for a demo as well.

Lots of great details on this one

Eventually I will get the final drawing for this work together, but I like to give myself more time after a large work is completed to refine such a large document. Rest assured it will be ready in time for the opening reception.

Thanks for reading, and as always, comments and questions are welcome.